Alice in Quantum land by Robert Gilmore is a wonderful and creative allegory of Quantum Physics. Throughout the story Alice meets a strange cast of characters, each one relating to a quantum function. Through these characters Alice, and the readers, gain a greater understanding of quantum mechanics. The Heisenberg Bank
In chapter two Alice enters the Heisenberg Bank, which is, for the most part, seemingly empty. However Alice soon learns that it is quite the opposite, the bank is packed with anti electrons, which are particles that do not have its rest mass energy, which is the minimal energy needed for a particle to be a free particle and properly exist. These Anti electrons do not have the required energy, that’s why they are at the Heisenberg Bank, it is here where Alice learns about the energy loans.(Robert Gilmore, pg 5) According to the Heisenberg Relation, as explained by the book, the amount of time a particle is able to keep its energy loan depends on the amount of energy it has received. The more energy loaned to a particle, the shorter amount of time the particle is allowed to keep the energy. Key Point 3
While Alice is at the Heisenberg bank, she also learns about the different forms that energy can take.(Robert Gilmore, pg 22) She learns that energy can take the form of kinetic energy, which is the energy any moving object possesses. Another form of energy is potential energy, which is the energy possessed by an object that is standing still. She also learns about Chemical energy, is the potential energy an electron has within an atom. The Bank Manager then explains to her that energy cannot be destroyed, instead it is converted. She, shows Alice a roller coaster, when the carrage moves up, it builds up potential energy, until it reaches the top. When it begins its decent, all the potential energy it accumulated is converted to kinetic energy. The Copenhagen School
Alice makes her way to the Copenhagen school. Here she comes across a classroom with an emperor, a mermaid, the ugly duckling, and the classic mechanic. The emperor states that quantum rules apply to the whole world apart from the minds of people who live in it, the mermaid argues that for every superposition of state, an entire world exists of it. The ugly duckling argues that interference and superposition of states can occur to groups of few particles and therefor can occur to more complicated things like living creatures. Finally the classic mechanic argues that electrons and other particles act in a completely rational fashion.(Robert Gilmore, pg 56-65) Alice’s Many Paths
The different paths that Alice takes are used to represent the many different paths that a particle can take. Each possible path contributes an option for the particles’ behavior and the amplitudes are all present together. The different amplitudes combine together so that they add in some regions and give a high probability of finding the particles in that place. In the other places they may cancel one another out therefore giving a low probability of finding the particles. Alice goes through one door that has a small cobbled square with three narrow alleys leading out of it. There was also a tall dark building with no windows on the lower levels (Gilmore, Page 27). Schrodinger’s Cat
Alice leaves the bank and makes her way to the mechanics institute. There she meets the quantum mechanic and the classic mechanic. While there Alice comes across Schrodinger’s cat. Schrodinger’s cat is used to explain the superposition principle.(Robert Gilmore, pg 45) The superposition principle states that when unobserved, an object is in any possible state. Schrodinger devised a thought experiment to explain this. Imagine a cat locked in a box with a flask filled with poison gas, and a mechanism that would break the flask. should a sample of radioactive material happen to decay. If the material decays, the cat will die. There is no definitive proof that the radioactive material will decay. When unobserved the cat and the material are both in a superposition of states. The cat is both dead and alive, and the material is both intact and decayed. When observed nature is forced to choose one of the two scenarios. Electron Configuration
In chapter one of Alice In Quantumland, Alice befriends an electron and decides to follow it onto a train. When they get on the train, Alice discovers that her friend cannot sit with just any electron. Her electron companion can only sit with electrons with an opposite spin.(Robert Gilmore, pg 5) (Spin ups can only sit with spin downs) This situation is supposed to represent electron configuration. Electron Configuration shows the number of electrons in each sub level of an atom.
When displaying the number atoms withing each sub level, a common method would be to use boxes and arrows. the number of boxed corresponds the different energy sub levels, and the number of arrows depends on the number of electrons within the atom. Within each box there are two arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down. This is why the electron on the train can only sit with one other electron of the opposite spin. This can also be explained with the Hund’s rule, which stated that each sub shell must have one electron within it before any one sub shell can contain two sub shells. Conclusion
Alice, after reading Alice in wonderland, wishes that her life could be interesting like the Alice in “Alice in Wonderland” after this she finds herself shrinking and moving into her TV. She finds that she has been transported to Quantumland. (Robert Gilmore, pg 1-2) Here in Quantumland Alice meats strange and peculiar characters and learns several new lessons about quantum physics.