Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The de Broglie Wavelength

The 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...

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

The 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.

The Wave Nature of Light

The 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.

The Uncertainty Principle

The 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...

The Pauli Exclusion Principle

The Pauli Exclusion Principle

The arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom is called its electron configuration. We describe an electron configuration with a symbol that contains three pieces of information:

Quantum Numbers

Quantum Numbers

It is said that the energy of an electron in an atom is quantized; that is, it can be equal only to certain specific values and can jump from one energy level to another but not transition smoothly or stay between these levels.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Local versus Global Time in Early Relativity Theory.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

Same author

Identical Quantum Particles, Entanglement, and Individuality.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2020

Same author

The Gibbs Paradox and Particle Individuality.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2020

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2025

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

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

Published on: May 30, 2014

Emergence and identity of quantum particles.

¹History and Philosophy of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht,The Netherlands.

Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences

|July 30, 2023

Summary

Classical physics views particles as fundamental, but quantum mechanics challenges this. An Alternative View proposes particles emerge with distinct identities, differing from the standard quantum mechanical perspective.

Keywords:

emergence identity quantum particles

More Related Videos

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference

Published on: September 5, 2019

Resonance Fluorescence of an InGaAs Quantum Dot in a Planar Cavity Using Orthogonal Excitation and Detection

Resonance Fluorescence of an InGaAs Quantum Dot in a Planar Cavity Using Orthogonal Excitation and Detection

Published on: October 13, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 20, 2025

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

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

Published on: May 30, 2014

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference

Published on: September 5, 2019

Resonance Fluorescence of an InGaAs Quantum Dot in a Planar Cavity Using Orthogonal Excitation and Detection

Resonance Fluorescence of an InGaAs Quantum Dot in a Planar Cavity Using Orthogonal Excitation and Detection

Published on: October 13, 2017

Area of Science:

Quantum physics
Philosophy of science
Foundations of physics

Background:

Classical physics posits particles as fundamental constituents.
Relativistic quantum field theory (RQFT) challenges the fundamental nature of particles.
Quantum mechanics presents particles as 'entities without identity' in the standard view.

Purpose of the Study:

To challenge the 'Received View' of quantum particles.
To propose and defend an 'Alternative View' (AV) emphasizing particle emergence.
To explore the conditions under which quantum particles gain distinguishable identities.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of particle identity in quantum mechanics.
Comparison of the 'Received View' and the proposed 'Alternative View'.
Examination of physical and logical/conceptual implications.

Main Results:

The 'Received View' assumes particle emergence is complete in quantum mechanics, leading to indistinguishable particles.
The 'Alternative View' (AV) argues particle emergence is not complete in quantum mechanics.
AV posits that under specific conditions, quantum particles emerge as distinguishable individuals with unique identities.

Conclusions:

The standard view of quantum particles as inherently indistinguishable is questioned.
The Alternative View offers a framework where particles can possess distinct physical identities.
Revisiting particle emergence in quantum mechanics is crucial for understanding individuality in physics.