Are there any open questions in theoretical quantum physics?












3














I am wondering if there are any open questions about the structure of quantum mechanics. If so, how do you know that this is an open question? Topics that come to mind are electron spin, probability amplitudes, and decoherence. I am interested in the foundations of the theory, and have studied quantum mechanics at the graduate level, yet I am somewhat curious about and unsure of the viewpoints of other scientists at this point in time (January 2019).






quantum-mechanics quantum-field-theory







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  • Hi Christina, asking "what are the open questions" is too broad and could invite a closure flag. I've proposed an edit to the title so that it matches the body of the question. You can of course reject any edit that's approved, or make your own edit. For further guidance, see How to Ask. :-)
    – Chappo
    2 hours ago










  • Thank you! I have approved the edits.
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago










  • Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "structure" of QM. It really depends on what you mean by that.. The predictions are all pretty air tight within their domain
    – InertialObserver
    2 hours ago










  • I get the impression you are asking about open questions on “interpretations of quantum mechanics”. There are plenty of hard, open questions in specific fields, but then you would have to narrow your field of interest a little (e. g. condensed matter physics, particle physics, etc.).
    – Max Lein
    2 hours ago










  • By structure, I suppose I mean “axioms.”
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago
















3














I am wondering if there are any open questions about the structure of quantum mechanics. If so, how do you know that this is an open question? Topics that come to mind are electron spin, probability amplitudes, and decoherence. I am interested in the foundations of the theory, and have studied quantum mechanics at the graduate level, yet I am somewhat curious about and unsure of the viewpoints of other scientists at this point in time (January 2019).






quantum-mechanics quantum-field-theory







share|cite|improve this question
























  • Hi Christina, asking "what are the open questions" is too broad and could invite a closure flag. I've proposed an edit to the title so that it matches the body of the question. You can of course reject any edit that's approved, or make your own edit. For further guidance, see How to Ask. :-)
    – Chappo
    2 hours ago










  • Thank you! I have approved the edits.
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago










  • Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "structure" of QM. It really depends on what you mean by that.. The predictions are all pretty air tight within their domain
    – InertialObserver
    2 hours ago










  • I get the impression you are asking about open questions on “interpretations of quantum mechanics”. There are plenty of hard, open questions in specific fields, but then you would have to narrow your field of interest a little (e. g. condensed matter physics, particle physics, etc.).
    – Max Lein
    2 hours ago










  • By structure, I suppose I mean “axioms.”
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago














3












3








3


2





I am wondering if there are any open questions about the structure of quantum mechanics. If so, how do you know that this is an open question? Topics that come to mind are electron spin, probability amplitudes, and decoherence. I am interested in the foundations of the theory, and have studied quantum mechanics at the graduate level, yet I am somewhat curious about and unsure of the viewpoints of other scientists at this point in time (January 2019).






quantum-mechanics quantum-field-theory







share|cite|improve this question















I am wondering if there are any open questions about the structure of quantum mechanics. If so, how do you know that this is an open question? Topics that come to mind are electron spin, probability amplitudes, and decoherence. I am interested in the foundations of the theory, and have studied quantum mechanics at the graduate level, yet I am somewhat curious about and unsure of the viewpoints of other scientists at this point in time (January 2019).






quantum-mechanics quantum-field-theory




quantum-mechanics quantum-field-theory






share|cite|improve this question















share|cite|improve this question













share|cite|improve this question




share|cite|improve this question








edited 2 hours ago









Chappo

1921213




1921213










asked 3 hours ago









Christina DanielChristina Daniel

556




556












  • Hi Christina, asking "what are the open questions" is too broad and could invite a closure flag. I've proposed an edit to the title so that it matches the body of the question. You can of course reject any edit that's approved, or make your own edit. For further guidance, see How to Ask. :-)
    – Chappo
    2 hours ago










  • Thank you! I have approved the edits.
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago










  • Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "structure" of QM. It really depends on what you mean by that.. The predictions are all pretty air tight within their domain
    – InertialObserver
    2 hours ago










  • I get the impression you are asking about open questions on “interpretations of quantum mechanics”. There are plenty of hard, open questions in specific fields, but then you would have to narrow your field of interest a little (e. g. condensed matter physics, particle physics, etc.).
    – Max Lein
    2 hours ago










