Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
09:23
Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
One hundred years of quantum physics.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 11, 2007
Summary
This year celebrates 100 years of the quantum concept, a revolutionary idea that evolved into quantum theory. This theory transformed scientific understanding of reality and continues to evolve.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Quantum Mechanics
Background:
- Max Planck introduced the quantum concept 100 years ago.
- It took 30 years to develop into quantum theory.
- Quantum theory is the most precisely tested and successful scientific theory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To recount the origin and development of quantum theory.
- To discuss its impact on scientific understanding of reality.
- To explore its future evolution for universal understanding.
Main Methods:
- Historical review of quantum theory's development.
- Analysis of its scientific impact and future potential.
Main Results:
- Quantum theory originated from Max Planck's concept 100 years ago.
- It has fundamentally changed the scientific view of reality.
- It remains a highly successful and precisely tested theory.
Conclusions:
- Quantum theory's evolution is ongoing.
- It holds promise for achieving ultimate understanding of the universe.
Related Concept Videos
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra. Schrödinger...
02:39Emission Spectra
When solids, liquids, or condensed gases are heated sufficiently, they radiate some of the excess energy as light. Photons produced in this manner have a range of energies, and thereby produce a continuous spectrum in which an unbroken series of wavelengths is present.
01:17The Scope of Physics
Physics is concerned with the interactions of energy, matter, space, and time, in order to discover the underlying mechanisms that underpin all phenomena. The word "physics" comes from the Greek word "phúsis", which means nature. Physics seeks to comprehend the natural world around us at its most fundamental level. It emphasizes the use of quantitative laws to do this, which could be valuable in other fields that want to push the performance boundaries of present technologies.
Physics knowledge...
Physics knowledge...
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
04:08The Uncertainty Principle
Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He mathematically...
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.