1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 515: The Matrix Appears! Everyone is Shocked! No One in the Physics World Can Solve It! Go and Ask Bruce the Elder!

University of Munich, Germany.

In the office of Professor Sommerfeld of the Department of Physics.

Sommerfeld, Wien, Born and Pauli happened to get together.

Today is an exchange meeting for physics professors from the University of Göttingen and the University of Munich.

Born was invited and received by Wien and Sommerfeld.

As the New Year was approaching, Pauli came to visit his mentor Sommerfeld and shared his experiences at the Quantum Institute.

In Pauli's heart, Sommerfeld was very kind to him and he respected him very much.

Therefore, the two old, one middle-aged and one young got together.

When Pauli saw Wayne, his eyes held an inexplicable meaning.

You can tell from Wayne's expression that he was probably choked by Pauli just now.

However, before the two could start a further quarrel, Heisenberg came in.

An "academic debate" ended here.

At this moment, all four of them showed great interest in Heisenberg's paper.

Even Wayne is no exception.

He really wanted to know what attracted Professor Bruce to this boy.

He has poor hands-on experimental skills, a shallow grasp of basic knowledge, and a shy personality.

He doesn't look like a physicist at all.

As for things like the International Mathematical Olympiad silver medal and the title of genius, in the eyes of Nobel Prize boss Wayne, they are all just lies for kids.

"Talk is cheap, show me your paper."

Sommerfeld put on his glasses and took the paper solemnly.

The others sat or stood behind him, reading the paper together.

"The Basic Equations of Quantum Theory".

The moment he saw the question, Sommerfeld was shocked.

"Good boy, this isn't a paper on reconstructing quantum theory."

As Heisenberg's mentor, he naturally knew his student's love for quantum theory.

Now the other party has gone to work at the Quantum Research Institute.

Apart from this direction, he felt that Heisenberg would look down on everything else.

But is it that easy to reconstruct quantum theory?

Sommerfeld thought no more and began to read it carefully.

"Spectral frequency array?"

"Spectral probability array?"

Wow!
His heart trembled!
What a clever angle!
What a strong strength!
Without a deep understanding of quantum theory, it would be impossible to extract these two parameters.

And they are all what Professor Bruce mentioned before: observable quantities.

Just from this step, Sommerfeld concluded that this paper was definitely not simple.

Start with the main journal of Nature!
Wayne and Born next to them were equally shocked.

For the big guys, the beginning of the paper basically determines the level of the paper.

The height of the idea and the newness or oldness of the angle can be seen at a glance.

There is no doubt that Heisenberg's paper is a top-notch opening.

Find a unique entry point in the complex quantum theory.

Wayne couldn't help but look at the other person.

I muttered in my heart:

"Did I make a mistake?"

Sommerfeld looked surprised and asked quickly:

"Heisenberg, did you come up with this in seclusion?"

“That’s a great idea!”

If it were the old Heisenberg, he would definitely feel embarrassed at this moment.

But now, he has been reborn and said openly:
"No, Professor."

“This is an idea that Professor Bruce brought up during a discussion at the Quantum Institute.”

"He said that if you want to study the reconstruction of quantum theory, you can refer to this perspective."

"Senior Brother Pauli also knows."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!

No wonder they felt so shocked when they just watched the beginning.

It turned out to be written by Professor Bruce.

That's as it should be.

Anything produced by Bruce must be of high quality!

Pauli scratched his head, a little incredulous:
"Heisenberg, did you really derive quantum theory based on these two observable quantities?"

"Damn it! If I go back to the Quantum Research Institute, I'm going to be laughed at like crazy."

Heisenberg chuckled.

"Brother, I'm almost there. You'll understand after you read the paper."

Sommerfeld did not understand the secret between the two of them, so he continued reading the paper.

"A simple harmonic oscillator."

"Momentum array p."

"Shift array d."

hiss!
Everyone was shocked again!
Isn't this the method Professor Bruce used to derive the concept of quantum?

Heisenberg actually borrowed it perfectly.

And it's well-founded!

The electromagnetic waves of different frequencies generated by atoms can indeed be studied using the simple harmonic oscillator method.

In this way, complex physical problems are transformed into mathematical problems.

The simple harmonic oscillator is very familiar to physicists.

“That’s a great idea!”

Sommerfeld asked again:
"Heisenberg, this is your own original creation, right?"

Heisenberg nodded confidently.

"Professor, the following contents are the results of my retreat."

Sommerfeld even clapped his hands on the table in excitement.

"it is good!"

"very good!"

"Just based on this idea, your paper is amazing!"

“It is possible to re-examine the experimental phenomena basis of quantum theory from this perspective.”

“So innovative!”

Sommerfeld was clearly stunned by the paper.

