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"Physicists know how to use quantum theory—your phone and computer give plenty of evidence of that." What?

• lumost 10y ago
  Integrated Circuits and associated lithography based manufacturing techniques rely heavily on quantum mechanics. The transistors and gates wouldn't work if quantum mechanics did not provide an accurate depiction of the physics involved.
  • ekianjo 10y ago
    > lithography based manufacturing techniques rely heavily on quantum mechanics. Are you sure ? > The field of quantum lithography is in its infancy, and although experimental proofs of principal have been carried out using the Hong–Ou–Mandel effect,[3] it is still a long way from commercial application. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_lithography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_lithography
    • kirrent 10y ago
      Conventional lithography also requires an understanding of quantum effects at the scales it's being used at. Not to mention modelling light/mask layer interactions.
    • lumost 10y ago
      The most direct requirement on Quantum Mechanics in existing lithography systems is the lasers used as light sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser#Foundations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser#Foundations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photolithography#Light_sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photolithography#Light_sources
• dreamcompiler 10y ago
  Semiconductors couldn't work without quantum mechanics [0]. Heck, the sun couldn't work without quantum mechanics [1]. [0] https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/112615/why-is-it-said-that-without-quantum-mechanics-we-would-not-have-modern-computers https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/112615/why-is-it... [1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/ethansiegel/2015/06/22/its-the-power-of-quantum-mechanics-that-allow-the-sun-to-shine/#2014a30143f7 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ethansiegel/2015/06/22/its-the-...
  • dreamcompiler 10y ago
    (This does not make your phone a quantum computer. Your phone is an ordinary computer that happens to be enabled by quantum mechanics.)
  • zobzu 10y ago
    This sounds like saying our phone shows a demonstration of E=MC2. Not a great intro / not giving a lot of confidence to the reader when it starts like that. In fact, it'd make Einstein laugh. His late life was devoted to unify the theories and asking quantum physicists to demonstrate the quantum theory in the real world or through though experiments. He'd probably still be upset today. I, for one, am still waiting for the 'unified relative quantum theory' as well.