  • By structure, I suppose I mean “axioms.”
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago


















  • Hi Christina, asking "what are the open questions" is too broad and could invite a closure flag. I've proposed an edit to the title so that it matches the body of the question. You can of course reject any edit that's approved, or make your own edit. For further guidance, see How to Ask. :-)
    – Chappo
    2 hours ago










  • Thank you! I have approved the edits.
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago










  • Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "structure" of QM. It really depends on what you mean by that.. The predictions are all pretty air tight within their domain
    – InertialObserver
    2 hours ago










  • I get the impression you are asking about open questions on “interpretations of quantum mechanics”. There are plenty of hard, open questions in specific fields, but then you would have to narrow your field of interest a little (e. g. condensed matter physics, particle physics, etc.).
    – Max Lein
    2 hours ago










  • By structure, I suppose I mean “axioms.”
    – Christina Daniel
    2 hours ago
















Hi Christina, asking "what are the open questions" is too broad and could invite a closure flag. I've proposed an edit to the title so that it matches the body of the question. You can of course reject any edit that's approved, or make your own edit. For further guidance, see How to Ask. :-)
– Chappo
2 hours ago




Hi Christina, asking "what are the open questions" is too broad and could invite a closure flag. I've proposed an edit to the title so that it matches the body of the question. You can of course reject any edit that's approved, or make your own edit. For further guidance, see How to Ask. :-)
– Chappo
2 hours ago












Thank you! I have approved the edits.
– Christina Daniel
2 hours ago




Thank you! I have approved the edits.
– Christina Daniel
2 hours ago












Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "structure" of QM. It really depends on what you mean by that.. The predictions are all pretty air tight within their domain
– InertialObserver
2 hours ago




Do you mind clarifying what you mean by "structure" of QM. It really depends on what you mean by that.. The predictions are all pretty air tight within their domain
– InertialObserver
2 hours ago












I get the impression you are asking about open questions on “interpretations of quantum mechanics”. There are plenty of hard, open questions in specific fields, but then you would have to narrow your field of interest a little (e. g. condensed matter physics, particle physics, etc.).
– Max Lein
2 hours ago




I get the impression you are asking about open questions on “interpretations of quantum mechanics”. There are plenty of hard, open questions in specific fields, but then you would have to narrow your field of interest a little (e. g. condensed matter physics, particle physics, etc.).
– Max Lein
2 hours ago












By structure, I suppose I mean “axioms.”
– Christina Daniel
2 hours ago




By structure, I suppose I mean “axioms.”
– Christina Daniel
2 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















3















Are there any open questions in theoretical quantum physics?




There is at least this million dollar open question:



The successful use of Yang-Mills theory to describe the strong interactions of elementary particles depends on a subtle quantum mechanical property called the "mass gap": the quantum particles have positive masses, even though the classical waves travel at the speed of light. This property has been discovered by physicists from experiment and confirmed by computer simulations, but it still has not been understood from a theoretical point of view. Progress in establishing the existence of the Yang-Mills theory and a mass gap will require the introduction of fundamental new ideas both in physics and in mathematics.






share|cite|improve this answer





















  • Fantastic, thank you!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago



















3














There would be large numbers of open questions in quantum mechanics, both technical and conceptual.



An example of an unanswered conceptual question would be, what is quantum chaos, i.e. the quantum counterpart of chaos theory? People have thought about this for at least thirty years, they have all sorts of ideas, but it seems (to me at least, and not just to me) that something is still lacking.



An example of an unanswered technical question would be, anything that we don't know how to calculate, or any strictly mathematical question that is relevant to physics and which we don't know the answer to.



However, you express an interest in foundations and axioms. So perhaps you are really interested in things like, what is quantum mechanics actually saying about reality, and, can it possibly be the entire truth about physics? My answers to those questions are, it gives you conditional probabilities for physical possibilities, and, no, it is not the last word.



But my point really is that in the current state of knowledge, you need to arrive at some opinion of your own (even if it's just a tentative opinion) regarding those questions, if you are going to think independently about quantum mechanics; and you cannot rely on learning what the consensus is, in order to determine what opinions you should have, because there is no consensus.



