1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 558 Two Problems in Wave Mechanics! Electron Spin! Narrow Phase Incompatibility! Li Qiwei Takes Action Again!
1924 7 Month 3 Day.

Technical University of Berlin.

Today the Berlin Physical Society is hosting a summer meeting.

Germany is different from most other countries.

Generally, there is only one academic industry association in each country, such as the Physical Society, the Chemical Society, etc.

But Germany's scientific strength is too strong.

Just for the physical society, there are currently five different organizations, all of which are regional physical societies.

They are not subordinate to each other and each has its own circle.

Therefore, Germany currently does not have a physics society that can represent the country externally.

It was not until 1950 that the five associations merged into the German Physical Society, with the Berlin Physical Society as the main one.

But today, with the arrival of Professor Bruce, there were no barriers among the five major associations, and all of them came to attend the meeting.

The number of people exceeded 200.

This is an extremely terrifying number, reflecting Germany's profound scientific strength.

You know, not just any physics major will be accepted into the association.

At least we should have achieved some results in the niche areas.

Otherwise, what you have learned would be of no value.

Planck was also shocked by so many people.

Although he was the president of the Berlin Physical Society, he also informed other societies of Bruce's attendance at the meeting, but he did not expect so many people to come.

After receiving the news, many people rushed here by train overnight.

The name of Professor Bruce is so terrifying!
Just as everyone was looking forward to it, and there was still some time before the meeting started.

Li Qiwei took Li Chengdao and Li Chengde for a walk on a tree-lined path at the Technical University of Berlin.

Just yesterday, Li Qiwei met with Chinese students studying in Germany.

He talked to students warmly and cordially, understood their needs and feelings, and encouraged them to study hard.

Among the students, the vast majority study science and engineering, and after returning they will be able to build the country's scientific and industrial undertakings.

Li Chengdao was also present at the time.

At this moment, he thought of many things.

"Father, the gap between us and Germany in scientific strength and foundation is too big."

"More than 200 physicists from Germany participated in just one academic conference."

"There are probably only a dozen or so people in China who can be called physicists, if we exclude those in the Borneo system."

"Can China really catch up?"

Li Chengdao was not idle during these three days. He learned about the German scientific system through various materials.

The more I get to know him, the more frightened I become.

German science is so powerful!
Not only are there a large number of scientists, but their quality is also high, and there are influential figures in various fields.

In comparison, even though Chinese science has made rapid progress in the past twenty years, it is still not good enough.

Sometimes, Li Chengdao couldn't help but wonder, how did Germany lose the war when it was so powerful?

Li Chengdao is currently unaware of the existence of the Pangu Project.

Therefore, he and many others would have the same doubts.

"Can science really save China from danger?"

"German science had reached the pinnacle, but it still failed, didn't it?"

This is the problem of historical limitations.

Before the invention of the atomic bomb, humans could never have imagined that science could produce such a great power.

Ding determines the fate of the world!

It can be said that this is a miracle in human history.

Humans are stunned by what they have created with their own hands.

But at this moment, no one knew this except Li Qiwei.

Therefore, Britain allowed Ridgway to develop the City of Science, and the United States did not prevent the Bruce Group from drawing blood from the United States.

The meat will rot in the pot anyway.

In the eyes of the rulers of these countries, scientists are powerless.

So what if you are smart?

Unarmed, one bullet can knock him down.

Li Qiwei was well aware that the respect he enjoyed in the academic community must have come from the bottom of their hearts.

That is respect for science.

However, it is unknown how much sincerity is behind the courtesy he receives from senior government officials of various countries.

But that doesn't matter.

Soon, Li Qiwei will teach them how to behave.

“I want Borneo.”

"Who is in favor? Who is against?"

At this moment, Li Qiwei felt relieved after listening to his eldest son's concerns.

The other party has already begun to consider things at the national development level.

In future generations, anyone who talks about national affairs will most likely be regarded as a big talker and immature.

However, in this era, only by starting to think about the destiny of the nation and caring about national affairs can we be truly mature and truly awakened.

As Li Qiwei's sons, they were destined not to live an ordinary life.

Li Qiwei patted Li Chengdao on the shoulder and said:
"Cheng Dao, I'm glad that you can start thinking about these issues."

"The future of a nation lies in awakened young people like you."

"If you ask me if I can, I can only say I don't know."

"But if you ask me whether I believe it or not, I will tell you that I firmly believe that China will rise!"

"Twenty years ago, not many people in China had heard of the word science."

"But now, you can already know where the gap is, how big it is, and even know how to catch up."

