Giving back

Greetings readers!

I have spent the last few posts discussing both introductory quantum mechanics material (the primary focus of this blog), as well as a more recent development in quantum theory and its applications. Quantum mechanics is a notoriously difficult topic. People like to use the words to make something out to be unexplainable or seem revolutionary. While quantum theory has been around for around a century, it is still a sort of buzz word. People hear quantum mechanics and tend to think it's magic, or that it's something only geniuses know.

Scientists as a whole have not done an excellent job in fixing this issue. The commonly implemented  "deficit" model of science communication is certainly prevalent in discussion of quantum mechanics. Sure, there are popular shows on the history channel, such as The Universe, and books such as The Elegant Universe that make certain aspects of quantum theory accessible to the layman. The question is, how many sources are there for the same material taught in a quantum physics class at a university? So far, I have found very little of it out there. The major sources lie on two extremes - the scientists unloading their research on the public, and the physics popularizers taking these ideas and condensing them into a simple idea. On one extreme, you have unintelligible papers filled with equation after equation. On the other, you feel like the information you've received has been so condensed that it is meaningless. Generally I find both of these extremes discuss the difficult concepts, and if you really want to understand the basics, you've got to head back to school and get a degree in physics.

I have found very little published in the middle, and my goal is to provide a source of basic quantum mechanics, and to apply these small steps towards bigger problems so that the next time you hear something about quantum mechanics in the news, in a book, in a movie, or on another blog, you can put it into context and grasp what it's actually saying.

While I have in mind what I would like to accomplish, I would like to take a step back and get feedback. I'm a physicist. I love physics, and applications or no, I find the subject absolutely fascinating. The problem is, this can blind me to what my readers are interested in. In science communication, information must be sent through multiple channels, and in multiple directions. If I am to accomplish my goals, I need engagement and feedback from my readers. I assume you have interest in quantum mechanics, at least on some level or you wouldn't be reading this. My question to you is, what additional content are you interested in? Find an interesting article? Send me a link! Confused about any of my posts? Let me know! Find an error in any of my posts? Rub it in my face!

One other thing. I try to keep up on other blogs, but if you find something similar to what I'm doing, I'd love to connect with other sources. If you're active on another blog, forum or other pipeline for science communication, link to my blog! I'd love to get more viewers and more feedback.

We will return in the next couple days with a post about the famous Schrodinger's equation. The first post will be an introduction, then I will delve into its uses and applications. I first have to go through some simple examples before we build up the know-how to tackle more interesting applications like atoms, molecules, and beyond.