Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Counterfactual Thinking01:19

Counterfactual Thinking

106
Counterfactual thinking is a cognitive process wherein individuals mentally reconstruct alternative versions of past events, often beginning with “what if” or “if only.” This reflective mechanism plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences and guiding future behavior. Though typically triggered by unfavorable or unexpected outcomes, counterfactual thinking can also emerge in mundane, everyday decisions and experiences, revealing its deep entrenchment in...
106
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom02:45

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

55.1K
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.
55.1K
The Uncertainty Principle04:08

The Uncertainty Principle

30.2K
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...
30.2K
The de Broglie Wavelength02:32

The de Broglie Wavelength

32.0K
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...
32.0K
The Bohr Model02:18

The Bohr Model

78.1K
Following the work of Ernest Rutherford and his colleagues in the early twentieth century, the picture of atoms consisting of tiny dense nuclei surrounded by lighter and even tinier electrons continually moving about the nucleus was well established. This picture was called the planetary model since it pictured the atom as a miniature “solar system” with the electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets orbiting the sun. The simplest atom is hydrogen, consisting of a single proton as the...
78.1K
Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle01:23

Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle

1.9K
When an object is in equilibrium, it is either at rest or moving with a constant velocity. There are two types of equilibrium: static and dynamic. Static equilibrium occurs when an object is at rest, while dynamic equilibrium occurs when an object is moving with a constant velocity. In both cases, there must be a balance of forces acting on the object.
To understand the concept of equilibrium, let us first consider the forces acting on an object. When different forces act on an object, they can...
1.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Nonclassicality and Coherent Error Detection via Pseudo-Entropy.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2025
Same author

X-ray phase measurements by time-energy correlated photon pairs.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Discrete-Time Quantum Walk on Multilayer Networks.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2023
Same author

Quantum reality with negative-mass particles.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same author

Experimentally probing anomalous time evolution of a single photon.

PNAS nexus·2023
Same author

Anomalous weak values via a single photon detection.

Light, science & applications·2021
Same journal

Research on a Regional Availability Evaluation Model for Road-Area High-Entropy Energy Based on Synergy Factors.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same journal

Atmospheric Turbulence Channel Modeling and Performance Analysis of a CO-ZP-OFDM Coherent Optical Communication System for UAV Air-to-Ground Scenarios.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same journal

Information Geometry and Asymptotic Theory for SMML Estimators.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same journal

Correlation Entropy and Power-Law Kinetics.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same journal

Research on the Contagion of Systemic Financial Risk Under the Impact of Climate Risks-From the Perspective of Complex Networks and Machine Learning.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same journal

The Statistical-Mechanical Meaning of the Wave Function of Quantum Mechanics.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
09:23

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Published on: May 30, 2014

14.8K

Some Notes on Counterfactuals in Quantum Mechanics.

Avshalom C Elitzur1,2, Eliahu Cohen3

  • 1Institute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 8, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Quantum mechanics (QM) explores counterfactuals—events that didn't happen but have causal effects. This study uses the Two State-Vector Formalism (TSVF) and weak values to explain quantum oblivion, offering new insights into QM foundations.

Keywords:
counterfactualsquantum mechanicsretrocausalitytime-symmetryweak values

More Related Videos

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
06:42

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Published on: June 8, 2018

9.4K
Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

10.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2025

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
09:23

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

Published on: May 30, 2014

14.8K
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
06:42

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Published on: June 8, 2018

9.4K
Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform
05:39

Scalable Quantum Integrated Circuits on Superconducting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Platform

Published on: August 2, 2019

10.0K

Area of Science:

  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Foundations of Physics

Background:

  • Counterfactuals, events that could have occurred but did not, play a unique causal role in quantum mechanics.
  • Quantum oblivion describes scenarios where particles appear to 'forget' interactions, despite observable effects on other particles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To extend the quantum oblivion framework to address additional foundational questions in quantum mechanics.
  • To investigate the role of time-symmetric causality and weak values in explaining quantum counterfactuals.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Two State-Vector Formalism (TSVF), which employs time-symmetric causality.
  • Performed a weak value analysis of the quantum oblivion phenomenon.

Main Results:

  • Weak values offer a realistic and intuitive explanation for the causal role of quantum non-events.
  • The TSVF provides a framework for understanding quantum oblivion and its implications.

Conclusions:

  • The study extends the explanatory power of quantum oblivion by incorporating weak value analysis.
  • Suggests new research directions at the intersection of quantum foundations, counterfactuals, and time-symmetric causality.