Quantum Mechanics Archives

Building acoustic computers with tuneable phononic crystals

Written by

Dr Banerjee and colleagues have developed a deaf band-based model to use in building acoustic computers, using tuneable phononic crystals.

For more than two decades, physicists have been investigating wave propagation in phononic crystals, a metamaterial designed to control sound waves. A recent consideration involves using phononic crystals in acoustic computing. Acoustic computers execute basic Boolean algebra computations using acoustic waves. Dirac cones make this possible but achieving them is both very difficult and rare. Professor Sourav Banerjee and his […]

Retrocausality: How backwards-in-time effects could explain quantum weirdness

Written by

Dr Rod Sutherland has developed a model of retrocausality, which might pave the way for solving long-standing mysteries in physics.

Since the earliest days of quantum theory, physicists have struggled to reconcile the apparently nonlocal, faster-than-light interactions demanded by quantum mechanics with the strict laws of relativity. Dr Rod Sutherland at the University of Sydney, Australia, believes that the answer to this problem lies with ‘retrocausality’ – a concept which would allow quantum measurements to influence events in their past. […]

What can Occam’s razor principle tell us about theories of dark matter?

Written by

Professor Oks compares the dark matter theory, based on the second flavour of hydrogen atoms, with other theories.

Today, physicists have devised dozens of theories to explain the nature of dark matter. So far, however, not one of them has gained concrete proof through experiments. To narrow these theories down, Professor Eugene Oks at Auburn University, USA, advocates applying an important philosophical concept, which is often used when considering complex problems with many candidate solutions. Using Occam’s razor, […]

How geometry expresses the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Written by

A new thermodynamics approach based on a groundbreaking geometrical understanding of entropy.

Physicists have long struggled to explain how the inevitable increase in the universe’s entropy can be reconciled with the reversible laws of quantum mechanics. Now, Professor Chris Jeynes at the University of Surrey Ion Beam Centre, UK, believes he has found a solution in geometry. This new geometrical thermodynamics shows how the stability in time of structures as diverse as […]

What media arts can teach us about technology and its use

Written by

Professor Sha teaches a group of students

What if? That’s the question behind the Synthesis Center, a unique institutional experiment at Arizona State University in the United States. Created by Professor Sha Xin Wei, the transdisciplinary ‘atelier’ or workshop brings like minds together to explore the interface between media arts, the environment, engineering and technology. With the potential for global social impact, the results generate significant insights […]

Hydrogen’s Second Flavour: A Solution to Dark Matter?

Written by

Prof Oks has conducted research in atomic and molecular physics.

From their observations, astronomers widely predict that dark matter must comprise around 85% of all matter in the universe. So far, however, most theories about the nature of this mysterious source of mass have pinned their hopes on theoretical, as-yet undiscovered particles. Professor Eugene Oks from the Physics Department of the Auburn University has proposed that a more natural explanation […]

Seizing control over quantum systems through measurement

Written by

Thanks to the deep complexities of quantum mechanics, physicists have so far faced serious difficulties in establishing control over quantum systems. In his research, Dr Arjendu Pattanayak at Carleton College in Minnesota demonstrates that the dynamics of vibrating quantum systems can be altered by adjusting the settings of the lasers used to measure them. His team’s results could lead to […]

Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics wherein Planck’s constant becomes a variable

Written by

In his new book Generalized Lagrangian Approach and Behavior of Living Systems Professor Uziel Sandler, from the Jerusalem College of Technology, takes the reader on a journey from the conception of Quantum Mechanics through the development and application of a new extended Quantum Mechanics. An unexpected finding led him to a natural extension of the Hamiltonian Action and makes describing […]

A long-awaited understanding of the Casimir torque

Written by

The Casimir force has been well researched by physicists for decades, but only recently has one particularly intriguing aspect of this effect been recreated in the lab. Through his research, Dr Wijnand Broer at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences has built upon these recent breakthroughs to explore the processes which cause the surfaces of some specialised materials to […]

Deconstructing spookiness:
Emergent Quantum Mechanics explains the quantum world

Written by

Oil droplets on a fluid surface behave just like quantum particles.

From tunnelling to entanglement, the world of quantum mechanics describes a diverse array of seemingly bizarre behaviours which only emerge on the very smallest of scales. Yet Professor Theo van Holten at the Delft University of Technology believes that the physics required to describe quantum systems may not need to be nearly as exotic as many physicists currently believe. Through […]