Quantum Optics
Category archives for Quantum Optics
The Real Point of Zero Point
Posted by Chad Orzel on May 11, 2011 While Kenneth Ford’s 101 Quantum Questions was generally good, there was one really regrettable bit, in Question 23: What is a “state of motion?” When giving examples of states, Ford defines the ground state as the lowest-energy state of a nucleus, then notes that its energy is not zero. He then writes: An object brought…
What Counts as “Quantum Physics?”
Posted by Chad Orzel on May 6, 2011 In comments to yesterday’s post about precision measurements, Bjoern objected to the use of “quantum mechanics” as a term encompassing QED: IMO, one should say “quantum theory” here instead of “quantum mechanics”. After all, what is usually known as quantum mechanics (the stuff one learns in basic courses) is essentially the quantization of classical mechanics,…
The Most Precisely Tested Theory in the History of Science
Posted by Chad Orzel on May 5, 2011 NASA held a big press conference yesterday to announce that the Gravity Probe B experiment had confirmed a prediction of General Relativity that spacetime near Earth should be “twisted” by the Earth’s rotation. A lot of the coverage has focused on the troubled history of the mission (as did the press conference, apparently), but scientifically…
Treating Photons Like Atoms: “Bose-Einstein condensation of photons in an optical microcavity”
Posted by Chad Orzel on April 26, 2011 This paper made a big splash back in November, with lots of news stories talking about it; it even made the #6 spot on Physics World‘s list of breakthroughs of the year. I didn’t write it up then because I was hellishly busy, and couldn’t take time away from working on the book-in-progress to figure…
Wave Nature Gets Bigger: “Quantum interference of large organic molecules”
Posted by Chad Orzel on April 18, 2011 It’s been a while since I wrote up a ResearchBlogging post, but since a recent paper forced me to update my “What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics” slides with new pictures, I thought I should highlight the work on the blog as well. Not that you could’ve missed it, if you follow physics-y…
“Quantum Kitchen” Ought to Mean Something Else
Posted by Chad Orzel on March 23, 2011 I am less enthralled by the “molecular gastronomy” thing than someone with my geek credentials ought to be. As a result, I was a little disappointed when I clicked the link (from Jennifer Ouellette on Twitter) to this Wired story about a new tv show called Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen. Because, you know, there are much…
What’s So Interesting About AMO Physics?
Posted by Chad Orzel on March 11, 2011 I’ve got three months to decide. I’ll be giving an invited talk at the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP) with this title, with a goal of introducing the field to students and physicists from other fields: In recent years, DAMOP has expanded to the point where the meeting can be quite daunting…
Quantum Mechanics vs. Relativity: It Depends on What “Understand” Means
Posted by Chad Orzel on February 16, 2011 Sean Carroll and Brad DeLong have each recently asserted that relativity is easier to understand than quantum mechanics. Both quote Feynman saying that nobody understands quantum mechanics, but Sean gives more detail: “Hardness” is not a property that inheres in a theory itself; it’s a statement about the relationship between the theory and the human…
Photons and Atoms Approaching Equilibrium
Posted by Chad Orzel on January 18, 2011 The latest snowstorm is wreaking some havoc on my plans for the day, which means I’m going to lift another question and answer from the Physics Stack Exchange, with some modification. This one is a question about thermal radiation: What are the quantum mechanisms behind the emission and absorption of thermal radiation at and below…
BEC: What Is It Good For?
Posted by Chad Orzel on January 12, 2011 Another response copied/adapted from the Physics Stack Exchange. The question was: What are the main practical applications that a Bose-Einstein condensate can have? Bose Einstein Condensation, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is a phenomenon where a gas of particles with the right spin properties cooled to a very low temeprature will suddenly “condense”…