Therefore, even in front of outsiders, he couldn't help but praise his students.

This is why Sommerfeld was so popular among his students.

Pauli was now happy for Heisenberg but worried about himself.

He had just refuted Professor Bruce, saying that this direction was wrong.

The result is that you will soon be slapped in the face.

With his knowledge, he certainly knew the value of Heisenberg's paper.

Absolutely top-notch results!

But this makes him look like a clown.

Pauli comforted himself in his heart: It’s okay, as long as I’m thick-skinned, others will be the ones who are embarrassed.

Wayne's heart was shaken.

He didn't expect that he was really wrong.

The Heisenberg before us is indeed worthy of the title of genius.

Although the other party borrowed Professor Bruce's method, the usage process is completely different.

The other party is standing on the shoulders of giants and looking at the more distant scenery.

In today's physics, making breakthroughs in theoretical fields is one level more difficult than in experimental physics.

But Heisenberg did it.

Even if Wayne had any opinion of Heisenberg before, he had to admit:
"amazing!"

Among the few people, only Born was the calmest.

When he saw the form of momentum p and displacement d, he suddenly felt a little familiar.

"This symbolic form seems to be a branch of mathematics."

"But I can't remember."

"interesting."

At this time, Pauli hurriedly urged:
"Teacher, please turn to the next page. I want to know what the final result is."

Sommerfeld smiled fondly and continued flipping through the pages.

The result shocked everyone.

“Array multiplication.”

“p×d≠d×p.”

boom!
Sommerfeld and the other three opened their eyes wide, as if they had seen something incredible.

"This"

"How is this possible? Isn't multiplication commutative?"

"I guess I miscalculated."

But even an elementary school student would not make such an obvious mistake.

No matter how poorly Heisenberg studied, he would never make such a low-level mistake.

Even Wien didn't believe that Heisenberg would be so careless as to write such a thing.

At this moment, none of the four spoke first.

They stared at the formula closely and went over the derivation process carefully again.

That's right!

p×d is not equal to d×p!

Wow!
Now it's fun.

The four were completely confused.

They have studied physics for so many years and have never encountered such a phenomenon.

Even though physics transcends mathematics, it still has to satisfy mathematical formulas.

How is it possible that the order of multiplying two numbers is different and the results are also different?

This is too incredible!

Sommerfeld was shocked and murmured:
"Oh my god!"

"Heisenberg, what a monster you have created."

However, he immediately looked excited.

"But I have a feeling that this is definitely a brand new discovery and will cause a sensation!"

Pauli also had a serious expression at this moment. He looked at the formula carefully with his sharp eyes and asked:
"Heisenberg, this is probably the question you want to ask."

“p×d≠d×p.”

Heisenberg looked at everyone's shocked expressions, but he was still very proud.

Even so many bigwigs were shocked by his achievements.

"Yes, Brother Pauli."

"I have some knowledge of mathematics, but I have never seen it in this form."

"After multiplying using the array method, it turns out that the commutative law is no longer satisfied."

“So, I’m stuck here and can’t proceed.”

"But I can confirm that there is absolutely no problem with my theoretical derivation and calculation process."

Pauli nodded.

Today, three big bosses, Wien, Born and Sommerfeld, are present.

Although he often defeats others, it doesn't mean that the big guys are weak.

Reading this paper from beginning to end, it is very smooth and perfect.

But now, it's stuck here and can't go any further.

There is no way to achieve Professor Bruce's goal: to directly derive the results of quantum theory, such as the four quantum numbers.

Pauli was amazed and became interested.

This novel content is extremely attractive to a genius like him.

The harder it is, the more excited he becomes.

He proposed a possible idea:

"I feel like this should be some kind of mathematical mechanism."

“It’s a bit like the Riemannian geometry that Professor Bruce used when he proposed the theory of general relativity.”

"Could this strange multiplication be some kind of niche mathematical knowledge?"

"Unfortunately, my math is not very good, so I can't tell what it is."

Heisenberg nodded when he heard this. His idea was basically the same as Pauli's.

In the end, theoretical physics can easily become a mathematical problem.

But in this era, mathematics was not yet the strong point of physicists.

For example, Wayne.

He was completely dumbfounded.

As a master of experimental physics, his math skills may be the worst among those present.

So, when he saw Heisenberg come up with this thing, his first feeling was:

"I'm afraid this kid has really come up with something earth-shattering."

After all, as common sense goes, the more incomprehensible something is, the more awesome it tends to be.

Wayne didn't dare to give any suggestions.

This is the area where he is least good.

At this moment, only Born remained silent.

His brows were furrowed, as if he was recalling something.

Heisenberg had been observing the expressions of several people, hoping that someone could answer his questions.