By the time you have that sorted out - it is partly a philosophical task, and partly a practical one - you will be ready to investigate any of the thousand-and-one unsolved technical and conceptual problems of quantum physics. But the odds are that in getting to that level, you will already have spotted open questions that you find personally compelling.






share|cite|improve this answer





















  • Thank you for your insights!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago











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2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









3















Are there any open questions in theoretical quantum physics?




There is at least this million dollar open question:



The successful use of Yang-Mills theory to describe the strong interactions of elementary particles depends on a subtle quantum mechanical property called the "mass gap": the quantum particles have positive masses, even though the classical waves travel at the speed of light. This property has been discovered by physicists from experiment and confirmed by computer simulations, but it still has not been understood from a theoretical point of view. Progress in establishing the existence of the Yang-Mills theory and a mass gap will require the introduction of fundamental new ideas both in physics and in mathematics.






share|cite|improve this answer





















  • Fantastic, thank you!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago
















3















Are there any open questions in theoretical quantum physics?




There is at least this million dollar open question:



The successful use of Yang-Mills theory to describe the strong interactions of elementary particles depends on a subtle quantum mechanical property called the "mass gap": the quantum particles have positive masses, even though the classical waves travel at the speed of light. This property has been discovered by physicists from experiment and confirmed by computer simulations, but it still has not been understood from a theoretical point of view. Progress in establishing the existence of the Yang-Mills theory and a mass gap will require the introduction of fundamental new ideas both in physics and in mathematics.






share|cite|improve this answer





















  • Fantastic, thank you!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago














3












3








3







Are there any open questions in theoretical quantum physics?




There is at least this million dollar open question:



The successful use of Yang-Mills theory to describe the strong interactions of elementary particles depends on a subtle quantum mechanical property called the "mass gap": the quantum particles have positive masses, even though the classical waves travel at the speed of light. This property has been discovered by physicists from experiment and confirmed by computer simulations, but it still has not been understood from a theoretical point of view. Progress in establishing the existence of the Yang-Mills theory and a mass gap will require the introduction of fundamental new ideas both in physics and in mathematics.






share|cite|improve this answer













Are there any open questions in theoretical quantum physics?




There is at least this million dollar open question:



The successful use of Yang-Mills theory to describe the strong interactions of elementary particles depends on a subtle quantum mechanical property called the "mass gap": the quantum particles have positive masses, even though the classical waves travel at the speed of light. This property has been discovered by physicists from experiment and confirmed by computer simulations, but it still has not been understood from a theoretical point of view. Progress in establishing the existence of the Yang-Mills theory and a mass gap will require the introduction of fundamental new ideas both in physics and in mathematics.







share|cite|improve this answer












share|cite|improve this answer



share|cite|improve this answer










answered 2 hours ago









Alfred CentauriAlfred Centauri

48k350148




48k350148












  • Fantastic, thank you!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago


















  • Fantastic, thank you!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago
















Fantastic, thank you!
– Christina Daniel
1 hour ago




Fantastic, thank you!
– Christina Daniel
1 hour ago











3














There would be large numbers of open questions in quantum mechanics, both technical and conceptual.



An example of an unanswered conceptual question would be, what is quantum chaos, i.e. the quantum counterpart of chaos theory? People have thought about this for at least thirty years, they have all sorts of ideas, but it seems (to me at least, and not just to me) that something is still lacking.



An example of an unanswered technical question would be, anything that we don't know how to calculate, or any strictly mathematical question that is relevant to physics and which we don't know the answer to.



However, you express an interest in foundations and axioms. So perhaps you are really interested in things like, what is quantum mechanics actually saying about reality, and, can it possibly be the entire truth about physics? My answers to those questions are, it gives you conditional probabilities for physical possibilities, and, no, it is not the last word.



But my point really is that in the current state of knowledge, you need to arrive at some opinion of your own (even if it's just a tentative opinion) regarding those questions, if you are going to think independently about quantum mechanics; and you cannot rely on learning what the consensus is, in order to determine what opinions you should have, because there is no consensus.



By the time you have that sorted out - it is partly a philosophical task, and partly a practical one - you will be ready to investigate any of the thousand-and-one unsolved technical and conceptual problems of quantum physics. But the odds are that in getting to that level, you will already have spotted open questions that you find personally compelling.






share|cite|improve this answer





















  • Thank you for your insights!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago
















3














There would be large numbers of open questions in quantum mechanics, both technical and conceptual.



