PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Can an oil bath solve the mysteries of the quantum world?

2013-11-01
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Michael Bishop
michael.bishop@iop.org
44-117-930-1032
Institute of Physics
Can an oil bath solve the mysteries of the quantum world? For the past eight years, two French researchers have been bouncing droplets around a vibrating oil bath and observing their unique behaviour. What sounds like a high-school experiment has in fact provided the first ever evidence that the strange features of the quantum world can be reproduced on a macroscopic scale.

Now, many researchers are asking if the oil-bath experiments can provide insights into quantum mechanics and more specifically why particles can behave as waves and waves can behave as particles.

In this month's issue of Physics World, Jon Cartwright takes a closer look at some of the key experiments performed by the French pair but finds that not all quantum physicists are convinced that they will lead to a deeper understanding.

The French physicist Louis de Broglie was the first to describe wave–particle duality in 1926 but the phenomenon has since been very difficult to understand because no-one has ever observed something being both a particle and a wave in the everyday world.

That was until 2005, when Yves Couder and Emmanuel Fort found that when droplets of oil were released onto the surface of a vibrating oil bath, they started to bounce up and down instead of becoming immersed in the liquid, creating a series of waves beneath them. By adjusting the amplitude of the vibrations, they could make the droplets land on the crest of the waves and bounce around the bath.

These wave-droplets – or "walkers" as the researchers called them – appeared to be the first evidence of wave–particle duality on a macroscopic scale. The waves could not exist without the droplets and the droplets could not move without the waves.

In the years after the initial experiments, Couder and Fort used the oil bath to perform several of the classic experiments in quantum mechanics – including Young's double-slit experiment – and found that the walkers exhibited many similarities to the entities used in the original experiments.

One area where the walkers' analogy with quantum mechanics fails, however, is entanglement – the weirdest quantum phenomenon of all that describes how the physical state of two particles can be intricately linked no matter how far apart in the universe they are.

For this to happen, a wave must occupy a very high number of dimensions so particles can affect one another over large distances, faster than the speed of light. However, in a walker system the waves will always occupy just two dimensions, given by the length and width of the oil tank.

"If one thinks of [entanglement] as central to quantum theory, it cannot possibly be reproduced in the [walker] system," Tim Maudlin of New York University told Physics World.

Indeed, the magazine contacted a number of physicists and philosophers with a background in quantum foundations, and found that most were sceptical that the walker systems could shed light on the mysteries of the quantum world.

On whether Couder and Fort's work can inspire physicists to find a theory deeper than quantum mechanics, Cartwright concludes: "It may be too soon to tell, but one point does seem clear: every time they look, the researchers find more ways in which walkers exhibit supposedly quantum behaviour."

###

Also in this issue:

Why locusts don't need airbags – how the visual system of locusts is inspiring new collision sensors in cars Echoes of eternity – cyclic variations in Earth's orbit leave fingerprints in rocks that are allowing us to better date geological time

Please mention Physics World as the source of these items and, if publishing online, please include a hyperlink to: http://physicsworld.com

Notes for editors:

1. Physics World is the international monthly magazine published by the Institute of Physics. For further information or details of its editorial programme, please contact the editor, Dr Matin Durrani, tel +44 (0)117 930 1002. The magazine's website physicsworld.com is updated regularly and contains daily physics news and regular audio and video content. Visit http://physicsworld.com.

2. For copies of the articles reviewed here contact Mike Bishop, IOP press officer, tel +44 (0)11 7930 1032, e-mail michael.bishop@iop.org

3. The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society. We are a charitable organization with a worldwide membership of more than 50,000, working together to advance physics education, research and application.

We engage with policy-makers and the general public to develop awareness and understanding of the value of physics and, through IOP Publishing, we are world leaders in professional scientific communications. Visit us at http://www.iop.org

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Racism linked with gun ownership and opposition to gun control in white Americans

2013-11-01
Racism linked with gun ownership and opposition to gun control in white Americans A new study has found that higher levels of racism in white Americans is associated with having a gun in the home and greater opposition to gun control policies. The ...

Public health policies and practices may negatively affect marginalized populations

2013-11-01
Public health policies and practices may negatively affect marginalized populations Author says it's important for public health officials to speak to populations that will be affected by a public health policy or program TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2013--Despite the ...

NIH scientists develop candidate vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus

2013-11-01
NIH scientists develop candidate vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus Structure-based design may be key to successful vaccine for common childhood illness An experimental vaccine to protect against respiratory ...

A new way to monitor induced comas

2013-11-01
A new way to monitor induced comas Automated system could offer better control of patients' brain states CAMBRIDGE, Mass-- After suffering a traumatic brain injury, patients are often placed in a coma to give the brain time to heal and allow dangerous ...

Critical gene in retinal development and motion sensing identified

2013-11-01
Critical gene in retinal development and motion sensing identified Discovery aids in understanding the organization of parts of the eye, brain Our vision depends on exquisitely organized layers of cells within the eye's retina, each with a distinct role in perception. ...

Gene found to foster synapse formation in the brain

2013-11-01
Gene found to foster synapse formation in the brain Implications for language development, autism, epilepsy Researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found that a gene already implicated in human speech disorders and epilepsy is also needed for vocalizations and ...

Pregnant women who snore at higher risk for C-sections, delivering smaller babies

2013-11-01
Pregnant women who snore at higher risk for C-sections, delivering smaller babies Snoring at least 3 nights a week may influence delivery and baby's health; higher risk for moms with sleep-related breathing problem pre-pregnancy ANN ARBOR, Mich. — ...

'Flipping the switch' reveals new compounds with antibiotic potential

2013-11-01
'Flipping the switch' reveals new compounds with antibiotic potential CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered that one gene in a common fungus acts as a master regulator, and deleting it has opened access to a wealth ...

Former missile-tracking telescope helps reveal fate of baby pulsar

2013-11-01
Former missile-tracking telescope helps reveal fate of baby pulsar A radio telescope once used to track ballistic missiles has helped astronomers determine how the magnetic field structure and rotation of the young and rapidly rotating Crab pulsar ...

Automated system promises precise control of medically induced coma

2013-11-01
Automated system promises precise control of medically induced coma Successful animal study may lead to computer-controlled general anesthesia delivery Putting patients with severe head injuries or persistent seizures into a medically induced coma currently ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

[Press-News.org] Can an oil bath solve the mysteries of the quantum world?