Shan Gao
During my childhood, it had been a wonder for me that the twinkling stars strewed in the night sky don't fall to the Earth. I had a strong desire to know the whys and wherefores. Later I found the answer in textbooks. It changed my picture of the universe.
When I was an undergraduate, I began to be entranced by the deep mysteries of the atomic world. I was especially stunned by the fact that the commonsense planetary picture of atoms turns out to be utterly false; the electron in an atom cannot rotate round the atomic nucleus as the Earth rotates round the sun, or else it would soon radiate its energy and fall into the nucleus, and as a result, my body composed of atoms would collapse in a blink. How does the electron move then? It must exist in the atom. It must move in some way there. But more surprisingly, textbooks provided no picture of the motion of the electron. On 22 August 1987, I wrote in my diary: "Is it really true that we have no way to describe the atomic processes as processes happening in space and time?" I could only search for the answer by myself. Then I started on a lonely journey to "trace" the elusive electron at the age of 16.
In order to find how the electron moves in an atom, I went to the Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences to pursue my graduate study. But it was according to expectation that nobody there could give me any tips either. I then spent nearly every day in musing on the seemingly indescribable motion of electrons. If a ball indeed moves in a continuous way, then it seems that an electron or an atom should also move in the same way. The ball is composed of atoms after all. But, on the other hand, if an electron moves continuously in an atom, it will soon fall into the nucleus, while the tragedy does not happen in reality. This is a great dilemma. I found some possible solutions, but they shortly proved to be wrong.
The puzzle had been plaguing me. Day after day, I gradually doubted the reality of continuous motion. But I still felt in my bones that the particles must move in some way. Finally, in the early morning of 12 October 1993, I experienced a sudden enlightenment. At that moment, I felt that my body permeated the whole universe and I was united with it. I "disappeared". A clear picture then appeared: a particle is jumping in a random and discontinuous way. It is not inert but active; it moves purely by its own "free will". Maybe God does play dice in the atomic world. I finally broke loose the tightest shackles of continuous motion with the help of inspiration. After this event, the outcome seems very natural from a logical point of view. If a particle cannot move continuously, it must move in a discontinuous way. How deep-rooted the prejudice of the uniqueness of continuous motion is!
If an atom moves in a random and discontinuous way, then it can easily pass through two slits at the same time. But why does a ball appear to move in a contrary way? Moreover, why on earth does God play dice? These puzzles further haunted me. After graduated from the Institute of Electronics, I decided to be an independent theoretical physicist, or more accurately, a natural philosopher who aims at understanding the mysterious universe. Life was not easy. But I never gave up my research, and I never stop thinking. It had become the theme of my life.
As time went on, the picture of random discontinuous motion became clearer and clearer in my mind. When I took a walk one afternoon in June 2001, I suddenly had another inspiration after long reflection in solitude and meditation. I realized that although there is the cause of the change of motion, which is force, motion itself has no cause, and thus it must be essentially random, i.e., God must play dice. A ball, just like an atom, also jumps in a random and discontinuous way, though these jumps are too tiny to be noticed. This is another new idea. Maybe the path to truth is always devious in order that surprise can hide at the turn waiting for persevering seekers. God also plays dice in our everyday world. He actually plays dice with the whole universe. What a harmonic world!
I simply want to know the answer of a naive question. I simply think on it continually. But the exploration has completely changed my life. It shapes my way through the world and finally leads me to God, the ultimate reality. As Trinity said in The Matrix, "It’s the question that brought you here… The answer is out there, Neo, and it’s looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to." — An Excerpt from God Does Play Dice with the Universe (2008)
Note: During my PhD study in Sydney (2009-2012), I further demonstrated that, based on a strict analysis of protective measurement in quantum mechanics, electrons are (localized) particles, and they move in a discontinuous and random way. See my book “
The Meaning of the Wave Function: In Search of the Ontology of Quantum Mechanics” (CUP, 2017).
Address: 11-10, NO.10 BUILDING, YUETAN XIJIE DONGLI NO.21, XICHENG DISTRICT, BEIJING 100045, China
When I was an undergraduate, I began to be entranced by the deep mysteries of the atomic world. I was especially stunned by the fact that the commonsense planetary picture of atoms turns out to be utterly false; the electron in an atom cannot rotate round the atomic nucleus as the Earth rotates round the sun, or else it would soon radiate its energy and fall into the nucleus, and as a result, my body composed of atoms would collapse in a blink. How does the electron move then? It must exist in the atom. It must move in some way there. But more surprisingly, textbooks provided no picture of the motion of the electron. On 22 August 1987, I wrote in my diary: "Is it really true that we have no way to describe the atomic processes as processes happening in space and time?" I could only search for the answer by myself. Then I started on a lonely journey to "trace" the elusive electron at the age of 16.
