- The Genesis of Quantum Mechanics

This observation led both Albert Einstein and Planck to show that light could paradoxically behave both as a wave and as a particle (a photon), depending on how it was observed. This was the beginning of a slow and quiet revolution which finally began to take pace during the 2oth century: the fact that the common-sense view of the world is wrong, that it is just an illusion. This was the ground where the concept and notions of quantum mechanics were to be built.

There were a myriad of exciting things happening then in the field of physics: Einstein showed that space and time were a continuum, not separate things, and of course, had the sublime inspiration that led him to deduce his now very famous equation E=mc2 to describe the relationship between mass (m), electromagnetic energy (E) and (c) the speed of light; but also he predicted that no object could travel faster than the speed of light. But in the meantime, other physicists were developing the planetary theory of the atom with electrons in orbit around a central nucleus, which up to this day, is still a very popular theory even taught in schools as a hard solid fact. Naturally, the planetary model was very successful, because it provided an "logical" explanation for the properties of chemical elements.

Nervetheless, as soon as in the 1920s, this planetary model was already questioned and put in the stand: electrons were shown not to be solid "bits" of matter like planets (which at the end, they only look like that); no, paradoxically enough, the electrons could exhibit wave or particle properties just as light does. Also, there were some few other problems with this planetary model; basically, why did not negatively charged electrons collapse into a positively charged nucleus, and what force made them stay in particular orbits? Where did the energy for that motion come from?

- Quantum Mechanics: A new path of mathematics

It was observed that the wave aspect of such particles was not exactly like the kind of rippled wave formed by a disturbance on water, but was rather a wave of probability revealing the likelihood that a particle would be found in a particular place depending of the observer.

In the quantum mechanics concept, probability waves or strings (or planes) as now they are seen, were bell-shaped: the chance of finding the particle was highest in the centre and less and less likely as the observer moved further away from it; however, the probability of finding the particle never became zero, independently of how far away in the universe one tried to measure it; its influence was potentially present everywhere.

- The Spiritual Implications of Quantum Mechanics

In fact, while we talk about quantum mechanics, that border that used to separate theologians and philosophers from scientists, is gettting thinner and thinner every passing day.

Quantum mechanics, although up to this moment, remains as just a very interesting theory, seems to give a coherent explanation to some paradoxes and dilemmas that Einstein's genius left unanswered.

- Reality, as seen through Quantum Mechanics

Reality means, etymologically speaking, "about things" but the problem is that all that we regard as " a real thing", is merely an interpretation of what we decide to take as real. Quantum mechanics opened the discussion about reality really is (no pun intended), since the theory points presents a quite different aproach to order, solidity, determinism and mechanicism that shakes our classic view of "things". In other words, quantum mechanics states that reality it not as solid and predictable as once we thought it was.

- Quantum Mechanics and the principle of Uncertainty

When this happened, Einstein was not exactly very happy with this line of tought. After all, at the moment, Newtonian mathematics was the firm foundation of conventional and widely accepted science, and accurate determination of position and velocity of objects enabled one to predict their future behaviour. Einstein simply could not accept the ‘fuzziness’ of Uncertainty and believed that there must be other as-yet unknown factors, ‘hidden local variables’, which just were waiting to be discovered and used in order to measure position and speed accurately. He made his famous assertation "God does not play dice with the universe", to which statement Neils Bohr, a strong believer and proponent of Uncertainty, replied "Don’t tell God what to do!" (Goswami, 1993)

Einstein became obsessed trying to prove that it must be possible to measure both position and momentum of sub-atomic particles simultaneously, but alas! despite his undisputed geniality, he was unable to prove it and apparently he was very wrong, not only in regard to uncertainty but also in his belief that nothing could move faster than the speed of light.Now we know that good ol' Alber was wrong, very wrong... learn here about Superluminic Velocity, where light travels faster than the speed of light.

The discussion ended in the 1960s, when John Bell, a British physicist, devised mathematical relationships which would be true if the local variables predicted by Einstein really were influencing the behaviour of quantum particles. Bell showed that they did not agree with experimental observations; in other words, he demonstrated that Einstein was wrong.

