1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 289 The third question! Bruce lost! Even though he lost, he still had honor! (Day 8, Day 10, please subscribe)
The Second Quantum Theory Conference was so exciting that it exceeded everyone's imagination.

Especially those who were at the scene, they were very grateful that they had the opportunity to watch the confrontation between the big guys in person.

The collision of ideas creates sparks of wisdom.

Everyone is immersed in the ocean of physics knowledge and experiencing the vast world of science.

Now, the meeting finally reached the most tense moment.

The third Nobel Prize challenger has appeared.

Everyone suddenly had a premonition that this would be the last question of the day.

But will the outcome be suspenseful?

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Rutherford, holding their breath, waiting for the big boss's questions.

When Rutherford saw the meeting gradually quiet down, he smiled and said:

"Bruce, my first question is why Bohr's model cannot explain radioactivity."

"Currently, radioactive substances are known to emit three types of rays in total."

"They are alpha rays, which are essentially helium ions; beta rays, which are essentially electrons; and gamma rays, which are essentially electromagnetic waves."

"There is no need to explain alpha and beta rays. They are not electromagnetic waves and cannot be produced through transitions."

"And gamma rays are electromagnetic waves. Logically, they can be produced through transitions."

"But my team used the energy level difference before and after the electron transition to calculate and found that no atom can produce gamma rays."

"It seems that gamma rays can only be produced spontaneously by radioactive substances."

“There is no way to intervene with human intervention.”

"Bruce, what do you think the reason is?"

Wow!
Everyone in the venue opened their mouths wide.

Their inner shock and expectations actually outweighed the questions raised by Michelson and Lorentz.

Rutherford's question was not to directly point out the shortcomings of Bohr's model.

Rather, a new domain was reintroduced.

The current Bohr model is very powerful in the fields of spectroscopy and the periodic table.

It is said to have put an end to all problems in spectroscopy.

It even has a tendency to dominate modern physics.

But now, Professor Rutherford became a stumbling block to Bohr's model.

In the field of radiology, the Bohr model is powerless!

It's not a panacea.

Although Ridgway predicted that quantum theory would become the theory governing atoms.

But radioactivity is also the realm of atoms, and quantum theory is helpless.

This is the biggest problem!

The generation mechanism of the three types of rays, the nature of radioactivity, etc. are all unsolved mysteries in current physics.

Although Rutherford proposed the hypothesis of element transformation.

But he simply pointed out that atoms change into other types of atoms, so they move around in the periodic table.

As for how atoms transform?
Why does it emit helium ions?

Why can electrons be emitted?
These are all unknown.

All physicists can do is observe and summarize phenomena.

In other words, the wonders inside the atom far exceed everyone's imagination.

Why is quantum theory, the most promising theory, useless for radioactivity?

Rutherford began to feel worried.

He was worried about the universality of quantum theory and that it was reaching a dead end.

Although he had discussed this issue with Li Qiwei in private before.

But he still took it out and supplemented it.

I just want to see if Li Qiwei has any solution.

At the same time, he declared that he, Rutherford, was an authority on atomic radiology and would continue to lead its development.

At this moment, everyone turned their attention to Li Qiwei.

This question is not easy to answer.

The spectral lines are not split, and this cannot be solved by adding quantum numbers.

This is a question from another perspective.

After listening to Rutherford's question, Li Qiwei showed an expression of "as expected".

The other party has been studying radioactivity for more than ten years.

However, its most fundamental mechanism has never been understood.

Quantum theory gave Rutherford an opportunity.

So, he will definitely not miss this opportunity.

Rutherford wanted to squeeze out Li Qiwei's potential in front of so many people.

He knew that Li Qiwei was the kind of person who became more powerful the more pressure he faced.

Rutherford thinks that the opponent must be strengthened.

Li Qiwei gave a barely perceptible wry smile.

Of course he understood what Rutherford meant, but now was not the right time.

So, he said, “I have to say, that’s a very good question.”

"The interaction of electrons with atomic nuclei gives rise to what is known as spectroscopy."

"But with radioactivity, physicists don't know what's going on inside atoms."

