Changes brought by quantum physics

The ‘quantum physics’ has brought significant changes the human ways of perceiving the world in the smaller scale. The traditional assumption, the smallest form of matter is an atom, is collapsed to the ground by the emergence of an amazing fact discovered about the character and behaviour of the particles in the sub-atomic level.

Quantum physics has brought changes, mainly in scientific and philosophical sector, by explaining the nature of particles which make up matter and, describe the forces with which they interact. Quantum physics underlies how atoms work, and so why chemistry and biology work as they do.

Study of particles in quantum physics that brought so huge changes

Quantum physics, which has brought enormous changes in the ways of intellectual discourses worldwide, is based on the Quantum Mechanics, which is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is also the foundation of all quantum  chemistry,  quantum  field theory, quantum technology, and quantum information science.

Quantum theories study the quantum world, which is the world that’s smaller than an atom. Particles at this scale behave differently from the way as other observable objects do. Although the particle in the quantum level might be found anywhere, the probability of finding one of these particles in any particular place is zero. Observers (scientists) can predict where they might be, however, they never know where actually they are.

The behaviour of particles completely differs from the behaviour of the world around us. In our world, your money kept in your wallet in the morning will still be there as it is when you check it in the evening. But in the quantum world, the particles can not remain in a certain place. So, nobody can make predictions about where they are because within the time you are engaged in making predictions, they might have changed places hundreds of times.

Dual function of quantum particle

Scientists say they have not found any idea to deal with the quantum world yet.

A notable feature of a quantum particle is that the particle shows dual functions: ordinary matter function and wave function. All the electrons and protons and other particles as small or smaller than atoms fall in the quantum world. Every elementary particle has properties of both, a wave and a particle. The idea is called wave-particle duality. Therefore, as the field known as quantum physics studies the biggest mysteries hidden in the smallest parts of the universe, It has brought unprecedented changes in the human world.

As quantum particles can exist in more than one place at the same time, the study of the quantum world may be useful for developing new technologies in the future. The present day computers funtion with the help of switches built into microchips. Whereas a quantum computer uses atoms or subatomic particles for its calculations. Further, such a particle can be in more than one place at the same time, that means quantum computers can perform many different calculations at the same time. They will be potentially thousands of times faster than the fastest computers of today.

Thus, two major technology companies of the present world, Google and IBM, have already started to  develop superfast quantum computers.

Earlier ideas about quantum physics

In the past, some scientists considered the quantum theory to be a subject only of science fiction. Later, American physicist Richard Feyman’s work in 1960s helped others to understand that the ‘quantum activities’ really happened; Experiments could demonstrate it to prove that they were not fictitious.

Another strong change-bringing concept is that quantum physics also predicts that particles may be found in more than one place at a time. Some scientists have also imagined that many other worlds, except this one where are, may exist. If the many-world idea is true, they say, then a particle might be in one place in this world, and somewhere else in other worlds at the same time.

Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger’s imaginary experiment about a cat is very famous. His imaginary cat inside a sealed box could die if a poison gas is released from an imaginary device connected to the box. According to him, the probability the device released the gas was 50 percent. To know If the cat was killed or was alive, one had to open the box. And after opening the box, the probability of finding the cat alive was also 50 percent; and vice-versa. Based on Schrodinger’s cat experiment done in 1935, many scientists tried to explain the ‘cat’ relating to the situation to the quantum world.

Entanglement theory

Then comes the ‘entanglement’ theory. The theory urges if a pair of entangled particles are taken away from each other, whatever distance it may be, they can instantly communicate. They can immediately send signals to their pair. It is the most wonderful as well as exciting idea because one particle of the pair reached in the Proxima Centauri star can communicate undisturbingly to its pair back on the earth. This part of the quantum physics brought the largest changes and upheavals in almost all the sectors of human civilisations.

Conclusion

Thus, the idea of quantum physics has not only contributed to bring changes in philosophical, scientific and religious or ideological level, it has indeed opened a new window to look into the mysteries hidden in the smallest scale. Future studies may bring further radical changes as scientists’ best efforts can reveal more secrets about the quantum physics, quantum worlds, quantum particles and even about the quantum entanglement. And one thing is sure, the complete control over the quantum knowledge will be the blissful beginning of journey to the next level.