In order to find how the electron moves in an atom, I went to the Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences to pursue my graduate study. But it was according to expectation that nobody there could give me any tips either. I then spent nearly every day in musing on the seemingly indescribable motion of electrons. If a ball indeed moves in a continuous way, then it seems that an electron or an atom should also move in the same way. The ball is composed of atoms after all. But, on the other hand, if an electron moves continuously in an atom, it will soon fall into the nucleus, while the tragedy does not happen in reality. This is a great dilemma. I found some possible solutions, but they shortly proved to be wrong.
The puzzle had been plaguing me. Day after day, I gradually doubted the reality of continuous motion. But I still felt in my bones that the particles must move in some way. Finally, in the early morning of 12 October 1993, I experienced a sudden enlightenment. At that moment, I felt that my body permeated the whole universe and I was united with it. I "disappeared". A clear picture then appeared: a particle is jumping in a random and discontinuous way. It is not inert but active; it moves purely by its own "free will". Maybe God does play dice in the atomic world. I finally broke loose the tightest shackles of continuous motion with the help of inspiration. After this event, the outcome seems very natural from a logical point of view. If a particle cannot move continuously, it must move in a discontinuous way. How deep-rooted the prejudice of the uniqueness of continuous motion is!
If an atom moves in a random and discontinuous way, then it can easily pass through two slits at the same time. But why does a ball appear to move in a contrary way? Moreover, why on earth does God play dice? These puzzles further haunted me. After graduated from the Institute of Electronics, I decided to be an independent theoretical physicist, or more accurately, a natural philosopher who aims at understanding the mysterious universe. Life was not easy. But I never gave up my research, and I never stop thinking. It had become the theme of my life.
As time went on, the picture of random discontinuous motion became clearer and clearer in my mind. When I took a walk one afternoon in June 2001, I suddenly had another inspiration after long reflection in solitude and meditation. I realized that although there is the cause of the change of motion, which is force, motion itself has no cause, and thus it must be essentially random, i.e., God must play dice. A ball, just like an atom, also jumps in a random and discontinuous way, though these jumps are too tiny to be noticed. This is another new idea. Maybe the path to truth is always devious in order that surprise can hide at the turn waiting for persevering seekers. God also plays dice in our everyday world. He actually plays dice with the whole universe. What a harmonic world!
I simply want to know the answer of a naive question. I simply think on it continually. But the exploration has completely changed my life. It shapes my way through the world and finally leads me to God, the ultimate reality. As Trinity said in The Matrix, "It’s the question that brought you here… The answer is out there, Neo, and it’s looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to." — An Excerpt from God Does Play Dice with the Universe (2008)
Note: During my PhD study in Sydney (2009-2012), I further demonstrated that, based on a strict analysis of protective measurement in quantum mechanics, electrons are (localized) particles, and they move in a discontinuous and random way. See my book “
The Meaning of the Wave Function: In Search of the Ontology of Quantum Mechanics” (CUP, 2017).
Address: 11-10, NO.10 BUILDING, YUETAN XIJIE DONGLI NO.21, XICHENG DISTRICT, BEIJING 100045, China
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Journal by Shan Gao
Books by Shan Gao
Contributors are Lev Vaidman, Yakir Aharonov, Eliahu Cohen, Gennaro Auletta, Lajos Diósi, Robert Flack, Basil J. Hiley, Peter J. Lewis, Michael Dickson, Mauro Dorato, Frederico Laudisa, Guy Hetzroni, Daniel Rohrlich, Peter Holland, Aurelien Drezet, Maximilian Schlosshauer, Tangereen V. B. Claringbold, Vincent Lam, and Shan Gao.
This book first introduces the existing attempts to answer these questions and then proposes an intriguing new answer, according to which a certain kind of discreteness of space-time may not only explain the invariance of the speed of light, but also explain the origin of gravity. Moreover, the book gives a new derivation of the energy-momentum relation from basic principles, and shows that, contrary to most people’s expectations, Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 is actually a convenient definition on a more fundamental view. Lastly, this book also includes an introduction to special relativity written by Einstein himself, which may be helpful for readers who are not very familiar with the theory.
This book is supplementary to standard textbooks and accessible to undergraduate students in physics, and will be of value to all those with an interest in the meaning of relativity.
Recently, Erik Verlinde, a Dutch theoretical physicist and string theorist, provocatively claimed that gravity is a mere illusion; it is not fundamental but emergent as an entropic force. This intriguing idea created a big stir in the physics community. If it proves to be correct, Verlinde will be beyond Newton and Einstein. Is he right then? This little book will introduce and examine Verlinde’s idea of gravity as an entropic force."
This book will propose a promising solution to the hard problem of consciousness by investigating the possible quantum effects of consciousness. Admittedly, it has been a hot topic of debate whether there is a subtle connection between quantum physics and consciousness. Different from the existing speculations, the analysis of the book is based on the well-accepted assumption that quantum processes such as quantum measurements are objective physical processes, independent of the consciousness of observers. To our great surprise, however, this banal assumption may have profound implications for the nature of consciousness. For it implies that a conscious being can distinguish definite perceptions and their quantum superpositions under certain conditions, while a measuring system without consciousness cannot distinguish such quantum states. The existence of this distinct physical effect of consciousness further implies that consciousness is not emergent but a fundamental feature of the universe. This provides a convincing scientific argument for panpsychism.
The main ideas of this book have been published in professional journals such as Minds and Machines, and will soon be introduced in the Journal of Consciousness Studies. Although the book places priority on the rigor of the scientific arguments, its contents are basically comprehensible to general readers. This little book will appeal to all those who have been looking for a real understanding of the mysterious universe.
The predictions of quantum mechanics agree with the results of the double-slit experiment to astonishing precision. What, then, is the mystery? The mystery lies in understanding the startling and counterintuitive results. What do they imply for the nature of reality? How on earth does a single electron pass through two slits at the same time? Exactly what are electrons? There are already some possible pictures of quantum reality. From pilot wave, Brownian motion to many worlds and dynamical collapse, every theory claims that it gives the true picture. Which one should we believe in? Or none of them is on the right track? Can we find the real picture of the quantum world?
This book will show that, against all expectations, quantum mechanics already gives the answer. Thanks to the important work of Yakir Aharonov et al, it has been known that quantum mechanics can provide a protective method to detect what electrons are and how they pass through two slits. It turns out that microscopic particles such as electrons are indeed particles, but they move in a discontinuous and random way. For instance, in the double-slit experiment with electrons, each electron passes through the two slits at the same time in a discontinuous way. This clear and visualizable picture of quantum reality will make the mysterious quantum world comprehensible to everyone.
This book will introduce an intriguing new idea, according to which the combination of quantum physics and consciousness may permit the existence of faster-than-light communication. The idea touches the very foundation of modern physics and the nature of consciousness, and if true, it will have far-reaching implications on relativity, quantum theory, the science of consciousness, psi research, and certainly, the communication technology itself.
Based on a penetrating analysis of the wave function and its evolution, this book presents a new, comprehensible formulation of quantum mechanics. It turns out that, like classical mechanics, quantum mechanics also deals with the motion of particles in space and time. The difference only lies in that the former describes continuous motion of particles, while the later describes random discontinuous motion of particles. Microscopic particles such as electrons are indeed particles, but they move in a discontinuous and random way. For example, a single electron passes through two slits at the same time in a discontinuous way in the double-slit experiment with electrons.
If you are not wholly satisfied with the quantum mechanics as “explained” by textbooks, and if you still keep your curiosities and want to know what the most fundamental theory really means, then this book is for you. After reading it, you may find quantum mechanics is no longer mysterious. If you can understand classical mechanics, you will be able to understand quantum mechanics too."
Its very existence is at any rate, an excellent illustration of the extent to which physical data force us to depart from commonsense ideas when we try to depict reality "as it really is".
---- Bernard d'Espagnat, theoretical physicist, philosopher of science, Templeton Prize 2009 Laureate, author of Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and On Physics and Philosophy
The idea of using discontinuous motion as a realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is original.
---- Reviewer of Foundations of Physics
If it goes through, this would be an original and significant contribution to the debate over the nature of motion.
---- Reviewer of American Philosophical Quarterly
What is the mystery then? The mystery lies in the explanation of the counterintuitive experiment result. What does it imply for the nature of reality? How on earth does a single electron pass through two slits at the same time? Exactly what is an electron? There are already many possible pictures of quantum reality. From pilot wave and Brownian motion to many worlds and dynamical collapse, every interpretation claims that it gives the right answer. But which one is right? Or none of them is right? Obviously there is only one real picture of quantum reality. Can we find it now?