Furthermore, Bell’s mathematics predicted that if any hidden variables were determining the paths of quantum particles, then they must act outside the limitations of time and space. Thus came the technical term for this, which is known as ‘non-locality’, which points to an aspect of reality where the interaction between objects does not diminish with distance, so it can act instantaneously, obviously much faster than the speed of light, linking up locations without crossing space.

If two particles are linked in some way, (e.g. opposite spin or correlated in their polarisation), then the act of observing one should cause changes to the other instantaneously, no matter how remote in distance it might be. The implications are stunning! because it implies that communication faster than the speed of light is quite possible, and that distance is no object.]]> tag:www.thequantumsite.com,2006://1.3 2006-03-05T16:10:03Z 2006-03-21T15:54:55Z

Weird Science

Finally, Bell’s predictions were confirmed in Paris, in 1982 by Alain Aspect and his colleagues. How they did it?

Well, they used polarisation-correlated light emerging in different directions from a source of heated calcium atoms. A detector was set up in the path of each beam of photons, which included a switch that changed the polarisation setting of one of the detectors over ten-billionth of a second (shorter than the standard travel time of light or any other local signal between the two detectors).

The change in the polarisation setting of the detector was found to change the outcome of measurement in the other location... just as quantum mechanics predicts.

It was very clear that the two rays of photons were in communication, and since there was no known local means whereby this could happen, the conclusion was that they must be linked in some way outside our our normal world of space and time.

The methaphor to try to understand this is to compare it as observing a fish on two television sets simultaneously. As one fish moves, so does the other, in perfect synchronicity. If each of those TV pictures were to be assumed to be the primary reality, this might suggest that the two fish were exchanging some kind of hidden local signals, when in reality we know that the primary reality comes from a television studio elsewhere. That primary reality is then non-local.

The Aspect’s experiment proved that simultaneously occurring events in our space-time world can be related meaningfully to a common cause that resides in a non-local realm outside space and time. It was acclameid as proof-positive that there is something missing from what we have understood as realism. The implications are preoccupying physicists today, for whom the challenge has become the quest for a mathematical expression that will describe and integrate all we know of reality, including non-locality. (Stein, 1996)...]]> tag:www.thequantumsite.com,2006://1.4 2006-03-06T14:45:37Z 2006-03-21T15:58:56Z

DNA: Some Strange Experiments There have been some astonishing experiments with DNA, which seems to prove that DNA can heal itself according to the emotions or feelings of individuals Read More

Quantum Editor http://www.thequantumsite.com/ DNA: Some Strange Experiments

There have been some astonishing experiments with DNA, which seems to prove that DNA can heal itself according to the emotions or feelings of individuals

EXPERIMENT 1

The first reported experiment was done by Dr. Vladimir Poponin, a quantum biologist Dr. Vladimir Poponin, with a Ph.D. in physics and another in mathematics from the Russian Academy of Science.

In this experiment, first a container was emptied, therefore creating a vacuum within it. Then, the only thing left were photons (particles of light); he measured the distribution or location of those photons and found they were completely random inside the container. This, of course, was the expected result.

But surprisingly enough, then some DNA was placed inside the container, and the distribution (location) of the photons was remeasured again, but this time the photons were lined up in an ordered fashion, aligned with the DNA.

What does this means? That the physical DNA had an effect on the non-physical photons!

Following that, the DNA was removed from the container and the distribution of the photons was remeasured once more. The photons remained ordered and lined up where the DNA had been. So this arised a question: What are the light particles connected to?

All seems to indicate that some unknown field of energy, a web of energy exists and the DNA is communicating with the photons through this energy field.

EXPERIMENT 2

Leukocytes (white blood cells) were collected for DNA from donors and placed into chambers so the investigators could measure the electrical changes.

In this experiment, the donor was placed in one room and subjected to "emotional stimulation" consisting of video clips, which generated different emotions in the donor. The DNA was placed in a different room in the same building at the same time. Both the donor and his DNA were monitored and simultaneously as the donor showed emotional peaks or valleys (measured by its electrical responses), the DNA exhibited the identical responses at the very same time. No lag time, no transmission time lost in the process. The DNA peaks and valleys did match the peaks and valleys of the donor in time... exactly.

Then, the investigators wanted to see how far away they could separate the donor from his DNA and still get this effect. They stopped testing after they separated the DNA and the donor by 50 miles and still had the very same result. No lag time; no transmission time lost.

