Reology And The Quantum Puzzle

From the previous two articles, it was noted how the discoveries of Quantum Physics has totally baffled our understanding of reality at its most foundational level; the level of atomic and sub atomic structure.

One of the most baffling, yet most confirmed discoveries of Quantum Mechanics has been the dubious duality of matter. In order to understand these findings, we first must understand the experiment that gave rise to this discovery.

When Physicists first realized the existence of such things as light and electrons, each with their own unique identity, they set about to discover this unique identity. They wanted to know if light and electrons were either particles of matter or quanta of energy.

What's the difference? Particles, as matter, have specific location in space and time. Quanta of energy are spread out across space and have direction. If you can identify a particle, then you know it is matter; it has a specific location and dimension with boundaries, like a ball or stone, or anything material. Energy on the other hand is all over the place. It has no specific location, but instead is spread out. It also has direction; it is going somewhere. Sunlight is a good example. While we only see light as the reflection of those objects it hits, you can't put your finger on it. You can't say it's over there in that spot. Instead, it's all around us, even in those places where it passes us by without reflecting off things, like light that passes the earth without hitting it. It just goes out into space, but we can't see it until it hits something, like the moon, or Venus, etc.

In order to determine if something is a particle or quanta of energy, Scientists devised a simple experiment called the two slit experiment, also called the two hole and double slit experiment. This experiment simply consists of a barrier with two slits, one of which can be opened and closed, a source of light or electrons, and a photographic plate where the light or electrons can be recorded after passing through one, or both open slits.

When one slit is open and light or electrons are allowed to pass through, the detection plate should show a pattern consistent with particles. We should see a pattern of impacts densest to the center of the open slit and impacts tapering off around the fringes of the slit where these particles were blocked from passing through by the barrier in which the slit was cut out. Similarly, if we open both slits and allow particles through, we should simply see two separate patterns of particle impacts. It would be the same as shooting pellets through the slits; they will create a pattern of the slit opening itself.

Sure enough, with one open slit we get exactly what logic dictates, patterns consistent of particles. Naturally, with both slits open, logic dictates we will get two of these particle patterns. But we don't. Instead, we get a completely different pattern with no similarity to the one opening pattern.

What our detection plate now shows is a pattern where the greatest density of impact isn't directly opposite either opening, but at a point directly between both openings. This impact pattern is centered between both openings but behind the barrier the slits are cut out from. Emanating to either side of this central impact area, are alternate no impact bands and less dense impact bands, so that we wind up with a patter of impacts separated by no impacts, and these adjacent impacts become less and less dense the further away they are from the central most dense impact pattern. This in spite of that fact some of these less impact areas are directly behind each open slit.

To get a better picture of this, just imagine a sheet of paper with a series of paint brush strokes on it. In the center we have the widest brush stoke made with a wide paint brush. As we look right and left, the brush strokes become narrower and narrower because we are using progressively smaller brushes to make these. Each brush stroke is separated by plain paper, because we didn't apply any paint there.

OK, so why the particle pattern with one open slit and this Zebra stripe pattern with two open slits?

Because two open slits allows us to see matter's energy characteristics. Energy has no specific location because it consists of waves. These waves are spread out. With two open holes, energy would meet itself behind each opening where it would spread out and its wavelengths would interfere with each other, creating the stripe pattern described above.

We wanted to know if light and electrons were particles or energy. What we discovered instead is that with only one slit open, they are particles, but with two slits open they are energy. How is this possible? As particles, we can give a specific location to them. As energy, they cannot have a specific location, but only momentum or direction instead. This is how we discovered the dual nature of matter; it is matter and it is energy, and knows how to show itself according to how we choose to observe it! How can they be two completely different things at the same time?

When we look for its matter characteristics, that's all we find. We have no clue about its energy characteristics. When we choose to observe its energy characteristics, there is no possible way to know its matter characteristics. Either way, it will only show those characteristics we choose to observe. One or the other, but not both in the instant of observation and according to what we choose to observe.

