Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Atomic World Spooky? It Ain't Necessarily So!

Emergent Quantum Mechanics, How the Classical Laws of Nature Can Conspire to Cause Quantum-Like Behaviour

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Theo van Holten

    1. Hilversum, The Netherlands

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • The book is the first formula-free exposé in popular form (intended for both physicists with a general interest, as well as for educated laymen) about the new field of "emergent quantum mechanics"
  • Many figures and diagrams are used for the explanations
  • At the same time it describes new results in this field
  • A new, droplet-like model of electrons yields a replica of quantum mechanics (quantitatively correct), whereas until now the field of emergent quantum mechanics dealt with analogues of the atomic world
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xx
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction and Outline

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 1-76

  3. Strange Behaviour at Quantum Scale: The Full List

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 77-86

  4. The Transition Region as Predicted by Quantum Mechanics

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 87-102

  5. From Rigid Marble to Vibrating Droplet of Charge: Model Assumptions

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 103-109

  6. Determining the Electromagnetic Self Forces

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 111-146

  7. A Brief Excursion to Sub-atomic Scales: The Electron, the Muon and the Tau Particle

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 147-166

  8. Dynamics of the Droplet: A Pictorial Representation of the Equations of Motion

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 167-177

  9. First Glimpses of Quantum Behaviour: Matter Waves

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 179-199

  10. Energy Quantisation in Potential Wells

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 201-216

  11. Still More (Non)Glimpses: The Droplet Is Sometimes Invisible

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 217-229

  12. Schrödinger’s Equation

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 231-250

  13. On Radiation and Radio Silence; Interaction Between Charges and Radiation

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 251-277

  14. On Bohr’s Radiation “Out of Nothing”, and On Photons, the “Particles With a Wavelength”

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 279-303

  15. Summing Up the Successes and the Remaining Mysteries

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 305-336

  16. A Chapter Full of Speculations: Bohr’s Atom, Schrödinger’s Cat, “Spooky” Interactions, and the Double-Slit

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 337-364

  17. Conclusions: The Direction Towards Einstein’s “Hidden Variable”?

    • Theo van Holten
    Pages 365-368

  18. Back Matter

    Pages 369-561
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

The present book takes the discovery that quantum-like behaviour is not solely reserved to atomic particles one step further. If electrons are modelled as vibrating droplets instead of the usually assumed point objects, and if the classical laws of nature are applied, then exactly  the same behaviour  as in quantum  theory is found, quantitatively correct! The world of atoms is strange and quantum mechanics, the theory of this world, is almost magic. Or is it? Tiny droplets of oil bouncing round on a fluid surface can also mimic the world of quantum mechanics. For the layman - for whom the main part of this book is written - this is good news. If the everyday laws of nature can conspire to show up quantum-like phenomena, there is hope to form mental pictures how the atomic world works. 


The book is almost formula-free, and explains everything by using many sketches and diagrams. The mathematical derivations underlying the main text arekept separate in a -peer reviewed - appendix. 
 
The author, a retired professor of Flight Mechanics and Propulsion at the Delft University of Technology, chose to publish his findings in this mixed popular and scientific form, because he found that interested laymen more often than professional physicists feel the need to form visualisations of quantum phenomena.


Authors and Affiliations

  • Hilversum, The Netherlands

    Theo van Holten

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Atomic World Spooky? It Ain't Necessarily So!

  • Book Subtitle: Emergent Quantum Mechanics, How the Classical Laws of Nature Can Conspire to Cause Quantum-Like Behaviour

  • Authors: Theo van Holten

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-234-2

  • Publisher: Atlantis Press Paris

  • eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Atlantis Press and the author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-94-6239-233-5Published: 16 December 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-6239-234-2Published: 09 December 2016

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XX, 561

  • Number of Illustrations: 50 b/w illustrations, 191 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Quantum Physics, Popular Science in Physics, Epistemology

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation