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Updated: Jun 3, 2025
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Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
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The Two-Spin Enigma: From the Helium Atom to Quantum Ontology
Philippe Grangier1, Alexia Auffèves2, Nayla Farouki3
1Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique Graduate School, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris Saclay, 91127 Palaiseau, France.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 8, 2025
Summary
Classical and quantum physics are interdependent, requiring each other for conception and function. This perspective, supported by empirical evidence, highlights that microscopic system properties are both quantized and contextual, dependent on macroscopic measurement.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Quantum Mechanics
- Classical Mechanics
Background:
- The relationship between classical and quantum physics is often viewed as a dichotomy.
- Niels Bohr and Lev Landau proposed an interdependence between classical and quantum physics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel approach arguing for the inseparability of classical and quantum physics.
- To demonstrate that this interdependence aligns with empirical evidence and physical realism.
Main Methods:
- Historical perspective using the example of the helium atom's two electrons.
- Analysis of experimentally based evidence.
- Gradual transition from classical to quantum descriptions without conflation.
Main Results:
- Physical properties of microscopic systems are quantized.
- Physical properties are contextual, requiring a macroscopic measurement framework.
- Classical and quantum physics are mutually dependent.
Conclusions:
- The interdependence of classical and quantum physics is essential for their conception and function.
- Quantized and contextual properties of microscopic systems necessitate a macroscopic measurement context.
- This view reconciles empirical evidence with physical realism, challenging common assumptions.
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