Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory does not understand it.
—Niels Bohr, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics
Basic Information
Quantum Mechanics is the field of Physics dealing with the very small. It describes (and is primarily concerned with) subatomic particles, however it's ramifications extend to the macroscopic scale.
What makes Quantum Mechanics so interesting is that the universe functions very differently on the smaller scale than it does on the normal scale we are used to. Things that appear to happen with certainty are actually the result of mere probabilities at the subatomic scale. All matter and energy has wave-like and particle-like properties on the Quantum level. Particles can be linked such that observation of one modifies the other, even if millions of miles apart. Matter can spontaneously tunnel through other matter. The experimental data shows all these strange notions to be true, however, there's a great deal of debate as to what it all means philosophically. These Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics include vastly contradictory reasons for why the universe behaves as it does.
Concepts:
- Quantum Decoherence
- Quantum Foam
- Quantum Entanglement
- Quantum Superposition
- Quantum Tunneling
- Uncertainty Principle
- Wavefunction Collapse
- Wave-Particle Duality
Interpretations:
(See also Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics)
Quantum Forces:
Experiments and Thought Experiments:
Direct Applications:
- Quantum Computer (see also Qubit)
- Quantum Cryptography
- Quantum Mind
- Quantum Pseudo-Telepathy
- Quantum Teleportation
- Superfluid
Other Fields, Domains, and Interpretations of Physics:
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optic Physics
- Classical Mechanics
- Grand Unification Theory
- M-Theory
- Particle Physics
- Quantum Field Theory
- Relativity and Relativistic Mechanics
- String Theory
See Also:
- Ultraviolet Catastrophe
- News: Mankind 'shortening the universe's life'
- News: No Paradox For Time Travellers
Sources
Game and Story Use
- Quantum Mechanics is some pretty strange stuff, and often defies common sense. As a result, it can justify all kinds of alternative science and phlebotinum. With just a little tweaking, quantum mechanics can explain teleportation, immortality, psionics, parallel worlds, messages from beyond, hypercomputing, FTL, and whatever else your plot demands. It's also a great source of technobabble and jargon.
- Just make sure you don't have an actual quantum physicist at your table; they tend to be even less tolerant than usual of popfinition, since many kinds of snake oil are advertised with promiscuous use of "quantum".