An example of an unanswered conceptual question would be, what is quantum chaos, i.e. the quantum counterpart of chaos theory? People have thought about this for at least thirty years, they have all sorts of ideas, but it seems (to me at least, and not just to me) that something is still lacking.



An example of an unanswered technical question would be, anything that we don't know how to calculate, or any strictly mathematical question that is relevant to physics and which we don't know the answer to.



However, you express an interest in foundations and axioms. So perhaps you are really interested in things like, what is quantum mechanics actually saying about reality, and, can it possibly be the entire truth about physics? My answers to those questions are, it gives you conditional probabilities for physical possibilities, and, no, it is not the last word.



But my point really is that in the current state of knowledge, you need to arrive at some opinion of your own (even if it's just a tentative opinion) regarding those questions, if you are going to think independently about quantum mechanics; and you cannot rely on learning what the consensus is, in order to determine what opinions you should have, because there is no consensus.



By the time you have that sorted out - it is partly a philosophical task, and partly a practical one - you will be ready to investigate any of the thousand-and-one unsolved technical and conceptual problems of quantum physics. But the odds are that in getting to that level, you will already have spotted open questions that you find personally compelling.






share|cite|improve this answer





















  • Thank you for your insights!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago














3












3








3






There would be large numbers of open questions in quantum mechanics, both technical and conceptual.



An example of an unanswered conceptual question would be, what is quantum chaos, i.e. the quantum counterpart of chaos theory? People have thought about this for at least thirty years, they have all sorts of ideas, but it seems (to me at least, and not just to me) that something is still lacking.



An example of an unanswered technical question would be, anything that we don't know how to calculate, or any strictly mathematical question that is relevant to physics and which we don't know the answer to.



However, you express an interest in foundations and axioms. So perhaps you are really interested in things like, what is quantum mechanics actually saying about reality, and, can it possibly be the entire truth about physics? My answers to those questions are, it gives you conditional probabilities for physical possibilities, and, no, it is not the last word.



But my point really is that in the current state of knowledge, you need to arrive at some opinion of your own (even if it's just a tentative opinion) regarding those questions, if you are going to think independently about quantum mechanics; and you cannot rely on learning what the consensus is, in order to determine what opinions you should have, because there is no consensus.



By the time you have that sorted out - it is partly a philosophical task, and partly a practical one - you will be ready to investigate any of the thousand-and-one unsolved technical and conceptual problems of quantum physics. But the odds are that in getting to that level, you will already have spotted open questions that you find personally compelling.






share|cite|improve this answer












There would be large numbers of open questions in quantum mechanics, both technical and conceptual.



An example of an unanswered conceptual question would be, what is quantum chaos, i.e. the quantum counterpart of chaos theory? People have thought about this for at least thirty years, they have all sorts of ideas, but it seems (to me at least, and not just to me) that something is still lacking.



An example of an unanswered technical question would be, anything that we don't know how to calculate, or any strictly mathematical question that is relevant to physics and which we don't know the answer to.



However, you express an interest in foundations and axioms. So perhaps you are really interested in things like, what is quantum mechanics actually saying about reality, and, can it possibly be the entire truth about physics? My answers to those questions are, it gives you conditional probabilities for physical possibilities, and, no, it is not the last word.



But my point really is that in the current state of knowledge, you need to arrive at some opinion of your own (even if it's just a tentative opinion) regarding those questions, if you are going to think independently about quantum mechanics; and you cannot rely on learning what the consensus is, in order to determine what opinions you should have, because there is no consensus.



By the time you have that sorted out - it is partly a philosophical task, and partly a practical one - you will be ready to investigate any of the thousand-and-one unsolved technical and conceptual problems of quantum physics. But the odds are that in getting to that level, you will already have spotted open questions that you find personally compelling.







share|cite|improve this answer












share|cite|improve this answer



share|cite|improve this answer










answered 1 hour ago









Mitchell PorterMitchell Porter

7,43111243




7,43111243












  • Thank you for your insights!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago


















  • Thank you for your insights!
    – Christina Daniel
    1 hour ago
















Thank you for your insights!
– Christina Daniel
1 hour ago




Thank you for your insights!
– Christina Daniel
1 hour ago


















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