And Born was undoubtedly the one he valued most.

More than 20 years ago, the other party was invited by Professor Bruce to attend a young scholars conference held in Belgium.

That meeting is often talked about by countless people.

Because most of the people who attended the conference are now well-known figures in the scientific community.

There are even some Nobel Prize winners.

For example, Laue and Haber.
Therefore, although Born has not yet won the Nobel Prize, no one dares to underestimate him.

Because he has made outstanding research achievements in the fields of crystal dynamics, electromagnetic theory, etc. These theoretical fields have very high requirements for mathematics.

I do not know how long it has been.

Suddenly, Born smiled and said:
"I know what this is."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
They all looked at Born.

Heisenberg's eyes lit up and his face showed an irrepressible excitement.

He asked tremblingly:

"Professor Boborn, have you ever seen this mysterious multiplication formula?"

Born took one last look at the paper, then looked up and smiled confidently.

"I just remembered it too."

"Twenty years ago, when I was a student, I attended a mathematics lecture."

"The professor also mentioned this form of multiplication at that time."

"If I remember correctly, this thing should be called the [Matrix]!"

Wow!
When the Matrix came out, everyone was shocked.

The name sounds very impressive and it must be very difficult mathematical knowledge.

Heisenberg was overjoyed, and every cell in his body was cheering.

This shows that his theory is correct!

The formula he derived is mathematically correct.

In other words, he has hope of reconstructing quantum theory!

He quickly asked:
"Professor Born, do you understand matrix operations?"

"Did I calculate correctly?"

Born smiled awkwardly.

"If I understood the Matrix, I wouldn't have been confused just now."

"I just heard the name at that time, but I didn't know much about it."

"After all, in the field of physics, no one has ever used mathematical knowledge such as matrices to solve problems."

“It’s too niche.”

"The math professor said at the time that not many people in the math community were studying matrices."

Heisenberg sighed in his heart when he heard this, but he was still grateful to Born.

Just remember that this is a matrix.

No matter how difficult it is, he can just start from scratch.

At this time, Pauli suddenly retorted:

"Professor Born, you have to be sure."

"You must not destroy Heisenberg's physics ideas with mathematics."

Pauli has a powerful tongue.

In order to protect Heisenberg's achievements, he went directly to Born.

Sommerfeld suddenly felt a headache.

"This boy"

However, Born didn't care because he knew that this guy was not targeting him.

He would not be as narrow-minded as Pauli.

However, Pauli's concerns were justified.

Heisenberg's paper was now at a critical stage.

There must be someone who understands both matrices and physics to guide him and allow the calculations in the paper to proceed.

And there is probably only that man in the world who is like this.

So he smiled and said to Heisenberg:

"I think you'd better let Professor Bruce take a look at your paper."

"I believe he must know the Matrix."

"In the physics community right now, he is the only one who can guide you on this paper."

Born's words made everyone nod.

Now only Professor Bruce can take action.

Sommerfeld said immediately:
"How about this? I'll send a telegram directly to the Quantum Research Institute."

"If they haven't had their holiday yet, someone will definitely receive it."

"When the time comes, we'll listen to Professor Bruce's opinion."

"I'll send it now, but I guess it might take until tomorrow for the UK to respond."

"Heisenberg, don't go back today. Stay here with me for one night."

Heisenberg nodded quickly.

He could hardly hide his excitement.

Then, he sincerely thanked the four people in the room.

Everyone is trying their best to help him.

At this moment, Heisenberg personally experienced the importance of academic exchanges.

The collision of ideas can bring about sparks of innovation.

If he chose to work in isolation, he might abandon the Matrix.

Because in his cognition, he does not believe in such multiplication.

"Thank you, Professor Bruce."

"You were right to suggest that I go out more often and interact with more people."

At this moment, Sommerfeld was filled with emotion.

He was completely impressed by Professor Bruce's ability to train students.

How long has Heisenberg been gone?

It’s so unexpected that shocking results are going to be announced so soon.

This is amazing.

Suddenly, his old face turned red, and he also wanted to study for a doctorate under Professor Bruce.

Finally, the five of them agreed to meet again tomorrow.

Because they are all extremely curious about the Matrix.

They were particularly interested in knowing what Professor Bruce thought of the paper.

Sommerfeld smiled:
"All right."

"Let us witness it together tomorrow!"

Then he quickly wrote down the contents of the telegram.

At night, Heisenberg and Pauli lay in bed in a hotel outside the school.

He couldn't fall asleep.

Pauli quipped:
"Why, you're so excited you can't sleep?"

Heisenberg said leisurely:

“Oh, I hope this isn’t just a dream.”
-
Quantum Research Institute.