“This is progress that can be seen with the naked eye!”

"Do your best and obey fate!"

Li Chengdao's whole body trembled and his blood boiled.

He was deeply moved by his father's unrivaled self-confidence.

At this time, Li Chengde, who had been silent all this time, said arrogantly:

"Brother, you are too self-deprecating."

“I just don’t think the Germans are that awesome.”

“We just came to science too late.”

"Just wait and see, there will be more and more Chinese people winning Nobel Prizes in the future."

Li Qiwei looked at his second son in amazement.

He had already learned from Li Chengdao about the other party's "feat" in public speaking.

I couldn't help but feel curious.

"Did this kid really inherit some kind of talent from me?"

“The point is, how come I don’t know what talent I have?”

However, Li Chengde's views were very much to his taste.

That's how domineering you should be!

Li Chengdao smiled and said:
"That's right. With you, Mr. Li, taking action, no one can match you."

The hearty laughter of the father and his two sons rang out on the tree-lined path.

"Come on, let me take you to see how powerful the German physicists are."
-
Inside the Technical University of Berlin.

The scene was already crowded and all seats were occupied.

When Li Qiwei came in, he immediately attracted everyone's attention and cheers.

The speech three days ago brought a huge shock to the physics community.

Quantum mechanics has penetrated into every aspect of physics.

And Professor Bruce in front of us, his contribution to quantum mechanics is far and away the best.

It is no exaggeration to say that all important theories related to quantum mechanics are directly or indirectly related to him.

In academia, the strong are always respected and strength speaks.

Therefore, wherever Li Qiwei went, everyone's eyes followed.

After Planck's introduction, Li Qiwei shook hands with the main personnel present.

Soon, after the introduction, everyone took their seats, and Li Qiwei sat in the center of the front row next to Plank.

Around them are Einstein, Wien, Nernst, Sommerfeld, Born, Laue, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Pauli and others.

Soon, today's meeting officially began.

As a young figure in the German physics community, the host G. Hertz was very excited.

Professor Planck asked him to host this meeting, which was a sign of his respect and test.

As the nephew of the famous Hertz, G. Hertz himself is quite capable.

If nothing unexpected happens, he and his good friend Frank will win the Nobel Prize in Physics next year.

At the invitation of the Technical University of Berlin, he had just resigned from Philips to serve as the director of the school's physics department.

As the host of the school, it was only fitting that he acted as the MC.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have specially invited Professor Bruce to attend this Berlin Physical Society meeting."

"Please give a warm welcome!"

Wow!
There was thunderous applause in the conference hall.

Most people came for Professor Bruce.

"According to the previous arrangement, the theme of this conference is quantum mechanics."

“With the introduction of wave mechanics, matrix mechanics, and matter waves, quantum mechanics has entered a new stage of development.”

"Based on the two major mechanics, many theories that shocked the academic world were born."

“Among them, Professor Bruce’s probability waves and uncertainty principle are the most prominent.”

"The newly discovered quantum tunneling effect proves these astonishing theories."

"However, there are still some problems left in current quantum mechanics."

"Three days ago, Professor Bruce gave us a wonderful lecture."

"His speech also shows that there is still huge room for development in existing quantum mechanics."

"Therefore, this theory requires us physicists to work together to push it to a new peak!"

G. Hertz's opening was very crisp and clear, without any nonsense, and won praise from everyone.

“The process of this meeting remains unchanged.”

“First, each representative will share their reports in turn.”

“Finally, we will have a free discussion based on specific topics.”

"Next, please invite Professor Heisenberg to come to the stage and speak."

At this meeting, Heisenberg, Born, Sommerfeld, Hund and others all took the stage to give reports.

They are all members of the German Physical Society.

Li Qiwei, Schrödinger, Pauli and others were special guests.

Since Heisenberg proposed the uncertainty principle, he became more confident in his matrix mechanics.

In his speech, he tried his best to expand the scope of application of the theory, hoping to derive more amazing results like the uncertainty principle.

"So, I think Matrix Mechanics still has great potential!"

It was Hunt's first time reporting at such a conference, and he looked a little nervous.

As the originator of Hund's rule and quantum tunneling effect, his status in physics is higher than many people present.

But Hunt remains low-key.

"The quantum tunneling effect has been applied in many directions."

"For example, in the theory of stellar nuclear fusion, the atomic nuclei cannot overcome the Coulomb potential barrier relying solely on kinetic energy."

"Quantum tunneling allows atomic nuclei to cross this energy barrier."

"This is an important addition to Professor Bruce's models of stellar evolution."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
The quantum tunneling effect is indeed important.

