uncertainty principle

3 posts

From the Heisenberg cut to the Copenhagen interpretation

14 min read
Culture Scicomm Science classical mechanics cloud chamber Copenhagen interpretation Erwin Schrodinger Heisenberg cut Jim Baggott John Bell John von Neumann many-worlds interpretation matrix mechanics Niels Bohr Quantum mechanics quantum superposition Schrödinger's cat uncertainty principle wave mechanics wavefunction wavefunction collapse Werner Heisenberg Wolfgang Pauli

The following post was motivated by this exchange (on X.com), which prompted me to write out my understanding of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics and the part the Heisenberg cut play…

Using 10,000 atoms and 1 to probe the Bohr-Einstein debate

9 min read
Analysis Scicomm Science Albert Einstein Bohr-Einstein debate complementarity Debye-Waller factor double-slit experiment hidden variables lasers Niels Bohr optical lattice optical tweezer Pan Jianwei quantum entanglement Quantum mechanics rubidium atoms scattered light uncertainty principle wavepacket Wolfgang Ketterle

The double-slit experiment has often been described as the most beautiful demonstration in physics. In one striking image, it shows the strange dual character of matter and light. When particles such…

What on earth is a wavefunction?

10 min read
Scicomm classical mechanics coherence decoherence delocalisation Newton's second law quantum information Quantum mechanics quantum superposition Schrödinger equation uncertainty principle wavefunction wavefunction collapse zero-point motion

If you drop a pebble into a pond, ripples spread outward in gentle circles. We all know this sight, and it feels natural to call them waves. Now imagine being told that everything — from an electron t…