The information that one can have about the system and gives the probability of each possible outcome of any measurement. According to the theory, the wave function contains all The state is described by a wave function-sometimes called a state vector, referring to an abstract mathematical space, called Hilbert space, with an infinite number of dimensions. It is as if the second photon knew what the first had decided to do, even though it could be light years away by the time the first measurement was made.Īccording to the standard version of quantum mechanical theory, the state of any system evolves continuously in time according to the so-called time-dependent Schrödinger equation until a measurement is made. If one of them goes through a polarizing filter, one knows with certainty that the other will not pass through a filter with the same direction of polarization, and this conclusion is unaffected by rotating both filters by an equal amount. The polarizations of the photons will be highly correlated. An electron and an anti-electron can annihilate each other, creating two photons traveling in opposite directions. This appears to be a truly random process-an example of God playing dice, as Einstein would have said.Ī further problem in quantum measurement theory concerns the existence of so-called entangled states. For any particular photon, there is no way of determining whether or not it will pass through the rotated filter. If one of the filters is rotated by 45 degrees, however, only half of the photons pass through. If the intensity of the light source is reduced so that one can be sure that only one photon or quantum of light energy is passing through each filter at a time, the result is unchanged. If a beam of light is sent through a polarizing filter, it is found that the emerging beam is completely polarized, and thus it will pass through any subsequent polarizing filters with the same orientation as the first without any loss of intensity. These counter-intuitive aspects of the theory led many physicists, most notably Albert Einstein (1879-1955), to reject it or at least regard it as temporary and inherently incomplete.Īmong the strangest aspects of quantum theory is the sudden change in state that is alleged to occur when a measurement is made. One must abandon the notion that each particle has a definite location at all times. Particles such as the electron have wavelike properties, while electromagnetic waves behave, at times, like particles. Looked at closely, however, the theory has certain unsettling features. Chemists, physicists, materials scientists, molecular biologists, and electrical engineers use the predictions and terminology of the theory to explain and understand numerous phenomena. Quantum mechanics is one of the most successful theories of modern physics.
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Viewpoint: No, the "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics is not viable for numerous reasons, including measurement problems and the inability to test it scientifically. Viewpoint: Yes, the "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics is viable, as it provides the simplest solution to the measurement dilemma inherent in the standard model. Is the "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics viable?