This is called the Uncertainty Principle. To know one aspect of matter requires the sacrifice of knowing the other aspect of it, or its energy nature. Because we can't observe both aspects in the same instant, there simply is no way of knowing if the other aspect even exists at that instant. When we observe matter characteristics, the energy characteristics don't exist, and visa versa.

There have been scores of this experiment performed with more and more sophisticated scientific equipment right up to the present day. These include all manor of ingenious ways to "fool" matter and energy about which we are really trying to observe, in the hope we can get to see both matter and energy characteristics together in the same instant. None of these ingenious experiments has made the least bit of difference. The results are always the same. It only shows the version of itself we choose to observe, but never both versions at the same time. This is why this phenomenon is called the Uncertainty Principle. When we are certain of the results of our observation of one of matter or energy's characteristics, we are completely uncertain about its other characteristic.

One experiment was devised to observe light and electrons at the opening of the slit, rather then on a detection plate behind it. When light or electrons were allowed into one opening, just as expected, matter characteristics were observed. When both slits were open, we expect to see the energy pattern, right? Wrong. Now we see another matter pattern. Why? For no better reason then we are observing it. Not only does it know which of it's versions we are observing, but it knows where the observation is taking place as well, and when we aren't observing! This is known as the Collapse of Wave Function, because that's exactly what happens in this version of the two slit experiment; the energy version of light or electrons or whatever, vanishes during the observation.

How can light or electrons or any sub atomic identity "know" what we want to observe, and where we are doing the observation, and inform each other accordingly so as to only show us what we expect to see? Such communication has to be taking place, because there is no other way for these particles/quanta to coordinate the results they give us. How can an electron going through one opening also know there is another electron going through a second opening at the same time, and both know what pattern we are seeking to observe, so they can show themselves accordingly?

According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, nothing can exceed the speed of light. That's reality's maximum speed limit. One two slit experiment called the Aspect experiment, sent light through a devise where the distance between particles/quanta going through one or two openings was greater then that of a distance that would allow them to communicate with each other based upon the limitation of the speed of light. In other words, this experiment was set up in such a way, that the only way for the particles/quanta to coordinate the results they showed would be by communicating with each other faster then the speed of light allows. And that's exactly what they did. This phenomenon is known as Entanglement, referring to all quantum identities being "entangled" with each other regardless of their distance of separation. There have even been two slit experiments done with atoms and molecules, and these also yield the very same results of all other two slit experiments.

So, what does all this really mean? What are the implications of these discoveries of Quantum Mechanics?

It means nothing can appear physical until it is observed, and then only in the "instant" of observation.  The Quantum reality is an instantaneous one. All that occurs there does so instantaneously. There is no time in the quantum world, nor is there space. Time and space are versions of each other, and only have meaning for physical reality, where things have position and direction. Position requires dimension. Dimension requires time; the time to go from one part of a dimension to another part.

Now factor in how physical reality seems to flow with consistency and coherence in a linear manor in "time". How do we rationalize the present instant of observation in this? Quantum Electro Dynamics, or QED, which theorizes that energy is constantly and instantaneously being converted to matter, then just as quickly reconverted back to energy on an instantaneous basis. This at least falls in line with our illusion of perpetual observations. This is of course scientifically absurd, and a host of new theories are attempting to explain this, from String Theory to M Theory to the Many Worlds Theory, and Quantum Loop Theory, among others. Some physicists think it no longer matters to try and describe these Quantum events, believing they cannot tell us anything new and useful or may not be comprehensible at all. They subscribe to the "Shut up and calculate" point of view.

No scientist is going to accept Quantum Reality as it now stands, because it demands an Observer Who precedes human observation. This is called the Measurement Problem. Science will not concede to this, opting instead to find a "scientific" explanation for this measurement or observation problem. The fact is however, matter only appears as matter when observed. We are made of this matter. We can't observe ourselves as physical creatures since we have to appear physical to make our observations in the first place. If matter cannot appear as matter except in the instant of observation, and we are made of this matter, we can't even exist unless we are being observed.  Who then is observing us so we can be the physical creatures we see ourselves as?

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