1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 280: Unreasonable quantum! Strong evidence! Great power in the field of physics creates mira

Chapter 280: Unreasonable quantum! Strong evidence! Great power in the field of physics creates miracles!
The Second Quantum Theory Conference officially begins.

This place is home to the world's top physicists and young talents from all walks of life, creating a dazzling star-studded cast.

As a rising star in the physics world, Bohr, like his mentor Bruce, was not at all stage-frightened.

The confident and powerful aura shocked everyone in the venue.

His theory can be said to be the result of the wisdom of three people.

And these three people are the three giants of quantum theory today.

As everyone watched, Bohr said:

“It has been 1900 years since the quantum concept was proposed in 11.”

“The blackbody radiation problem, the photoelectric effect, and the specific heat of solids are all its specific applications.”

"Although the theory of photons has not yet been fully accepted."

"But at least the problem can be explained using quantum concepts."

"As we all know, the laws and rules of physics are never judged by how beautiful their mathematical form is."

“It’s about whether it can solve practical problems.”

"However, even quantum concepts can already explain many physical phenomena."

"But it has no system of its own. It is just an isolated symbol."

“So, at the first Bruce Conference, Professor Bruce proposed the need to develop a completely new theory.”

"And now, quantum theory with the addition of the Bohr model is such a theory."

“It can systematically explain the emission spectrum of atoms, the order of the periodic table, and the motion of electrons.”

"The core of this theory is that the orbit of electrons is quantized."

"In fact, if you think deeply about it, you will find a very interesting situation."

“The concept of orbit is from classical physics, and the concept of quantum is from modern physics.”

“But in atoms, they seem to fit together perfectly.”

"It's like there's a bridge that doesn't exist, connecting two completely different things."

“Perhaps there is some deep truth in this.”

"I know that everyone here must have a question in their mind, and many people have asked me privately."

"Is that why the electron's orbit is quantized?"

"Although the evidence I cited was that the electron's angular momentum is quantized."

"But we can still ask why the angular momentum of electrons is quantized."

"I have been thinking about this question since the paper was published."

"I'm sorry, I can't think of a reason."

"I can only say that this is because the world is quantum, it is not continuous."

"Only if we are willing to accept this view can we truly understand quantum theory."

boom!
Bohr's words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion in the audience.

The big guys in the first three areas all frowned secretly.

Obviously, Bohr's answer did not satisfy them.

What does it mean that the world is just like this?
Isn't it the job of a physicist to explore the nature of the world?

This statement seems to be a rogue statement.

Although the special theory of relativity is also shocking, it is at least based on real natural physical phenomena.

Then it undergoes rigorous mathematical derivation.

Unless the physics and mathematics are wrong, the content of special relativity cannot be wrong.

What everyone questions is only its scope of application, inertial system and non-inertial system.

But the Bohr model is different.

Today's physicists have no way of seeing what's inside an atom.

I don't know what an electron looks like.

Everyone thinks of an electron as a small ball with extremely small volume and mass.

So it is hard to imagine how a small ball can have a specific orbit in space?

And there is no electromagnetic radiation in this orbit.

This again violates Maxwell's electromagnetic theory.

So, although the Bohr model became an instant success and has a great reputation in the physics community.

Because it really solves many practical problems, especially the nature of X-rays and flame color reactions, the reasoning is very clear.

But this theory, like the special theory of relativity, is not perfect at present.

Bohr was slightly affected by the discussions in the audience.

There was no other way. He thought about this sentence for a long time before finally deciding to say it.

Because apart from this explanation, Bohr really didn't know how to find the first cause.

Li Qiwei, who was standing aside, looked at everyone and felt helpless.

This is the peculiarity of the quantum world.

Even in later generations, physicists had no choice but to accept this concept.

If you don't even accept this, then it will be even more difficult to understand the advanced version of quantum theory, quantum mechanics.

Students in later generations find quantum mechanics very easy to learn.

It’s just a quantum concept. I accept it with pleasure.

After all, this is part of the exam.

