Erwin Schrödinger: The Father of the real Quantum Mechanics

1. Erwin Schrödinger:The Father of the real Quantum Mechanics “Especially in physics and mathematics, Schrödinger had a gift for understanding that allowed him, without any homework, immediately and directly to comprehend all the material during the class hours and to apply it. After the lecture…it was possible for [our professor] to call Schrödinger immediately to the blackboard and to set him problems, which he solved with playful facility.”

2. Erwin Schrödinger:Early Life as a Young Physicist • Erwin Schrödinger was born in Vienna, Austria on August 12, 1887. • He was born of botanist, Rudolf Schrödinger and mother, Georgine Bauer Schrödinger. • Erwin was home schooled until 1898 when he began to attend “das Akademische Gymnasium” in Vienna.

3. Schrödinger’s (Brief) School Life • During his years in das Gymnasium, Schrödinger acquired a strong passion for science, mathematics, generative linguistics, and German poetry. • Although his mind was set in the complex realms of science, Schrödinger excelled in all of his classes.

4. The Viennese (Vienna) University • In 1906, Schrödinger completed his enrollment testing in das Gymnasium. • That same year, he began to attend the Vienna University. Here, he mainly focused on studying theoretical physics, studying under Friedrich Hasenörhl.

5. Schrödinger’s Doctoral Life • In 1910, Schrödinger compiled information for his doctorate thesis, “On the Conduction of Electricity on the Surface of Insulators in Moist Air.” This essay was not highly recognized, nor significant. Nevertheless, Schrödinger still received his doctorate under the approval of the university’s committee. • “On the Conduction of Electricity on the Surface of Insulators in Moist Air” • This essay was known as Schrödinger’s doctorate thesis. It mainly discussed the interactions between electroscope error and humidity. Basically, Schrödinger sought to find out whether air “precipitation “ could negatively affect the outcome readings on electroscopes.

6. Military and Experimental Works • Immediately after Schrödinger received his doctorate in physics, he fulfilled his voluntary military service to Austria. • When he returned in 1911, he studied as an intern in experimental physics at the Viennese University. • Although Schrödinger hated experimental physics, he still found ways to apply his knowledge of theoretical physics, and therefore, he valued the experience.

7. World War I • By the time Schrödinger received his advanced doctorate degree, World War I began. Schrödinger was called to duty on the Italian border. • While fighting, Schrödinger learned about Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. • In 1917, Schrödinger was permitted to return to Vienna, where he began applications in theoretical science.

8. Harsh Economic Times in Austria • After World War I, Austria’s economy collapsed. This forced Schrödinger to move to Germany. • In 1920, Schrödinger found a job at the German university of Jena. Soon after, Schrödinger worked at Breslau university. Finally, he settled at the Swiss university of Zürich.

9. The Contributions of Schrödinger Begin • Shortly after arriving in Zürich, CH, Schrödinger was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was soon told to spend “recovery time” in Arosa, CH. • While in Arosa, Schrödinger constructed his most important paper… • “On a Remarkable Property of the Quantized Orbits of an Electron.” • This paper is considered to be one of Schrödinger’s most important papers. It basically discusses the patterns of theoretical electron shells contained in an atom.

10. The Quantum World • In 1924, Schrödinger began studying earlier models of the atom. In the same year, he took up quantum statistics. • In 1925, Schrödinger began to familiarize himself to the works of de Broglie. • As he did this, he wrote a series of letters to Albert Einstein concerning de Broglie’s work. • Schrödinger’s letters to Einstein included: • “A few days ago I read with great interest the ingenious thesis of Louis de Broglie, which I finally got hold of…” • and • “I have been intensely concerned these days with Louis de Broglie’s ingenious theory. It is extraordinarily exciting, but still has some very grave difficulties.”

11. Schrödinger Defines Conventional Quantum Mechanics (in "QuantisierungalsEigenwertproblem“) • After Schrödinger became familiar with de Broglie’s work, he began creating his own model. He thought about the electron as a “theoretical packet of waves” around the atom itself. • From here, Schrödinger separated the wave and the particle as two different entities (defying atomic physics). Then, he created an equation that satisfied the movement of electrons (a packet of waves, not a particle) in an atom.

