Tagged: quantum-physics
12 entries
- Copenhagen interpretationGlossary · The Copenhagen interpretation is the traditional view of quantum mechanics in which measurement collapses the wave function to a single definite outcome.
- EigenstateGlossary · An eigenstate is a quantum state with a definite value, the eigenvalue, of a given observable, and measuring that observable returns that value.
- HamiltonianGlossary · The Hamiltonian is the operator representing a quantum system's total energy, and it generates the system's time evolution in the Schrodinger equation.
- Many-worlds interpretationGlossary · The many-worlds interpretation is Everett's proposal that every quantum measurement outcome is realized in a branching universe, with no wave-function collapse.
- ObservableGlossary · An observable is a measurable physical quantity in quantum mechanics, represented by an operator whose eigenvalues are the possible measurement outcomes.
- PhotonGlossary · A photon is the quantum of the electromagnetic field, a massless particle of light that carries energy proportional to its frequency and spin one.
- Planck's constant (h)Glossary · Planck's constant (h) is the fundamental constant of quantum theory, relating a quantum of energy to its frequency through the relation E = h nu.
- Quantum numberGlossary · A quantum number is one of the discrete labels, such as n, l, m, and spin, that specify the allowed state of a quantum system like an atomic electron.
- Quantum stateGlossary · A quantum state is the complete description of a quantum system, given by a state vector for pure states or a density operator for mixed states.
- Quantum tunnelingGlossary · Quantum tunneling is the effect by which a particle passes through a potential energy barrier that classical physics says it cannot cross.
- SpinGlossary · Spin is the intrinsic, quantized angular momentum carried by particles, dividing matter into half-integer fermions and integer-spin bosons.
- Wave functionGlossary · A wave function is the mathematical object encoding a quantum system's state, whose squared magnitude gives the probability of each measurement outcome.