It is a tool for applying quantum mechanics to other fields. Many things that are impossible in classical mechanics can be realized through it.

At this time, Born, as a mentor, suddenly added:
"Just a few days ago, Russian physicist Gamow used the quantum tunneling effect to explain alpha decay."

"In classical mechanics, the extremely strong binding force of the nucleus makes it impossible for particles to escape."

"But in quantum mechanics, alpha particles can escape the confinement of the nucleus through the quantum tunneling effect."

"Gamow established a model between potential and energy, and I improved and supplemented it on his basis."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked again!
This was the first time that quantum mechanics was applied to the study of nuclear phenomena.

The current theory of quantum mechanics claims to be applicable to all microscopic particles.

But for atomic nuclei, the situation is more complicated.

This involves the way quantum mechanics deals with particle systems.

With the introduction of Bose-Einstein statistics and Fermi-Dirac statistics, this direction has also developed very rapidly.

Gamow's results were undoubtedly inspiring.

Quantum mechanics has finally begun to fully feed back to atomic science!
The speeches of the leaders gradually raised the atmosphere of the meeting.

Quantum mechanics is indeed the hottest theory at present, and its connotations are simply endless.

Then, Schrödinger took the stage to report.

He has recently been working on the derivation of spin in wave mechanics.

But unfortunately, there has been no progress so far.

Therefore, Schrödinger raised this question at the meeting.

“I think the most pressing need in quantum mechanics right now is to solve the spin problem in wave mechanics.”

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

Although Professor Bruce proposed the uncertainty principle based on matrix mechanics.

But this does not mean that matrix mechanics can replace wave mechanics.

Most people are still good at using wave mechanics to solve problems.

After all, how many people can be as terrifying as Professor Bruce? Calculating matrices is as simple as adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.

Just because a big guy can tap into the potential of matrix mechanics doesn’t mean that everyone can do it.

After all, not even Heisenberg himself could do it.

Therefore, wave mechanics remains the mainstream.

However, since it cannot deduce the electron spin, it always makes people feel uneasy and imperfect.

So far, no one has made a breakthrough.

In the corner of the back row of the venue, the Li Chengdao brothers sat together.

The two of them were able to attend this meeting thanks to their father, so they behaved very low-key.

At this time, Li Chengde was a little puzzled:

"Brother, don't you find it strange?"

"Since electron spin can be derived from matrix mechanics."

"Why don't wave dynamics borrow its methods?"

Li Chengdao smiled bitterly.

"Second brother, this is already the most cutting-edge physics research."

“I don’t know the details.”

“The speech three days ago relied on imagination, but today’s speech can only be understood with hard power.”

Soon, Schrödinger's report ended.

Everyone in the audience suddenly looked excited and full of anticipation.

Next, it is the highlight of today's meeting.

Because the last person to report was Professor Bruce!

Li Qiwei walked calmly to the podium, a smile on his lips and his majestic eyes surveyed the venue.

Then he jokingly said:
"Before today's meeting, Professor Planck asked me privately: Bruce, do you have any more goods?"

"At a meeting of the Physics Society, you need to come up with real substance, not just wild guesses."

"I said: I don't have much, but I do have a little."

Everyone smiled knowingly when they heard this.

Professor Bruce is as humorous and confident as ever.

"Just now I saw Schrödinger was very distressed."

"He devoted a lot of energy to the problem of electron spin."

"As long as this problem is not solved, wave dynamics will remain at risk."

"Luckily, I'm here to help him solve it today."

hiss!
quiet!
The meeting room suddenly fell silent.

The smiles on the faces of those who were laughing just now froze.

They knew that Professor Bruce would definitely have something new.

But I didn't expect that the other party actually wanted to solve the electron spin problem in wave mechanics?

This is too exaggerated!
How strong is that man!
"Oh my god!"

"How did Professor Bruce manage to say such awesome things in such a calm tone?"

"He proposed so many incredible physical theories not long ago. Hasn't his inspiration been drained out yet?"

"So scary!"

If this is true, it is absolutely top-notch news for quantum mechanics!
This means that the two major versions of quantum mechanics will no longer be flawless.

And Professor Bruce openly admitted it, so could it still be false?
At this moment, the whole audience was shocked!
Planck smiled slightly, and said with awe and emotion:

"Good for you Bruce!"

"It's a good thing I invited you to the conference, otherwise I'm afraid you would have published the paper directly."

Schrödinger was shocked and could hardly believe his ears.

This is amazing!
It made him feel dazed.

He racked his brains for more than a year to study the problem of electron spin.

