News tagged with quantum theory

Related topics: quantum mechanics , physical review letters

Does the quantum wave function represent reality?

(Phys.org) -- At the heart of quantum mechanics lies the wave function, a probability function used by physicists to understand the nanoscale world. Using the wave function, physicists can calculate a system's ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Apr 25, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (38) | comments 136 | with audio podcast feature

Why we've got the cosmological constant all wrong

(PhysOrg.com) -- Some scientists call the cosmological constant the "worst prediction of physics." And when today’s theories give an estimated value that is about 120 orders of magnitude larger than the ...

Physics / General Physics

created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (41) | comments 152 | with audio podcast feature

Physicists propose test for loop quantum gravity

(PhysOrg.com) -- As a quantum theory of gravity, loop quantum gravity could potentially solve one of the biggest problems in physics: reconciling general relativity and quantum mechanics. But like all tentative ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Jan 03, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (34) | comments 106 | with audio podcast feature

Could the combination of general relativity and quantum mechanics lead to spintronics?

(PhysOrg.com) -- In the early 20th century, two famous discoveries about spin were made. One of them, discovered by Albert Einstein and Wander Johannes de Haas, explains a relationship between the spin of elementary particles. ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Mar 03, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (26) | comments 8 | with audio podcast feature

Origin of magnetic fields may lie in special relativity's spacetime distortions

(PhysOrg.com) -- Magnetic fields play an important role on scales ranging from the sub-atomic to the cosmic, from particle spins to galaxy clusters. Although scientists know how to create and manipulate magnetic ...

Physics / General Physics

created Sep 09, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (47) | comments 46 | with audio podcast feature

Revised theory of gravity doesn't predict a Big Bang

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Big Bang theory has formed the basis of our understanding of the universe's origins since it was first proposed in 1927 by Georges Lemaitre. And for good reason: the theory is supported ...

Physics / General Physics

created Jul 12, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (77) | comments 213 | with audio podcast feature

Einstein equations indicate possibility of black hole formation at the LHC

(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the concerns that has been voiced about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is that it could result in the formation of black holes that could destroy the world. While most scientists ...

Physics / General Physics

created Apr 06, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (63) | comments 364 | with audio podcast feature

Don't have all the information? In the quantum world, that doesn't matter

(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to the rules of the quantum world, it seems that almost everything goes against intuition. In the case of the way ignorance of the whole implies ignorance of at least one of its parts, the situation ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Jul 26, 2011 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (14) | comments 17 | with audio podcast feature

New Law of Physics Could Explain Quantum Mysteries

(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the early days of quantum mechanics, scientists have been trying to understand the many strange implications of the theory: superpositions, wave-particle duality, and the observer’s ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Aug 17, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (98) | comments 162 feature

Time travel theory avoids grandfather paradox

(PhysOrg.com) -- The possibility of going back in time only to kill your ancestors and prevent your own birth has posed a serious problem for potential time travelers, not even considering the technical details ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Jul 21, 2010 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (55) | comments 96 | with audio podcast report

Physicists Solve Difficult Classical Problem with One Quantum Bit

(PhysOrg.com) -- Quantum information algorithms have the potential to solve some problems exponentially faster than current classical methods. However, most research on quantum information systems has concentrated ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Jan 08, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (36) | comments 4 | with audio podcast feature

Quantum Theory May Explain Wishful Thinking

(PhysOrg.com) -- Humans don’t always make the most rational decisions. As studies have shown, even when logic and reasoning point in one direction, sometimes we chose the opposite route, motivated by personal ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Apr 14, 2009 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (47) | comments 14 feature

Study Shows Time Traveling May Not Increase Computational Power

(PhysOrg.com) -- For more than 50 years, physicists have been intrigued by the concept of closed time-like curves (CTCs). Because a CTC returns to its starting point, it raises the possibility of traveling backward in time. ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Oct 22, 2009 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (28) | comments 5 feature

Looking at quantum gravity in a mirror

Einstein's theory of gravity and quantum physics are expected to merge at the Planck-scale of extremely high energies and on very short distances. At this scale, new phenomena could arise. However, the Planck-scale ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Mar 18, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (27) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Proposed Spacetime Structure Could Provide Hints for Quantum Gravity Theory

(PhysOrg.com) -- Spacetime, which consists of three dimensions of space and one time dimension, is such a large, abstract concept that scientists have a very difficult time understanding and defining it. Moreover, ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (58) | comments 16 feature