12. The Schrödinger Equations The Schrödinger equation Time independent [or stationary] equation General quantum system Schrödinger equation for one spatial dimension Single particle [in a potential]

13. More Equations! 3-D Schrödinger Equation 1-D Schrödinger Equation For a free particle the time dependent equation

14. Anyway… Planck’s Constant: • The previous equations followed Schrödinger’s theories surrounding the behavior of an electron. Reduced Planck’s Constant (h-bar) Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: Uncertainty Principle of Energy: The Hamiltonian Operator Partial Derivative of Unit Vectors {x,y,z} ψ i= Wave Function

15. BASICALLY • The Schrödinger equations explain how a wave function (psi) can describe the change in energies and locations of an electron throughout time. • Schrödinger added to Heisenberg’s theory of uncertainty: if one can predict the velocity of an electron, it’s position cannot be said (and, hence, vice-versa). • In 1926, Schrödinger published his “set” of equations. His equations were the second set of equations, ever, to describe the behavior of an electron. • Heisenberg vs. Schrödinger: • Overall, Schrödinger’s theories were preferred over Heisenberg principles (haha). Nevertheless, Heisenberg’s analysis of the electron was strictly mathematical, and was therefore extremely difficult to follow.

16. In Conclusion… • An Explanation Behind Schrödinger: • Schrödinger sought to find the approximate location of an electron surrounding an atom; this required a deep analysis of theoretical physics, atomic physics, quantum mechanics, along with the works of Heisenberg, de Broglie, Einstein, Planck and Bohr. • Summary: • The previous atomic models founded by Niels Bohr gave problems for many atomic physicists: Bohr’s model only explained the behavior of an electron in one spatial dimension using only one quantum number to describe the size of an electron’s orbit. • Schrödinger found equations that satisfied all 3 dimensions; these equations required 3 spatial coordinates (principal (n), angular (l), and magnetic (m) quantum numbers) and therefore, 3 quantum numbers.

17. Forward… • The conflict between Schrödinger and Heisenberg continued. This, therefore, caused disagreement in the science world. • Later on, it turned out that the Heisenberg and Schrödinger theories were exactly the same, just shown differently. vs.

18. Schrödinger Moves to Berlin • In 1927, Schrödinger was given the option to either stay to teach in Zürich, or to move to Berlin to fill the spot of Max Planck at the University of Berlin. • After a long summary of his accomplishments, and some opposition in Zürich, he finally decided to become the professor of Theoretical Physics in Berlin. • While he taught at the University, he found himself to be working with Albert Einstein!

19. Prestige and the Nazis • While Schrödinger taught at Berlin, he gained national attention. At the young age of 42, Schrödinger was granted permission into the prestigious Berlin Academy of Science. • When the Nazis took hold of Germany, many scientists (including Einstein) were forced to leave Germany, at will. Although the Nazis had no problems with Schrödinger, Schrödinger had many problems with the Nazis. • He eventually left Germany in 1933 and headed to Oxford University in England, where, after some difficulty, taught physics. In 1933, Schrödinger won the Nobel Prize for Physics and shared in with Paul Dirac.

20. 1935: Schrödinger’s CatThe Most Renowned Paradoxin History • The paradox is as follows: • Schrödinger places a cat in a box. Attached to the box containing the cat is a device that holds a radioactive element, and a detection apparatus (signaling the decay of the element, much like a smoke detector). • Attached to the detection apparatus is a hammer (in the box), and under the hammer, is a vile of cyanic acid (HCN).

21. Schrödinger’s Cat • Reality 1: • The element decays, and is detected. The detection apparatus triggers a mechanism that makes the hammer smash onto the vile of cyanic acid. The cat dies, and the observer opens the box to reveal that the cat is 100% dead. • Reality 2: • The element does not decay, and is therefore, not detected. The hammer does not drop, the cyanic acid is never exposed. The cat does not die, and the observer opens the box to reveal that the cat is 100% alive.

22. Why, Erwin? • Although this experiment sounds “childish,” especially in the Quantum World, it actually provides a lot of evidence for the feasibility of Schrödinger’s equations. • Firstly, Schrödinger applies the Uncertainty Principle to the macro-world, by setting up a basic quantum system. The collision of the probabilities that the cat is dead and alive at the same time follows the principle behavior (location) of an electron. [the cat]"at the end of [one half-life] the total wave function for the system will have a form in which the living cat and dead cat are mixed in equal portions." ~B.S. DeWitt

23. So what? Why is this ‘Quantum?’ • Although this experiment could be explained as a “simple probability problem,” the problem is indeed of quantum mechanics. Because quantum physics treats everything as a wave function while suspended in a quantum ‘set-up,’ the simple experiment is of a complex quantum science. For example, when the cat’s box is opened, the wave function is destroyed, quantum realities are lost, and the real person knows the true fate of the cat.

