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

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

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

Enhanced efficiency when determining band gap in solids

(PhysOrg.com) -- "With density functional theory, we are able to put different elements in a computer simulation and do calculations based on quantum mechanics to find out about their different properties," Maria Chan tells ...

Physics / Condensed Matter

created Nov 23, 2010 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (11) | comments 1 | 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

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

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

Quantum guessing game reveals insight into stronger-than-quantum correlations

(PhysOrg.com) -- In information processing, physicists are often in search of ways to turn classical strategies into quantum ones, with the implication that the quantum version is somehow stronger, faster, or more secure ...

Physics / Quantum Physics

created Jun 22, 2010 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (16) | comments 7 | 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

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

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

Does weak equivalence break down at the quantum level?

(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the givens in physics is the weak equivalence principle. This principle has been considered solid since Einstein proposed that it is not possible to detect the difference between uniform acceleration ...

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 08, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (26) | comments 19 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