It has been widely thought that the mystery of quantum mechanics can only be disclosed by future precise experiments. However, this is not the case. This little book will show that a penetrating analysis might already lead us to the way out of the maze of quantum interpretations. In the end, the real picture of quantum reality will naturally appear, and it can also be understood by general readers. To our great surprise, it seems that quantum mechanics already tells the secret. It is that a single electron passes through both slits at the same time in a discontinuous and random way.
Book & Thoughts Reviews:
This is an ambitious work that reflects admirable grip, and distinctive take, on much of the contemporary philosophy of quantum mechanics literature.
---- Reviewer of Philosophy of Science
The idea of using discontinuous motion as a realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is original.
---- Reviewer of Foundations of Physics
Its very existence is at any rate, an excellent illustration of the extent to which physical data force us to depart from commonsense ideas when we try to depict reality "as it really is".
---- Bernard d'Espagnat, theoretical physicist, philosopher of science, Templeton Prize 2009 Laureate, author of Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and On Physics and Philosophy
This book aims at explaining these greatest mysteries in modern science, and in the end, providing a unified scientific picture of the ultimate reality. Unlike many popular science books on these topics, this book places priority on the rigor of the scientific arguments. At the same time, most of its contents are accessible to general readers.
Papers by Shan Gao
Contributors are Lev Vaidman, Yakir Aharonov, Eliahu Cohen, Gennaro Auletta, Lajos Diósi, Robert Flack, Basil J. Hiley, Peter J. Lewis, Michael Dickson, Mauro Dorato, Frederico Laudisa, Guy Hetzroni, Daniel Rohrlich, Peter Holland, Aurelien Drezet, Maximilian Schlosshauer, Tangereen V. B. Claringbold, Vincent Lam, and Shan Gao.
This book first introduces the existing attempts to answer these questions and then proposes an intriguing new answer, according to which a certain kind of discreteness of space-time may not only explain the invariance of the speed of light, but also explain the origin of gravity. Moreover, the book gives a new derivation of the energy-momentum relation from basic principles, and shows that, contrary to most people’s expectations, Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 is actually a convenient definition on a more fundamental view. Lastly, this book also includes an introduction to special relativity written by Einstein himself, which may be helpful for readers who are not very familiar with the theory.
This book is supplementary to standard textbooks and accessible to undergraduate students in physics, and will be of value to all those with an interest in the meaning of relativity.
Recently, Erik Verlinde, a Dutch theoretical physicist and string theorist, provocatively claimed that gravity is a mere illusion; it is not fundamental but emergent as an entropic force. This intriguing idea created a big stir in the physics community. If it proves to be correct, Verlinde will be beyond Newton and Einstein. Is he right then? This little book will introduce and examine Verlinde’s idea of gravity as an entropic force."
This book will propose a promising solution to the hard problem of consciousness by investigating the possible quantum effects of consciousness. Admittedly, it has been a hot topic of debate whether there is a subtle connection between quantum physics and consciousness. Different from the existing speculations, the analysis of the book is based on the well-accepted assumption that quantum processes such as quantum measurements are objective physical processes, independent of the consciousness of observers. To our great surprise, however, this banal assumption may have profound implications for the nature of consciousness. For it implies that a conscious being can distinguish definite perceptions and their quantum superpositions under certain conditions, while a measuring system without consciousness cannot distinguish such quantum states. The existence of this distinct physical effect of consciousness further implies that consciousness is not emergent but a fundamental feature of the universe. This provides a convincing scientific argument for panpsychism.
The main ideas of this book have been published in professional journals such as Minds and Machines, and will soon be introduced in the Journal of Consciousness Studies. Although the book places priority on the rigor of the scientific arguments, its contents are basically comprehensible to general readers. This little book will appeal to all those who have been looking for a real understanding of the mysterious universe.
The predictions of quantum mechanics agree with the results of the double-slit experiment to astonishing precision. What, then, is the mystery? The mystery lies in understanding the startling and counterintuitive results. What do they imply for the nature of reality? How on earth does a single electron pass through two slits at the same time? Exactly what are electrons? There are already some possible pictures of quantum reality. From pilot wave, Brownian motion to many worlds and dynamical collapse, every theory claims that it gives the true picture. Which one should we believe in? Or none of them is on the right track? Can we find the real picture of the quantum world?
