Chapter 3 Quantum Secrets 1 Quantum Emptiness
Is it consciousness that determines the behavior of microscopic particles,
and even the objective reality of the physical world?
As mentioned earlier, everything that exists is a collection of elementary particles. Elementary particles are the fundamental components of all objects, including humans. To study the visible world that we perceive with our naked eyes, we must delve into the study of elementary particles that are invisible to the eye. Only by understanding the motion and properties of elementary particles can we possibly unravel the secrets of humanity.
The birth of quantum mechanics was to study these elementary particles, to analyze this tiny world that is invisible to our naked eyes.
Taking the human body as an example, the human body is composed of various types of cells, possibly numbering up to 37 trillion. These cells can be further divided into smaller molecules, and within molecules are even smaller atoms, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. The water molecule, H2O, consists of two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O) combined together.
Logically, humans are tangible "solid" beings, and for a long time, scientists also believed that atoms were solid. It wasn't until the early 19th century that the British physicist Rutherford, through the "alpha-particle scattering experiment", discovered that atoms are actually hollow. Further research by scientists revealed that the interior of atoms (see Figure 3.1) is astonishingly empty, with over 99.9999% being empty space.
Figure 3.1: Nucleus and electrons
Let's take the simplest and most common hydrogen atom in the universe as an example.
The radius of a hydrogen atom (H) is approximately 0.037 nanometers (3.7 x 10-9 cm), and its nucleus consists of just one proton, with a radius of about 0.00000084 nanometers (8.4 x 10-14 cm). This means the radius of a hydrogen atom is about 44,000 times that of its nucleus. To put this into perspective, if a hydrogen atom were the size of the large stadium, its nucleus would be equivalent to a tiny ant on the field.
In addition to the nucleus, a hydrogen atom has one electron. Due to the limitations of current observational capabilities, scientists find it challenging to accurately determine the size of an electron. However, they suggest that the radius of an electron is no greater than 10-16cm, making it a nearly volumeless "point particle". The volume of an electron is far smaller than that of the nucleus. If the nucleus were likened to an ant on the field, the electron would be like a speck of dust floating indistinctly above the field. Imagine, within the vast expanse of the large stadium, there exists nothing but a single ant and a speck of dust, illustrating the incredible emptiness of an atom.
Interestingly, the earth we live on is made up of a vast number of atoms. Since atoms are mostly empty space, does this mean that everything is inherently empty? We, as humans, are composed of countless atoms. Could it be that humans are also "empty"?
Buddhism often speaks of the nature of "emptiness". However, this "emptiness" is not the physical vacuum, not a state of non-existence with nothing at all. Instead, it refers to the inherent emptiness of all things, the state of "nothingness" before the origin of things, as described by Laozi in the "Tao Te Ching". Because of this "emptiness", it is possible to create the manifold "existences" in the world. Hence, in Buddhist terminology, "true emptiness gives rise to wondrous existence". Furthermore, the mind inherently possesses the function of "emptiness", and because it is fundamentally empty, it can create the myriad "existences". All things are "created by the mind, manifested by consciousness".
Science has proven that this seemingly empty quantum world is a realm where traditional physical laws do not apply and common sense breaks down. Simplifying the complex, the development of Quantum Theory reveals several fundamental properties: superposition, interference, and entanglement. To facilitate understanding, let's begin with a few classic experiments.
