CSMSP11 - Reading Questions - Week 10
The Reality of the Quantum WorldAbner Shimony, Scientific American, January 1988, pp. 46-53
The Duality in Matter and Light
Berthold-Georg Englert, Marlan O. Scully and Herbert Walther,
Scientific American, December 1994, p. 86-92
| The following are a few guiding questions to keep in mind as you read through the articles for the first time. I'm not asking you to submit your answers to the following questions, just that you keep them in mind as you read, and think a bit about how you would answer them if asked to. |
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How is a system of two entangled photons similar or different from a system of two entangled atoms? What properties of each might be correlated, what types of measurements can be performed to determine these properties, and what are the possible results of these measurements for both types of systems? What does the term objective indefiniteness mean in this context? What is meant by the phrase: “…an ensemble of systems prepared in a uniform manner…”? What are some examples of hidden variables? What makes them “hidden”? How did the experiments described in this article serve to confirm quantum mechanics as a theory? What sort of ideas are in conflict with the outcomes of these experiments? |