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A lecture series on relativity theory and quantum mechanics

The Relativistic Quantum World. A lecture series on relativity theory and quantum mechanics. Marcel Merk. University of Maastricht, Sept 16 – Oct 7, 2013. The Relativistic Quantum World. Sept 16: Lecture 1: The Principle of Relativity and the Speed of Light

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A lecture series on relativity theory and quantum mechanics

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  1. The Relativistic Quantum World A lecture series on relativity theory and quantum mechanics Marcel Merk University of Maastricht, Sept 16 – Oct 7, 2013

  2. The Relativistic Quantum World Sept 16: Lecture 1: The Principle of Relativity and the Speed of Light Lecture 2: Time Dilation and Lorentz Contraction Sep 23: Lecture 3: The Lorentz Transformation Relativity Lecture 4: The Early Quantum Theory Sep 30: Lecture 5: The Double Slit Experiment Lecture 6: Quantum Reality Quantum Mechanics Oct 7: Lecture 7: The Standard Model Lecture 8: The Large Hadron Collider Standard Model Lecture notes, written for this course, are available: www.nikhef.nl/~i93/Teaching/ Literature used: see lecture notes. Prerequisite for the course: High school level mathematics.

  3. Lecture 4 The Early Quantum Theory • “If Quantum Mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet.” • Niels Bohr • “Gottwürfeltnicht (God does not play dice).” • Albert Einstein

  4. Deterministic Universe Mechanics Laws of Newton: The law of inertia: a body in rest moves with a constant speed The law of force and acceleration: F= m a The law of Action = - Reaction “Principia” (1687) Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) • Classical Mechanics leads to a deterministic universe. • Quantum mechanics introduces a fundamental element • of chance in the laws of nature: Planck’s constant h.

  5. The Nature of Light Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727): Light is a stream of particles. Christiaan Huygens (1629 – 1695): Light consists of waves. Thomas Young (1773 – 1829): Interference observed: Light is waves! Isaac Newton Christiaan Huygens Thomas Young

  6. Waves & Interference : water, sound, light Water: Interference pattern: Principle of a wave: λ = v / f Light: Thomas Young experiment: Sound: Active noise cancellation: light + light can give darkness!

  7. Interference with Water Waves

  8. Interfering Waves

  9. Particle nature: Quantized Light Paul Ehrenfest “UV catastrophe” in Black Body radiation spectrum: If you heat a body it emits radiation. Classical thermodynamics predicts the amount of light at very short wavelength to be infinite! Planck invented an ad-hoc solution: For some reason material emitted light in “packages” Max Planck (1858 – 1947) h = 6.62 ×10-34 Js Nobel prize 1918 Classical theory: There are more short wavelength “oscillation modes” of atoms than large wavelength “oscillation modes” Quantum theory: Light of high frequency (small wavelength) requires more energy: E = hf(h = Planck’s constant)

  10. Photoelectric Effect Compton Scattering: Playing billiards with light quanta. (Nobelprize 1927) Photoelectric effect: Light consists of quanta. (Nobelprize 1921) E = hfand p = E/c = hf/c Since λ = c / ff = c / λ It follows that: p = h / λ Arthur Compton Albert Einstein light electrons electron light Compton scattering: “Playing billiards with light and electrons: Light behaves as a particle with: λ = h / p Photo electric effect: Light kicks out electron with E = hf (Independent on light intensity!)

  11. Matter Waves Louis de Broglie - PhD Thesis(!) 1924 (Nobel prize 1929): If light are particles incorporated in a wave, it suggests that particles (electrons) “are carried” by waves. Original idea: a physical wave Quantum mechanics: probability wave! Particle wavelength: λ = h / pλ = h / (mv) Louis de Broglie • Wavelength visible light: • 400 – 700 nm • Use h= 6.62 × 10-34 Js to calculate: • Wavelength electron with v = 0.1 c: • 0.024 nm • Wavelength of a fly (m = 0.01 gram, • v = 10 m/s): • 0.0000000000000000000062 nm graphene

  12. The Quantum Atom of Niels Bohr The classical Atom is unstable! Expect: t < 10-10 s Niels Bohr: Atom is only stable for specific orbits: “energy levels” Niels Bohr 1885 - 1962 An electron can jump from a high to lower level by emitting a light quantum with corresponding energy difference.

  13. Schrödinger: Bohr atom and de Broglie waves n = 1 Erwin Schrödinger If orbit length “fits”: 2π r = nλwith n = 1, 2, 3, … The wave positively interferes with itself! Stable orbits! de Broglie: λ = h / p Energy levels explainedAtom explained Outer shell electrons chemistry explained L = rp L = rh/ λ L = rnh/ (2 πr) L = n h/(2π) = nħ

  14. Not yet explained

  15. Particle - Wave Duality Subatomic matter is not just waves and it is not just particles. It is nothing we know from macroscopic world. Uncertainty relation for non-commuting observables: Position and momentum: xp – px = iħ ΔxΔp ≥ ħ / 2 Energy and time: E t – t E = iħ ΔE Δt ≥ ħ / 2 Fundamental aspect of nature! Not related to technology! Werner Heisenberg “Matrix mechanics” Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac “q - numbers” Erwin Schrödinger “Wave Mechanics”

  16. Waves and Uncertainty Use the “wave-mechanics” picture of Schrödinger A wave has an exactly defined frequency. A particle has an exactly defined position. Two waves: p1 = hf1/c , p2 = hf2/c Wave Packet: sum of black and blue wave Black Wave and Blue Wave Wave Packet x and p are non-commuting observables also E andtare non-commuting variables The more waves are added, the more the wave packet looks like a particle, or, If we try to determine the position x, we destroy the momentum p and vice versa.

  17. A wave packet Adding more and more waves with different momentum. In the end it becomes a very well localized wave-packet.

  18. The uncertainty relation at work Shine a beam of light through a narrow slit which has a opening size Δx. The light comes out over an undefined angle that corresponds to Δpx Δpx ΔxΔpx ~ ħ/2 Δx

  19. The wave function y Position fairly known Momentum badly known

  20. The wave function y Position fairly known Momentum badly known Position badly known Momentum fairly known

  21. Imaginary Numbers

  22. The Copenhagen Interpretation The wave function y is not a real object. The only physical meaning is that it’s square gives the probability to find a particle at a position x and time t. Prob(x,t) = |y(x,t)|2 = yy* Niels Bohr Max Born Quantum mechanics allows only to calculate probabilities for possible outcomes of an experiment and is non-deterministic, contrary to classical theory. Einstein: “Gottwürfeltnicht.” The mathematics for the probability of the quantum wave-function is the same as the mathematics of the intensity of a classical wave function.

  23. Next Lecture The absurdity of quantum mechanics illustrated by Feynman and Wheeler. Einstein and Schrödinger did not like it. Even today people are debating its interpretation. Richard Feynman

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