When Li Qiwei finished reading Sommerfeld's telegram, he smiled slightly.

"Matrix"

"I'm afraid I'm the only one in the entire physics community who understands this."

In real history, the concept of matrix was proposed by British mathematician Arthur Cayley in 1858.

It originated from the study of the relationship between coefficients and constants of a system of equations.

Figuratively speaking, it is a means to solve a large number of equations.

Later, matrices became the most common tools in higher algebra.

"Linear Algebra", a compulsory course for science and engineering students in later generations, talks about matrices.

But at this point in time, the Matrix does not have that much influence.

Similar to Riemannian geometry, it is also a niche field in mathematics and relatively few people study it.

So although Born had attended lectures on matrices, he never touched upon them again.

Naturally, I couldn't remember it all of a sudden.

Li Qiwei felt deeply moved.

Heisenberg is worthy of being the top genius in quantum mechanics. He also invented the matrix.

In real history, this is where matrix mechanics comes from.

As the first version of quantum mechanics, matrix mechanics dominated the world as soon as it appeared.

Because like general relativity, most physicists simply cannot understand it.

Therefore, they could only study matrix content frantically first, and then return to study matrix mechanics.

In the end, everyone was tortured to death by the obscure and complex matrix.

Li Qiwei found it funny when he thought about this.

Then he picked up a pen and wrote his reply.

1922 12 Month 27 Day.

Sommerfeld's office at the University of Munich.

Amid the great anticipation of Heisenberg and others, Sommerfeld announced Ridgway's reply.

"Professor Born is right."

“p×d≠d×p is the basic property of matrices.”

"It doesn't satisfy the commutative property of multiplication."

"The matrix is ​​made up of."

"."

"According to my calculations, p×d minus d×p gives a constant."

“This is the crux of the thesis.”

“And this paper is very interesting. It may have the potential to reconstruct quantum theory.”

"Due to the limited length of the telegram, I hope that Heisenberg will return to the institute as soon as possible after the New Year."

"Talk to me in detail."

"Bruce Lee, stay."

Wow!
After hearing what was said, Heisenberg was so excited that he almost jumped up.

"Professor Bruce is so powerful!"

“He even helped me calculate the next step directly.”

"I had not thought of the situation of p × d minus d × p at all."

"And what is that constant?"

Heisenberg wished he could grow a pair of wings and fly directly to England.

This New Year is not as important as his paper.

But whatsoever!

But there is no way, if he can't pass, others have to.

So, no matter how excited he was, he had to wait until after the New Year.

Everyone looked at Heisenberg's happy expression and were happy for him.

At the same time, they were amazed at Professor Bruce.

The other party didn't even read the entire paper; Sommerfeld just talked about a few key points.

As a result, Professor Bruce has deduced the next step.

"This is too exaggerated!"

Born smiled and said:

"Professor Bruce knows everything about matrices."

“We even know who proposed it and when.”

“He’s literally a walking encyclopedia.”

Heisenberg and others could only worship.

Even someone as strong as Pauli had to give in.

Professor Bruce's strength has completely surpassed their level.

He even knows such obscure mathematical knowledge as matrices, and the key is to be able to use it freely.
-
For the next ten days, Heisenberg was never at peace.

Even on New Year's Day, when countless friends and relatives came to visit him, he didn't pay much attention.

Heisenberg's father was a linguist and his brother was a chemist.

The two noticed Heisenberg's abnormality and asked curiously:

"what happened to you?"

"A major breakthrough in research?"

Heisenberg said nothing, just kept grinning.

Facing his father and brother, he didn't dare to speak too early.

What if Professor Bruce finds errors in the paper?

Then he would be in tears.
-
time flies.

In the blink of an eye, it was the year 1923.

1 month 8 day.

TRAIN STATION.

Heisenberg met Schumacher for the last time before leaving for England.

The moment he saw the other person, he felt that the thesis was no longer important.

Schumacher laughed:
"What are you laughing at?"

Heisenberg had never behaved like this before. He said arrogantly:

"From today on, I will change the world of physics!"

Upon hearing this, Schumacher instantly turned into a fangirl, her eyes widened, giving full emotional value.

"Wow!"

"Heisenberg, you are amazing!"

"Have you made any major breakthroughs in your research?"

At this moment, Heisenberg was not humble, he was full of confidence.

"Yes."

"And, it's all thanks to you."

"The accounting thing you talked about last time gave me the most valuable inspiration."

Schumacher didn't understand, but she could feel Heisenberg's emotions almost overflowing.

Suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently.

"I look forward to the day when you become famous all over the world."

Heisenberg was stunned.

He smiled, turned around, and took a step forward.

High-spirited!

"I'm going to revolutionize physics!"

(End of this chapter)