Related papers: Textbook myths about early atomic models
This is a pre-publication version of a forthcoming book on quantum atom optics. It is written as a senior undergraduate to junior graduate level textbook, assuming knowledge of basic quantum mechanics, and covers the basic principles of…
In Part I we constructed the Quantum Mechanics of a charged unitary entity and prescribed the form in which such a particle interacts with other charged particles and matter in general. In this second part we extend the description to the…
Since its inception, quantum theory has been the subject of fierce interpretive controversy, which persists to this day. Disputed topics include the basic ontology and dynamics of the theory, the role (if any) of measurement, the meaning of…
This paper is a review of our recent work on three notorious problems of non-relativistic quantum mechanics: realist interpretation, quantum theory of classical properties and the problem of quantum measurement. A considerable progress has…
The relationship that is widely presumed to hold between physical theories and their successors, in which the successors in some sense explain the success of the theories they replace, is known commonly as 'reduction.' I argue that one…
In this work we argue against the interpretation that underlies the "Standard" account of Quantum Mechanics (SQM) that was established during the 1930s by Niels Bohr and Paul Dirac. Ever since, following this orthodox narrative, physicists…
Atomistic simulations based on the first-principles of quantum mechanics are reaching unprecedented length scales. This progress is due to the growth in computational power allied with the development of new methodologies that allow the…
The idea of atoms is old but X-rays provided the first probe into the physical atom. Photographs of X-ray scattering from crystals -Laue spots- were the first visual proof for the physical existence of atoms arranged in a perfect geometric…
It is shown that all of the basic properties of the hydrogen atom can be consistently described in terms of classical electrodynamics instead of taking the electron to be a particle; we consider an electrically charged classical wave field,…
It has been shown by us recently that Einstein was right in his controversy with Bohr or that the so called hidden-variable theory should be preferred to the Copenhagen quantum mechanics. In the following paper the corresponding arguments…
After the development of a self-consistent quantum formalism nearly a century ago there began a quest for how to interpret the theoretical constructs of the formalism. In fact, the pursuit of new interpretations of quantum mechanics…
With reference to primary sources it is shown that key claims made regarding the history of the pilot wave theory in Quantum Theory at the Crossroads are not supported by the historical record. It is also argued that the association of de…
These notes offer a basic introduction to the primary mathematical concepts of quantum physics, and their physical significance, from the operator and Hilbert space point of view, highlighting more what are essentially the abstract…
We show how quantum mechanics can be understood as a space-time theory provided that its spatial continuum is modelled by a variable real number (qrumber) continuum. Such a continuum can be constructed using only standard Hilbert space…
A proper knowledge of the reality of a physical theory is important to get an understanding of empirical phenomena. Despite its extraordinary predictive successes, the orthodox (also known as the Copenhagen) theory provides an indigestible…
Action at distance in Newtonian physics is replaced by finite propagation speeds in classical post--Newtonian physics. As a result, the differential equations of motion in Newtonian physics are replaced by functional differential equations,…
In spite of all of its successes, quantum mechanics leaves us with a central problem: How does Nature create a "foot-bridge" from fragile quanta to the objective world of everyday experience? Here we identify within quantum mechanics a…
Orthodox Copenhagen quantum theory renounces the quest to understand the reality in which we are imbedded, and settles for practical rules that describe connections between our observations. Many physicist have believed that this…
A model for the motion of a charged particle in the vacuum is presented which, although purely classical in concept, yields Schrodinger's equation as a solution. It suggests that the origins of the peculiar and nonclassical features of…
Topology is key in describing unconventional quantum phases of matter and devising robust quantum technology. Exactly how topology mixes with quantum mechanics remains largely unclear, as testified by the lack of a unifying microscopic…