"So, I can only say that the Bohr model cannot answer this question for now."

boom!
This completely shook the venue.

Bruce actually admitted that he couldn't explain it.

"Oh my God, Professor Rutherford is so awesome. He stumped Professor Bruce with the first question."

"I can't even imagine what his second question will be like."

"I never expected that the incomparable Professor Bruce would have questions he couldn't answer."

Everyone was talking about it.

Unexpectedly, the first person to stump Bruce was Rutherford.

It turns out that only people from the same school understand each other best.

One hit kill.

The men of Cavendish can only be defeated by the men of Cavendish.

The big guys in the front row were not very excited. They were all thinking about Rutherford's question.

Why is radioactivity so special?

And what Bruce said cannot be solved for the time being.

Could it be that he still has reservations?
Thompson, who knew Ridgway well, said: "Bruce never answered a question so simply."

“Even if he doesn’t know the answer to a question, he will definitely give a feasible research idea.”

"He said this, which only means that he has already considered this issue."

"So when Rutherford asked the question, he could answer it without even thinking about it."

"Because he already knows this question, and he doesn't have an answer for now."

All the bosses nodded in unison, obviously agreeing with Thompson's analysis.

You know, Bruce had praised Bohr before, saying that although he didn't know the answer, he had the courage to work hard to analyze the problem.

How come his teacher is not as good as Bohr?

So the other party must not have finished speaking.

Wilson was probably the only one in the crowd who saw it most clearly.

He was well aware of Li Qiwei's methods.

"What do you know? This is called delayed pretense."

"I bet Bruce has known about this problem for a long time and has already had an idea."

“That’s why he’s so confident.”

"We'll see."

"He's definitely going to make another prediction."

Sure enough, just as everyone was whispering to each other, surprised at Professor Bruce's first defeat.

Li Qiwei suddenly continued loudly: "Of course, the Bohr model cannot explain this problem."

“But I know what the problem is.”

"Ever since physicists confirmed the existence of atoms, our research on atoms has continued to deepen." "Professor Thomson discovered electrons and proved that atoms can be divided."

"And the Bohr model describes how electrons move around the nucleus."

"Did you find the problem?"

"We actually know nothing about the nucleus."

“Do atomic nuclei move?”

"Can the nucleus of an atom be divided further?"

"If it can be divided further, what is it composed of?"

“The study of atoms is divided into the study of composition and the study of structure.”

“And structural research is based on composition.”

"So far, we have only explored the atomic nucleus level, so the Bohr model that describes the structure can only go as far as the atomic nucleus and electrons."

At this point, Li Qiwei suddenly looked excited, clenched his right hand, and said confidently:
“So, I’m making a bold prediction here.”

"The radioactivity of atoms must come from the internal activity of the nucleus."

"I thought the nucleus was divisible."

"It's the interaction between its components that creates the radioactivity."

"And once we know the composition and structure of the nucleus."

"The Bohr model can then be extended to the interior of the atomic nucleus."

“By then, perhaps quantum theory will undergo a radical change.”

Li Qiwei's words had just fallen.

boom!
The venue fell into deathly silence again.

Everyone was stunned by Li Qiwei's words.

It turns out that the other party's research has reached such a deep level.

"Oh my God, is this Professor Bruce's explanation? Why do I feel like I am honored in defeat?"

"Oh my god, Professor Bruce is making predictions again. That means there must be something else going on in the atomic nucleus. This is a Nobel Prize-winning research direction."

"I have decided to start research on atomic nuclei immediately after the meeting."

"I believe in Professor Bruce's predictions, even more than his theories."

No one present expected that Bruce would answer Rutherford's question with a prophecy.

However, what was most incredible was that almost everyone subconsciously chose to believe what Professor Bruce said.

It was as if it was a prophecy from God and was bound to happen.

At this moment, everyone understood what Professor Bruce meant.

That is, the development of physics has not yet reached that stage, so the Bohr model is powerless.

It’s like when atoms hadn’t even been discovered, no matter how talented a person was, it would be impossible for him to come up with a quantized orbital model.

You have to have phenomena and material reality first, and then you can have the corresponding theory.

Otherwise, what is your theory trying to study?