But if you really study the history of physics from beginning to end, you will find that it is very difficult to accept the concept of quantum.

In real history, Bohr, who proposed the quantized atomic model, did not recognize Einstein's light quantum hypothesis.

He firmly believed that light was a continuous wave, not a quantum.

You see, even Bohr himself was so cautious and rigorous about the concept of quantum.

The situation at that time was that if it was possible to explain it without using quantum concepts, then it was not needed.

The atomic structure is used because it has to be used.

At this time, Bohr continued: "I know that this statement will be difficult for the academic community to accept at present."

"So, I think the next focus of quantum theory is to find more examples to prove the rationality of the Bohr model."

"For example, Balmer's equation, X-rays, and flame color reactions."

"As long as there is enough evidence."

"Then the possibility that the core idea of ​​quantum theory is wrong will be infinitely reduced."

Bohr's words were finally recognized.

There is nothing wrong with this idea.

When a new theory is proposed, it needs to be verified by experiments immediately.

If after many experiments, they are consistent with the theory very well.

In the absence of any better theory, the temporary theory is correct.

Physicists are realistic.

As long as it is useful and can simulate reality, I will believe you.

Don't mess with me.

There is a famous joke in later generations.

How to prove that all odd numbers except 1 are prime.

Mathematician: 3 is a prime number, 5 is a prime number, 7 is a prime number, 9 is not a prime number, there are counterexamples, and the proposition is wrong.

Physicist: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is not prime (an error), 11 is prime, 13 is prime;
The experimental sample size is sufficient and the error is negligible, so the proposition is proven to be true.

This joke fully illustrates the pragmatism of physicists.

A theory does not require it to be exquisite, but it must be useful.

If the Bohr model can really be verified by many experiments, it will prove that it is a correct theory.

It's that simple and crude.

Next, Bohr introduced his research process in detail.

He drew an orbital model of the hydrogen atom on a projector.

In the middle is the atomic nucleus, and circular orbits are arranged from the inside to the outside.

Only in these orbits do electrons exist.

As for the rest of the space inside the atom, electrons cannot exist.

During Bohr's explanation, everyone realized that the so-called Bohr model was not simple at all. It involved a lot of calculations.

Energy levels, transitions, emission spectrum wavelengths, etc.

Moreover, the contents of the papers were simplified, and Bohr's speeches were more detailed, allowing everyone to feel the charm of cutting-edge physics.

Soon, Bohr systematically expounded his theory.

Suddenly, thunderous applause broke out from the audience.

This rising star in physics has won respect with his strength.

After the applause gradually died down, Li Qiwei said:
"According to the normal meeting process, this should be the question-and-answer session."

“But this meeting was very special.”

"Because the Bohr model has such a wide influence, many people are studying it and have achieved very good results."

"Several people privately asked me to announce their latest results at the conference to vindicate the Bohr model."

“Of course I am very happy about this.”

“The focus of the conference is academic exchange.”

“And the theme of this conference is the quantum realm.”

"We want to discuss the most advanced quantum theory."

"Let's see how far this new theory can go."

"So I welcome any research related to it."

“And everyone can rest assured that I have reviewed in advance the results that I will share on stage today.”

"All I can say is that modern physics is truly amazing."

"It is a blessing for all of us in the field of physics to experience such a flourishing era."

Li Qiwei's words instantly aroused the interest of everyone present.

They thought that such research should be seen in the next session.

There are still many people in the physics community who study atoms.

Therefore, the meeting lasted for three full days, which was enough time for everyone to fully communicate and discuss.

I just didn’t expect that some people would have such an honor.

I can actually talk about my research results in front of so many physics giants.

What an exciting thing that is.

Many people felt very regretful that they did not prepare their own results and just came to watch the show.

Suddenly, Li Qiwei changed the subject and said with a smile:

"Of course, for those who are looking for trouble, please be patient for now."

"I will definitely give priority to those who support Bohr over those who oppose him."

There was an immediate burst of laughter from the audience.

Li Qiwei's words were not in a serious tone, but with a hint of teasing.

