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IEEE Spectrum

Wave-mechanical uncertainty and speed limitations

Panos A. Ligomenides

Published Feb 1, 1967• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Modern science is eliminating the old, unrealistic approach to experimental errors. The Heisenberg principle of uncertainty has effected a fundamental change in the scientific attitude toward experimental errors and toward the degree of exactness in stating physical laws. Quantum physics has brought about the realization that a measurement or a mere observation at the quantum level perturbs the observed system in such a way that corrections cannot be made for the ``loading'' effect of the measuring instrument. There is something more basic and fundamental to our limitations in measurements than the lack of perfection in experimental planning and equipment. This article examines the types of uncertainty in measurements or observations. The interest then focuses on the fundamental importance of the relation between experimental uncertainty in measuring, observing, or in any way identifying a physical quantity, and the energy required to accomplish this in a certain allotted interval of time. This last relation has a direct bearing on the speed limitations of measurements.

DOI
10.1109/mspec.1967.5216205

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Modern science is eliminating the old, unrealistic approach to experimental errors. The Heisenberg principle of uncertainty has effected a fundamental change in the scientific attitude toward experimental errors and toward the degree of exactness in stating physical laws. Quantum physics has brought about the realization that a measurement or a mere observation at the quantum level perturbs the observed system in such a way that corrections cannot be made for the ``loading'' effect of the measuring instrument. There is something more basic and fundamental to our limitations in measurements than the lack of perfection in experimental planning and equipment. This article examines the types of uncertainty in measurements or observations. The interest then focuses on the fundamental importance of the relation between experimental uncertainty in measuring, observing, or in any way identifying a physical quantity, and the energy required to accomplish this in a certain allotted interval of time. This last relation has a direct bearing on the speed limitations of measurements.
One of the most fascinating principles in quantum mechanics must be Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which can be briefly stated as follows: every physical observation cannot be precisely determined without some degree of error or uncertainty. And it is by no means can one use the principle within the limit of certainty region, as will be shown in this Letter. Two of the most important pillars in modern physics must be Einstein’s relativity theory and Schr dinger’s contribution to quantum mechanics. Yet, there is a profound connection between these discoveries by means of the uncertainty relationship, in which we shown that the observation of a high-speed object is conceivable if the speed of the observer keeps up with object’s speed.
One of the most widely known building blocks of modern physics is Heisenberg's indeterminacy principle. Among the different statements of this fundamental property of the full quantum mechanical nature of physical reality, the uncertainty relation for energy and time has a special place. Its interpretation and its consequences have inspired continued research efforts for almost a century. In its modern formulation, the uncertainty relation is understood as setting a fundamental bound on how fast any quantum system can evolve. In this topical review we describe important milestones, such as the Mandelstam–Tamm and the Margolus–Levitin bounds on the quantum speed limit, and summarise recent applications in a variety of current research fields—including quantum information theory, quantum computing, and quantum thermodynamics amongst several others. To bring order and to provide an access point into the many different notions and concepts, we have grouped the various approaches into the minimal time approach and the geometric approach, where the former relies on quantum control theory, and the latter arises from measuring the distinguishability of quantum states. Due to the volume of the literature, this topical review can only present a snapshot of the current state-of-the-art and can never be fully comprehensive. Therefore, we highlight but a few works hoping that our selection can serve as a representative starting point for the interested reader.
Abstract One of the most widely known building blocks of modern physics is Heisenberg’s indeterminacy principle. Among the different statements of this fundamental property of the full quantum mechanical nature of physical reality, the uncertainty relation for energy and time has a special place. Its interpretation and its consequences have inspired continued research efforts for almost a century. In its modern formulation, the uncertainty relation is understood as setting a fundamental bound on how fast any quantum system can evolve. In this topical review we describe important milestones, such as the Mandelstam–Tamm and the Margolus–Levitin bounds on the quantum speed limit , and summarise recent applications in a variety of current research fields—including quantum information theory, quantum computing, and quantum thermodynamics amongst several others. To bring order and to provide an access point into the many different notions and concepts, we have grouped the various approaches into the minimal time approach and the geometric approach , where the former relies on quantum control theory, and the latter arises from measuring the distinguishability of quantum states. Due to the volume of the literature, this topical review can only present a snapshot of the current state-of-the-art and can never be fully comprehensive. Therefore, we highlight but a few works hoping that our selection can serve as a representative starting point for the interested reader.
The more scientists learned about the atom, the less categorical became the questions they put to nature. The uncertainty relation is a strict law of nature, which is in no way related to some imperfections of our devices. The uncertainty relation is directly opposed to intuition and everyday experience. Heisenberg explained the matter by discarding still another idealization of classical physics — the concept of observation. It turned out that in quantum mechanics it had to be revised, along with the concept of motion. The concepts of “phenomenon”, “measurement”, and “observation” are closely related to one another but they are by no means identical. Any measurement is essentially interaction between the instrument and the object to be studied. The principle that Bohr named complementarity is one of the most fundamental philosophical and scientific ideas of our time, which can only be compared to the principle of relativity and the concept of a physical field.
The uncertainty principle, formulated by Heisenberg in 1927, is a fundamental principle in quantum mechanics. It forces us to review key concepts of classical physics, and from this analysis are born the concepts of quantum physics. Consequences of the Uncertainty principle also introduces the concept of incompatible sizes, a completely new concept compared to classical physics. A state of the system, which we call a quantum state, will be determined from the knowledge of a set maximum of certain quantities that are independent and compatible with each other. A measurable physical quantity is called an observable. If at a given moment a measurement is performed by one or more compatible observables it is said they are performing an observation of the system. The basic principles of quantum mechanics are expressed by a number of postulates. Their numbers and can vary from one text to another.
Heisenberg's Principle of Uncertainty may defy our intuition as we see no obvious reason why we can not exactly measure the momentary position and speed of an object like a racing car. If any difficulty exists to determine both exactly, we may attribute this difficulty to our own inability to measure both exactly. An example may be the Hubble Constant H0, which relates the recession speed v of cosmic objects, such as galaxies, to their distance x from us by Hubble's Law v=H0*x. In this case, the speed of v can be easily determined fairly exactly, but not of x. Heisenberg's Principle states that such inability is a fundamental law of Physics, not of our own inability to measure.Although this law may not very well concur with our intuition, it is possible to illustrate and even simulate it with a simple geometrical model. This paper presents such a model and explains its geometrical, dynamic and mathematical properties as those stated by Heisenberg's Principle of Uncertainty. It also shows that its physical reality is observable in some every day processes.It is the sole purpose of this model to illustrate Heisenberg's Principle of Uncertainty. It should enhance the understanding of this principle.