Even the Maxwell equations, which claim to have predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves, were only summarized on the basis of various electromagnetic phenomena.

If there was no concept of electricity and magnetism, no matter how talented Maxwell was, he would not have been able to come up with equations out of thin air.

And now, the Bohr model encounters the same problem.

Only after the electron appeared could there be a theory to describe it.

And now, a new phenomenon arises from within the nucleus.

It's like humans have just discovered the existence of electricity.

The next step is to explore its essence.

For radioactivity, its essence is the composition structure of the atomic nucleus.

"Then I understand now. It's not that Professor Bruce failed in this round, but the limitation of the theory itself."

“It’s a tie between the two.”

While ordinary people were still discussing whether Li Qiwei had lost, the big guys in the front row were feeling a huge wave of emotion.

What Li Qiwei just said almost pointed out a new direction for atomic research.

That is the nucleus.

Once the atomic nucleus is understood, perhaps atoms will no longer have any secrets.

At this moment, many bigwigs felt a sense of urgency.

Li Qiwei looked at everyone's expressions and thought he might as well add some more explosive information.

"As you know, I am a theoretical physicist."

"When it comes to doing experiments, I can't catch up with Professor Rutherford."

"But my doctoral thesis is experimental research."

"At that time, I used alpha particles to bombard gold atoms, and that's how I discovered the structure of the atomic nucleus."

"I think this method of bombardment is a very important means of atomic research."

"Of course, this method was first invented by Professor Rutherford. I just learned it from him."

The crowd laughed.

But then they thought, Professor Bruce really rarely does experiments, he mainly does pure theoretical research.

"So, I think that bombardment can still be considered in future research on atomic nuclei."

"As for what to use as the target material, what to use as the bombardment particle, and how to bombard, that is up to everyone present."

"But there is one thing I can confirm."

“No matter who discovers what phenomenon, there is no doubt that it will be a Nobel Prize-winning achievement.”

“So everyone, work hard.”

At this moment, the venue completely exploded.

Li Qiwei's words were like a shot of chicken blood to the people present, especially the young scholars and students.

This is a new field.

So far, no one has achieved any results.

Of course, many people have studied this in private.

But as long as there is no one who breaks through first, it means everyone has a chance.

However, when these passionate young people really tried to experiment, they found that they were overthinking.

They couldn't even assemble the equipment properly.

In this era, those who are qualified to do atomic research are all top bosses.

Without top-notch laboratories and sophisticated instruments, it would be a pipe dream to conduct research on atomic nuclei.

So even though Li Qiwei expressed his thoughts, Rutherford didn't care and just sat back and waited.

He is very confident and everyone else will be his foil.

Do you really think that Rutherford has been slacking off for the past ten years?

He has improved various experimental instruments into several versions.

This is also the reason why Li Qiwei doesn't do many things himself.

Because his doctoral thesis has proved that experimental instruments these days are really difficult to use and require too much effort.

His golden finger is the various theories in his mind, not the small warehouse of various high-tech instruments he carries with him.

Li Qiwei was not modest. When it comes to doing experiments, he could not compare with Rutherford even if there were ten of them. He could not even compare with Master Qian Wu.

Therefore, he has made up his mind to honestly establish himself as a theoretical physicist.

A piece of paper, a pen and a table are all his weapons.

At this time, Rutherford smiled and said, "Bruce, it seems that there is no result for the first question."

"But this has nothing to do with you or the theory. It's due to the limitations of physics."

"But you can't avoid answering my second question directly."

"Otherwise, the theoretical foundation of the Bohr model will be shaken."

Wow!
Rutherford's words shook the venue instantly.

What exactly is the problem? Is it so fatal?

"Oh my God, is this the climax of the meeting? Professor Rutherford is really planning something big."

"It actually shakes the foundation of the theory. Doesn't that mean that if we can't answer it, it means that the Bohr model has a huge flaw, just like the special theory of relativity?"

“I really can’t imagine what the problem is.”

At this moment, even Bohr was extremely nervous.

What on earth could be the problem that would have such a huge impact on my theory?

Li Qiwei smiled faintly, "Please continue."

(End of this chapter)