"Hahaha, Bruce was scared by the previous relativity conference. The questions asked by those bigwigs were more tricky than the last."

“That’s what I said. A meeting without questions is soulless.”

"Look at Bohr's expression. He has begun to tremble."

"."

It seems like there's going to be some good show today.

With so many bigwigs present, they will definitely not let Bohr get away easily.

Can he be as outstanding as his mentor?

After everyone's discussion, the first to come on stage to share were G. Hertz and Frank from Germany.

With excitement in their hearts, the two men walked carefully to the podium and shook hands with Bohr and Ridgway in turn.

Next to the podium, another projector had been prepared for the audience's use.

As the nephew of Hertz, the great man who discovered electromagnetic waves, G. Hertz is also well-known in the physics community.

There's no way around it. His uncle is too famous. As long as he steps into physics, it's hard for him to keep a low profile.

Just like Darwin's grandson Galton.

The descendants of celebrities always receive special attention.

At this time, G. Hertz said in his energetic voice with a slight tremor:

“Frank and I were working on electron collisions.”

"When we bombarded mercury atoms with electrons, we discovered a strange phenomenon."

"As long as the mercury atoms emit ultraviolet light, the electrons that bombard the mercury atoms will lose 4.9 eV of energy."

"The Bohr model can perfectly explain this phenomenon."

"4.9 eV is the energy difference between the ground state and the first excited state of a mercury atom."

"So as long as the bombarded electrons exceed this energy value, the electrons in the ground state of the mercury atom will jump to the first excited state."

"Then the electron in the first excited state jumps down to the ground state, releasing energy in the form of electromagnetic waves in the process."

"According to the Lee-Planck radiation formula, its wavelength falls within the ultraviolet band."

"The results of this experiment are in perfect agreement with Bohr's theory."

"So I think it's strong evidence for Bohr's model."

G. Hertz shared his experimental data while explaining.

Everyone in the audience was drawn in.

This perfect match between theory and experiment made everyone present feel extremely happy.

The pleasure of human intelligence dominating the objective world is incomparable.

In real history, G. Hertz and Frank jointly won the 1925 Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on the laws of electron collisions.

After listening to G. Hertz's report, Bohr's face suddenly flushed.

He had said so much before, but none of it was as shocking as the other party's experimental results.

Words can lie, but numbers never deceive.

The applause from the crowd made G. Hertz's heart surge with emotion.

He had never experienced such a grand scene before, and he sighed in his heart:

"Sure enough, only those who have stood on this kind of stage can be considered true physicists."

“This feeling is really intoxicating.”

Then, G. Hertz nodded to the crowd, Ridgway and Bohr, and walked off the stage neatly.

In this kind of situation, they certainly won't go through all the details, that's what they'll do when they publish the paper later.

When giving a report in front of so many people, especially with many bigwigs present, you must talk about the most core content.

Li Qiwei watched the two of them go down and suddenly thought of something interesting.

The favorite experiment of physicists of this era is "boom", literally boom. (I really don't like to use boom)

Bombard with electrons;

Bombard with alpha particles;

Bombard with X-rays;
Anyway, I will use all kinds of methods and materials to bombard you.

You may discover a new phenomenon and become famous overnight.

Roentgen discovered X-rays by bombarding a metal target with electrons.

Ridgwell bombarded gold foil with alpha particles and discovered the atomic nucleus.

Unfortunately, de Broglie's brother Maurice bombarded the gas with X-rays but found nothing.

Of course, this is related to his scientific research ability. In fact, X-ray bombardment has also achieved many results, some of which are Nobel Prize-level.

The most famous experiment in later generations should be the particle accelerator.

That's the most awesome blast!

Even if we are not careful, we can create a black hole and the earth will go to hell.

When the particle accelerator was first built, physicists argued that the possibility of creating a micro black hole could not be ruled out.

Today, G. Hertz verified the Bohr model by bombarding mercury atoms with electrons.

Therefore, the saying "great force brings about miracles" also applies to the field of physics.

When you don’t know what to research, just go for it!

"Please welcome the next bombardier."

(End of this chapter)

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