5 THINGS ABOUT A QUANTUM PUZZLE
1 WHAT IS THE QUANTUM PUZZLE?
The mystery of why quantum matter jumps from a wave-like state to a well-defined particle when it is observed has befuddled scientists for nearly 100 years. Known as “the measurement problem,” it is widely seen as the major complication in quantum theory and has led even well-respected scientists to suggest that the human mind may have some kind of telepathic influence on the fabric of the universe. Celebrated theoretical physicists Carlo Rovelli came up with the theory of Relational Quantum Mechanics in the 1990s to suggest that it was not observation causing the shift from wave to particles but probably interactions. But until now nobody has explained how or why it happens.
2 WHO SOLVED IT?
Physicist Jonathan Kerr, who has studied quantum mechanics for 35 years from his cottage in Surrey, believes he has solved the riddle.
3 WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
Kerr thinks it is impossible to measure anything without a tiny interaction taking place and it is that “bump” that tells the particle where it is in space and fixes its form. Kerr has just published a book on his theory.
4 WHY WAS THE SOLUTION SO DIFFICULT TO FIND?
The world of quantum exists in a baffling fog of uncertainty where particles change states, pop in and out of existence for seemingly no reason and interact at speeds faster than light.
5 WHAT IS THE REACTION TO KERR’S SOLUTION?
The theory has sparked the interest of Rovelli and Neil Turok, who met Kerr to film a discussion of his idea. Rovelli said: “We don’t understand quantum mechanics yet ... The idea that one should replace the notion of measurement to one of interactions is a key one. Measurement cannot be anything foundational because it doesn’t mean anything. Does it require a physicist in a lab to create the universe? It doesn’t make any sense. The universe didn’t appear when humans started looking at it.” Turok, an emeritus professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge, and now at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ont., said: “Many physicists are very unhappy with the solipsistic view that our presence in the universe is somehow critical to its existence. So removing the observer is fundamental and removing measurement as having this elevated special state is something that people have been aspiring to do for a long time.”