Researched
Quantum Mechanics
Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg and Schrödinger discover that at small scales energy and matter behave in discrete, probabilistic ways.
Open in the interactive tree →Planck introduced energy quanta in 1900 to explain thermal radiation, and Einstein explained the photoelectric effect in 1905; Heisenberg (1925) and Schrödinger (1926) created the full theory. It explains atoms, chemical bonds, solids and light with extreme accuracy, and underlies transistors, lasers and MRI. Its interpretation (what counts as a measurement?) is still debated.
Prerequisites
- Complex Numbers1545Quantum wave functions are complex-valued
- Newtonian Mechanics1687
- Thermodynamics1824
- Electromagnetism1831-1865
- Linear Algebra & Matrices1858Heisenberg's matrix mechanics (1925) is built on matrix algebra
- Spectroscopy1859Atomic spectral lines were the puzzle quantum theory had to solve
- Statistical Mechanics1877Planck derived his radiation law with Boltzmann's way of counting states
- Planck's Quantum of Action1900Quantum mechanics grows from Planck's quantum of action
- Nucleus & Bohr Atom1911Bohr's atom was the stepping stone to full quantum mechanics
Unlocks
- Quantum Chemistry & Bonding1927
- Electron microscope1931-1933
- Solid-State Physics & Bands1931
- Antimatter1932
- Nuclear Physics1938
- Fusion Powers the Stars1939
- NMR Spectroscopy1946
- Transistor1947
- Quantum Electrodynamics1948
- Photovoltaics1954
- Atomic Clock1955
- Laser1960
- Bell Test of Entanglement1964
- CT and MRI scanning1971MRI is based on nuclear spin, a quantum property, as measured in NMR
- Standard Model of Particles1973
- Black Hole Thermodynamics1974
- Scanning Tunnelling Microscope1981
- Lithium-Ion Battery1991
- Quantum Algorithms (Shor)1994
- Cold Atoms: BEC & Laser Cooling1995
- Satellite navigation (GPS)1995
- Quantum Key Distribution2016
- Cryo-EM Resolution Revolution2017Electron microscopes work because electrons behave as waves (de Broglie)
- SI Redefined by Constants2019
- Quantum Tunneling in a Circuit2025
- Molecular Nanomanufacturingopen
- Quantum Gravityopen
- Quantum Measurement Problemopen
- Targeted Materials Predictionopen
- Yang-Mills Mass Gapopen