24. Schrödinger Goes Back to Austria • In 1935, Schrödinger decided to leave England to go and teach in Graz, Austria. There, he was given an honorary professorship in Graz and Vienna. • In 1938, Schrödinger decided that he wanted to teach in Vienna again. The Nazis, on the other hand, wanted no part of it. They were insulted that Schrödinger left Germany in 1933. • In 1938, Schrödinger was forced to publish a “confession,” under the force of the Nazis. He was to either do this or leave Austria, his beloved homeland. Schrödinger wrote the forced confession: “In the midst of the exultant joy which is pervading our country, there also stand today those who indeed partake fully of this joy but not without deep shame because until the end they had not understood the right course….”

25. “I wanted to remain free—and could not do so without great duplicity.” • This quote was written in a letter from Schrödinger to Einstein. • Schrödinger’s confession was published, though everybody believed that Schrödinger was under pressure; he did not write this at his will. • The Nazis voided Schrödinger’s confession, fired him from the University of Graz, stripped him of his honorary professorship in Vienna, and told him that he could not leave Austria.

26. Schrödinger Hurries for Italy • Only a few days after this horrible news, Schrödinger saw the danger of living in Austria. He rushed to Italy, and was greeted by Enrico Fermi. • While in Rome, Italy, Schrödinger wrote to the Irish statesman, Eamon de Valera, who he met in Geneva. In Geneva, Schrödinger was offered to teach in Dublin.

27. From Italy, to England, to Belgium, back to England, to Ireland. • When Schrödinger met with de Valera, he told Schrödinger that he should leave Italy as soon as he could. • When he left Italy, he visited Oxford and received clearance to teach at the Ghent University in Belgium. • In Ghent, Schrödinger compiled a thesis paper on the “Ever Expanding Universe.” • Schrödinger quickly moved back to Oxford, taught a bit there, and by the end of the year 1939, Schrödinger taught at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. He stayed here until he retired in 1956.

28. The Irish Schrödinger • While in Dublin, Schrödinger moved quickly to get as much work done as he could. In 1947, he theorized a unified field theory, that of which was made amok of later, because of lack of a critical analysis. Schrödinger was devastated.

29. Schrödinger: The Philosopher • After Schrödinger’s mistake, he decided to turn to philosophy. He used the human mind, Greek philosophy and his little knowledge of biology to transfer people from one dimension of reality to another: • “In calling the structure of the chromosome fibers a code-script we mean that the all-penetrating mind, once conceived by Laplace, to which every causal connection lay immediately open, could tell from their structure whether the egg would develop, under suitable conditions, into a black cock or into a speckled hen, into a fly or a maize plant, a rhododendron, a beetle, a mouse or a woman”. • He also observed that “with the molecular picture of the gene it is no longer inconceivable that the miniature should precisely correspond with a highly complicated and specified plan of development.”

30. Schrödinger: The Philosopher ! • Surprisingly, Schrödinger was an outstanding philosopher. He was passionate, logical and reasonable. • In 1955, Schrödinger returned to Vienna. Here, he was treated like a superstar.

31. The End • When Schrödinger was offered a position in Austria again, he retired from the Dublin Institute in 1956. He stayed at the Viennese University until his death on January 4, 1961.

32. We Remember Schrödinger For… • Today, nearly everybody remembers Schrödinger for his “Cat in the Box” paradox. • We also remember him, mainly, for his model of the atom. Schrödinger took the Bohr-ing atomic model, and made it 3 dimensional (with much research and difficulty, of course). He saw the electrons as wave particles, trapped in a 3 dimensional complex of “clouds.”

33. We Remember… Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger August 12, 1887 to January 4, 1961

34. Works Cited • “Erwin Schrödinger.” Erwin Schrödinger. Purdue Education, n.d. Web. 27 October 2010. • Harrison, David M. “Schrödinger’s Cat.” Schrödinger’s Cat. University of Toronto, 15 March 2007. Web. 27 October 2010. • Mahanti, Subodh. “Erwin Schrödinger: The Founder of Quantum Wave Mechanics.” Erwin Schrödinger.VigyanPrasar, n.d. Web. 27 October 2010. • Messiah, Albert. Quantum Mechanics. New York: Interscience Publishers, 1961-1962. Print. • “Planck’s Constant.” Quantum Physics. University of Oregon, n.d. Web. 27 October 2010.