This book will show that, against all expectations, quantum mechanics already gives the answer. Thanks to the important work of Yakir Aharonov et al, it has been known that quantum mechanics can provide a protective method to detect what electrons are and how they pass through two slits. It turns out that microscopic particles such as electrons are indeed particles, but they move in a discontinuous and random way. For instance, in the double-slit experiment with electrons, each electron passes through the two slits at the same time in a discontinuous way. This clear and visualizable picture of quantum reality will make the mysterious quantum world comprehensible to everyone.
This book will introduce an intriguing new idea, according to which the combination of quantum physics and consciousness may permit the existence of faster-than-light communication. The idea touches the very foundation of modern physics and the nature of consciousness, and if true, it will have far-reaching implications on relativity, quantum theory, the science of consciousness, psi research, and certainly, the communication technology itself.
Based on a penetrating analysis of the wave function and its evolution, this book presents a new, comprehensible formulation of quantum mechanics. It turns out that, like classical mechanics, quantum mechanics also deals with the motion of particles in space and time. The difference only lies in that the former describes continuous motion of particles, while the later describes random discontinuous motion of particles. Microscopic particles such as electrons are indeed particles, but they move in a discontinuous and random way. For example, a single electron passes through two slits at the same time in a discontinuous way in the double-slit experiment with electrons.
If you are not wholly satisfied with the quantum mechanics as “explained” by textbooks, and if you still keep your curiosities and want to know what the most fundamental theory really means, then this book is for you. After reading it, you may find quantum mechanics is no longer mysterious. If you can understand classical mechanics, you will be able to understand quantum mechanics too."
Its very existence is at any rate, an excellent illustration of the extent to which physical data force us to depart from commonsense ideas when we try to depict reality "as it really is".
---- Bernard d'Espagnat, theoretical physicist, philosopher of science, Templeton Prize 2009 Laureate, author of Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and On Physics and Philosophy
The idea of using discontinuous motion as a realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is original.
---- Reviewer of Foundations of Physics
If it goes through, this would be an original and significant contribution to the debate over the nature of motion.
---- Reviewer of American Philosophical Quarterly
What is the mystery then? The mystery lies in the explanation of the counterintuitive experiment result. What does it imply for the nature of reality? How on earth does a single electron pass through two slits at the same time? Exactly what is an electron? There are already many possible pictures of quantum reality. From pilot wave and Brownian motion to many worlds and dynamical collapse, every interpretation claims that it gives the right answer. But which one is right? Or none of them is right? Obviously there is only one real picture of quantum reality. Can we find it now?
It has been widely thought that the mystery of quantum mechanics can only be disclosed by future precise experiments. However, this is not the case. This little book will show that a penetrating analysis might already lead us to the way out of the maze of quantum interpretations. In the end, the real picture of quantum reality will naturally appear, and it can also be understood by general readers. To our great surprise, it seems that quantum mechanics already tells the secret. It is that a single electron passes through both slits at the same time in a discontinuous and random way.
Book & Thoughts Reviews:
This is an ambitious work that reflects admirable grip, and distinctive take, on much of the contemporary philosophy of quantum mechanics literature.
---- Reviewer of Philosophy of Science
The idea of using discontinuous motion as a realist interpretation of quantum mechanics is original.
---- Reviewer of Foundations of Physics
Its very existence is at any rate, an excellent illustration of the extent to which physical data force us to depart from commonsense ideas when we try to depict reality "as it really is".
---- Bernard d'Espagnat, theoretical physicist, philosopher of science, Templeton Prize 2009 Laureate, author of Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and On Physics and Philosophy
This book aims at explaining these greatest mysteries in modern science, and in the end, providing a unified scientific picture of the ultimate reality. Unlike many popular science books on these topics, this book places priority on the rigor of the scientific arguments. At the same time, most of its contents are accessible to general readers.
Moreover, I argue that the difference between particle ontology and field ontology may result in different predictions under certain reasonable assumption, and it is the former, not the latter, that is consistent with the predictions of quantum mechanics. Finally, I discuss similar pictures of motion of particles suggested by others. It is argued that Bell's Everett (?) theory also implies the picture of random discontinuous motion of particles.
The point is that the component of the underlying physical state or ontic state, which is measureable by protective measurement, is represented by the wave function or quantum state. Thus even if there are other components of the underlying physical state, the wave function is still uniquely determined by the underlying physical state, though the wave function is not a complete representation of the physical state in this case. Thus distinct wave functions cannot be compatible with a single underlying physical state, and a psi-epistemic model, in which the wave function is not uniquely determined by the underlying physical state, will be ruled out. Note that this argument does not require that protective measurement can measure the full underlying physical state.