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8 March 2024 Does one still need to shut up and calculate?
Masud Mansuripur
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Proceedings Volume 12895, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XX; 1289506 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3021813
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2024, San Francisco, California, United States
Abstract
In learning quantum mechanics, an essential question has always been: How does one go about developing a “physical feel” for quantum phenomena? Naturally, one needs a basis or ground zero to start from, and that basis must be unlike anything with which we are already familiar in consequence of our experiences with the world of classical physics. We argue (channeling Richard Feynman) that the most elementary and the least cumbersome concept to build upon is the existence of complex probability amplitudes for physical events. An event that can take place in multiple alternative ways should be treated by adding the corresponding amplitudes when the paths are, in principle, indistinguishable, and by adding the probabilities themselves when the paths are distinguishable. Once we accept this principle and hone our intuition by examining quantum phenomena in its light, we will be on the path to "understanding" quantum mechanics. Elementary examples from the field of quantum optics demonstrate how adherence to Feynman’s principle could lead to a better, more “intuitive” appreciation for the magic of quantum mechanics.
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(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
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Masud Mansuripur "Does one still need to shut up and calculate?", Proc. SPIE 12895, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XX, 1289506 (8 March 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3021813
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KEYWORDS
Photon polarization
Parabolic mirrors
Quantum amplitude
Single photon detectors
Superposition
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