There are also many big names in the physics community doing research at the same time.

But all failed.

And today, Professor Bruce announced that he had solved it.

No one could understand Schrödinger's feelings at this moment.

He was so excited.

"Professor Bruce, how on earth did you do that?"

"I can't wait to find out."

Heisenberg was shocked after hearing this.

At the same time, a sense of crisis suddenly arose in his heart.

If the shortcomings of wave mechanics were made up, his matrix mechanics would be in danger.

At this moment, under the surprised and shocked expressions of the crowd, Li Qiwei continued:
"In fact, strictly speaking, there are currently two problems with wave mechanics."

"In addition to being unable to describe the spin of an electron, it is also unable to describe the state of an electron moving at nearly the speed of light."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked!
Wave mechanics actually leaves two problems unsolved.

This is something that many people are not familiar with.

Although all those present were German physics professionals, it did not mean that everyone’s understanding of quantum mechanics was the same as that of Schrödinger, Heisenberg and others.

Industry specializing in surgery.

It is already remarkable for a physicist to be able to conduct in-depth research on a specific field throughout his life.

As for someone like Li Qiwei who has mastered the entire branch of physics, he can only be described as a monster and terrifying.

Therefore, it is normal that people do not understand the second question.

At this time, someone who was not familiar with quantum mechanics asked:
"Professor Bruce, if that's the case, then why don't you take the relativistic effects into account?"

Schrödinger, who was in the audience, smiled bitterly when he heard this.

The special theory of relativity was published more than twenty years ago.

How could he not have thought of it?

In fact, he had already written the wave equation in the form of special relativity.

However, this equation has a fatal flaw: it cannot find the energy level formula for the hydrogen atom.

This means that the equation must be wrong.

Because the hydrogen atom is the simplest atom, the creation of the entire quantum mechanics system starts with it.

If an equation can't even explain the hydrogen atom, then don't consider it.

Therefore, when Schrödinger was inspired and wrote down the wave equation in one breath, he actually used the energy-momentum relationship in classical mechanics.

In this way, the spectrum, energy level and other contents of the hydrogen atom can be perfectly explained.

If he wanted to describe electrons moving at nearly the speed of light, he had to use the energy-momentum relationship in the special theory of relativity:

【E=pc+mc】①
However, if this formula is used, an incredible phenomenon will occur: negative probabilities will appear in the solutions to the equation.

Because of the squares and fourth powers in the formula, it produces negative solutions.

This is a bit nonsense.

How can the probability be negative?

No matter how outrageous quantum mechanics is, negative probabilities are impossible because they have absolutely no physical meaning.

If it is negative energy, I can still make some allowances for it, but negative probability is undoubtedly wrong.

Therefore, Schrödinger and others tried to find a way to eliminate negative solutions.

Then you can only use this formula:
【E=√（pc+mc）】②. (under the square root)
Simply assume that we take the square root of both sides of formula ①, and E becomes a positive number.

Substituting it into the original wave equation, a negative probability will be produced.

However, during the calculation process, it was found that the square root on the right must be eliminated.

Now, the problem arises!
You can't use the method of squaring both sides at the same time.

Otherwise, after squaring, it becomes the form of ① which will produce negative probability.

This is simply contradictory.

How to remove the square root without squaring?

But when squared, E becomes E, which results in a negative probability.

In the minds of Schrödinger and many physicists, there are ten thousand horses galloping through.

"How can this be?"

"Oh my god you are kidding me!"

So, this is a mathematical dead end and seems completely unfeasible!

Schrödinger consulted several great mathematicians, but they still couldn't solve the problem.

However, he finally published the paper.

Leaving aside the electron spin, the relativistic effect does not have a particularly large impact on wave mechanics for the time being.

Because according to experimental measurements, the speed of electrons is only 1% of the speed of light, the relativistic effect is not obvious.

However, this is always a problem that needs to be solved theoretically.

Whether there is an error and the size of the error are two completely different issues.

Of course, you can be lazy and make approximate calculations in your daily life.

But in theory, the wave equation must be compatible with special relativity.

Otherwise, one of the two will be wrong!

At this moment, after Li Qiwei explained the second problem of wave mechanics in an easy-to-understand way.

Everyone present was suddenly enlightened and their eyes were opened!

"It turns out the second problem is so serious."

"If it can't be solved, it may even lead to a contradiction between quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity."

“That’s absolutely not possible!”

"They are the pillars of modern physics, and if they are wrong, the consequences will be disastrous."

However, Li Qiwei's next sentence directly ignited the whole audience.

"But I thought of a way."

(End of this chapter)