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Heisenberg and Uncertainty

The document discusses Werner Heisenberg and his uncertainty principle. It explains that Heisenberg realized that when measuring properties of particles, the act of measurement unavoidably disturbs the system. Specifically, the more precisely one measures a particle's position, the less precisely one can know its momentum, and vice versa. This is due to the wave-particle duality of quantum objects. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle established fundamental limits on what can be known about a quantum system and changed our understanding of reality at the atomic scale.

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69 views19 pages

Heisenberg and Uncertainty

The document discusses Werner Heisenberg and his uncertainty principle. It explains that Heisenberg realized that when measuring properties of particles, the act of measurement unavoidably disturbs the system. Specifically, the more precisely one measures a particle's position, the less precisely one can know its momentum, and vice versa. This is due to the wave-particle duality of quantum objects. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle established fundamental limits on what can be known about a quantum system and changed our understanding of reality at the atomic scale.

Uploaded by

samknight2009
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 13: Heisenberg and Uncertainty

Determinism of Classical Mechanics


Suppose the positions and speeds of all particles in the universe are measured to sufficient accuracy at a particular instant in time It is possible to predict the motions of every particle at any time in the future (or in the past for that matter)
An intelligent being knowing, at a given instant of time, all forces acting in nature, as well as the momentary positions of all things of which the universe consists, would be able to comprehend the motions of the largest bodies of the world and those of the smallest atoms in one single formula, provided it were sufficiently powerful to subject all the data to analysis; to it, nothing would be uncertain, both future and past would be present before its eyes. Pierre Simon Laplace

Role of an Observer
The observer is objective and passive Physical events happen independently of whether there is an observer or not This is known as objective reality

cannot predict where electron would land

Double-Slit Experiment:

act of observation affects behaviour of electron

Double-Slit Experiment:

Role of an Observer in Quantum Mechanics


The observer is not objective and passive The act of observation changes the physical system irrevocably This is known as subjective reality

Heisenberg realised that ...


In the world of very small particles, one cannot measure any property of a particle without interacting with it in some way This introduces an unavoidable uncertainty into the result One can never measure all the properties exactly

Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976)

Measuring the position and momentum of an electron


Shine light on electron and detect reflected light using a microscope Minimum uncertainty in position is given by the wavelength of the light So to determine the position accurately, it is necessary to use light with a short wavelength

Measuring the position and momentum of an electron (contd)


By Plancks law E = hc/l, a photon with a short wavelength has a large energy Thus, it would impart a large kick to the electron But to determine its momentum accurately, electron must only be given a small kick

This means using light of long wavelength!

Fundamental Trade Off


Use light with short wavelength:
accurate measurement of position but not momentum

Use light with long wavelength:


accurate measurement of momentum but not position

Heisenbergs Uncertainty Principle

The more accurately you know the position (i.e., the smaller Dx is) , the less accurately you know the momentum (i.e., the larger Dp is); and vice versa

applet

Implications
It is impossible to know both the position and momentum exactly, i.e., Dx=0 and Dp=0 These uncertainties are inherent in the physical world and have nothing to do with the skill of the observer Because h is so small, these uncertainties are not observable in normal everyday situations

Example of Baseball
A pitcher throws a 0.1-kg baseball at 40 m/s So momentum is 0.1 x 40 = 4 kg m/s

Suppose the momentum is measured to an accuracy of 1 percent , i.e.,


Dp = 0.01 p = 4 x 10-2 kg m/s

Example of Baseball (contd)


The uncertainty in position is then

No wonder one does not observe the effects of the uncertainty principle in everyday life!

Example of Electron
Same situation, but baseball replaced by an electron which has mass 9.11 x 10-31 kg So momentum = 3.6 x 10-29 kg m/s and its uncertainty = 3.6 x 10-31 kg m/s The uncertainty in position is then

If Plancks constant were much larger...

Another Consequence of Heisenbergs Uncertainty Principle


A quantum particle can never be in a state of rest, as this would mean we know both its position and momentum precisely Thus, the carriage will be jiggling around the bottom of the valley forever

Heisenbergs Uncertainty Principle involving energy and time

The more accurately we know the energy of a body, the less accurately we know how long it possessed that energy The energy can be known with perfect precision (DE = 0), only if the measurement is made over an infinite period of time (Dt = )

Summary: Lessons from Heisenberg


The idea of a perfectly predictable universe cannot be true There is no such thing as an ideal, objective observer

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