It looks that living cells communicate through a for of energy previously unrecognized, which is not affected by time and distance. This is a non-local form of energy, an energy that already exists everywhere, all the time... just as quantum mechanics predicts.

EXPERIMENT 3

The third strange experiment was done by the Institute of Heart Math and the paper were the findings were written had a weird title: "Local and Non local Effects of Coherent Heart Frequencies on Conformational Changes of DNA"... phewww! Regardless of the lenghty title, the info is amazing.

The experiment was related directly to the anthrax situation. In this experiment, some human placenta DNA (the most pristine form of DNA) was placed in a container from which the investigative team could measure changes in the DNA.

Twenty-eight vials of DNA were given to each of 28 trained researchers. Each researcher had been previously trained about how to generate and sense feelings, and they where asked to have the stronger emotions they could.

What was discovered was, that the DNA changed its shape, according to the emotions that the researchers were feeling:

1. When the researchers felt gratitude, love and appreciation, the DNA responded by relaxing and the strands unwound. The length of the DNA became longer.
2. When the researchers felt anger, fear, frustration or stress, the DNA responded by tightening up, became shorter and switched off many of the human DNA codes!

But once the shut down of the DNA codes was reversed, the codes were switched back on again, whith feelings of love, joy, gratitude and appreciation that were felt by the researchers.

If you've ever felt "shut down" by negative emotions, now you know why your body was equally shut down too, triggering problems with your immune system, de-energizing you, etc.

And that's not all: The follow-up of this experiment was astonishing, since it was tested among HIV positive patients.

There was observed that feelings of love, gratitude and appreciation created 300,000 times the resistance they previously had without those feelings. Feelings of joy, love, gratitude and appreciation have healing power!

A final note: These emotional changes went beyond the effects of electro-magnetics. Individuals trained in feelings and manifestations of deep love were able to change the shape of their DNA.

Sounds almost mystic? Sure... it is. Science meets spirituality.]]> tag:www.thequantumsite.com,2006://1.5 2006-03-06T15:04:42Z 2006-03-15T16:55:32Z

The Effect of the Observer Quantum mechanics has successfully challenged the belief that the observer is independent of the reality and has no influence on what is being observed. Read More

Quantum Editor http://www.thequantumsite.com/ The Effect of the Observer

Quantum mechanics has successfully challenged the belief that the observer is independent of the reality and has no influence on what is being observed.

Measurements of the properties of electrons had clearly demonstrated an "operator effect".

For example, sub-atomic particles and light just appear to be as particles when they are observed, whilst at other times they are predicted to spread out as a probability wave throughout the whole of space (Davidson, 1989).

Some modern physicists consider that the world of real objects only exists when are taken on by consciousness (Pratt, 1997).

The Hidden Reality: "The Quantum Vacuum"

One unresolved problem of quantum mechanics was that if light and sub-atomic particles can apparently only exist at discrete energy levels, and can jump from one level to another, where do they go during the transit from one energy state to another when they cannot be observed? It is now believed by many that probability waves of particles and those of electromagnetic energy are the results of an ‘energy dance’ on the surface of a hidden reality outside space and time, called the ‘quantum vacuum.’ although ‘Vacuum’ is a misleading expression, implying as it does to us, ‘nothingness’. Theorists have predicted that it is energetically enormously dense, so dense that we should be crushed by it, but it is frictionless and so neither we nor our instruments register it (Laszlo, 1996) (Pratt, 1997).

The quantum vacuum corresponds to the ‘implicate order’ proposed by physicist David Bohm, as a vast ocean of hidden energy on which the physical, or ‘explicate’, world, is just a ripple (Bohm and Hiley, 1993). Material particles and waves pass into and out of existence on the surface of this vacuum, as in a dance. It underpins and gives rise to physical reality. We move in it like a fish in water and owe our existence to it.

All of creation both animate and inanimate is proposed to be linked at the level of the quantum vacuum, and at this level the rules of space and time as we observe them in our daily lives, cease to exist. Solid objects seem solid only because it is the perception of forces between atoms and molecules create on our connsciousness: what looks solid is really a dance of tiny particles in the vacuum.]]>