Physics on the boundary between classical and quantum mechanics

Emergent Quantum Mechanics 2013

物理学;力学

Hooft, Gerard'T^1,2

Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Netherlands^1

Spinoza Institute, Postbox 80.195, 3508 TD Utrecht, Netherlands^2

关键词: Classical logic;    Classical theory;    Modeling features;    Quantum field theory;    Relativistic effects;    Subatomic particles;    Superstring theory;    Vacuum fluctuations;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/504/1/012003/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/504/1/012003

学科分类：力学，机械学

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Nature's laws in the domain where relativistic effects, gravitational effects and quantum effects are all comparatively strong are far from understood. This domain is called the Planck scale. Conceivably, a theory can be constructed where the quantum nature of phenomena at such scales can be attributed to something fundamentally simpler. However, arguments that quantum mechanics cannot be explained in terms of any classical theory using only classical logic seem to be based on sound mathematical considerations: there can't be physical laws that require "conspiracy". It may therefore be surprising that there are several explicit quantum systems where these considerations apparently do not apply. In the lecture we will show several such counterexamples. These are quantum models that do have a classical origin. The most curious of these models is superstring theory. This theory is often portrayed as to underly the quantum field theory of the subatomic particles, including the "Standard Model". So now the question is asked: how can this model feature "conspiracy", and how bad is that? Is there conspiracy in the vacuum fluctuations?