Download Uncertainty Principle

Uncertainty Principle
A natural effect of the Quantum World
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
A shot taken when the
camera is focused at the
grass.
September 27, 2008
A shot taken when the
camera is focused at the
flower.
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
How do we see what we see
in a camera shot !!
The camera gets a
bunch of photons
[particulate light] or
a flash of light
beam, [light in wave
form]
To get a clear image
of a spot this bunch
must be registered
with precision.
September 27, 2008
 I.e. the spread in the
energy of photons must
be narrow.
 The spread of the
energy is the same as
the “error” of the
energy measurement
the camera is capable
of performing, the less
the error the sharper
the image.
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
How do we see what we see
in a camera shot !! ……
 Light travels at a
constant speed and the
small spread of the
energy is same as a
precise frequency of the
light beam.
 This is not independent
of the corresponding
spread in the
wavelength of the light
beam.
September 27, 2008
 The spread or the error
of the wavelength is
large if the
corresponding error in
the frequency/energy is
small.
 For sharper image at a
specific spot the
position of the other
spots is “blurred”.
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
“Sharp” in energy, “blurred” in
location
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
 The image of the flower is blurred as its position along the direction
“vertical to the picture (say Z)” is not known precisely. In-fact it’s a
“stack” of images from different Z-locations. Since the camera has
measured energy precisely it has lost the position to the extent of a
wide Z.
 So far so good. Only the smartest guys would immediately point out
what’s “wrong” with this explanation. Their question would be the
precision of energy would also mean a lack of precision for the Z
position of the grass. Why is it Not blurred.
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
 In-fact this would mean the Uncertainty Principle is not valid
 The answer is “Uncertainty Principle” is still valid. The grass image would have
been blurred except for we have focused our camera to the grass. “So what?,
does that mean focusing has over-ruling power and uncertainty principle is a
joke?” NO. Focusing has provided an independent way of precise knowledge of
the Z position of the grass. The camera has focused to a precise position and
this knowledge is inherent in the information content of the camera. When the
camera reconstructs the images from all the available photons despite of the
error in the wavelength of the bunch coming from the grass we know its
position clearly.
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
A principle of Nature.
 We would even have discovered this effect with our
naked eye, trying to focus to a distant object other
objects have a blurry image. Nonetheless this is not
an easy task with the eye. It doesn’t mean we are
super powerful but rather our eye works like a
camera/detector and our perception of vision is same
as our perception of a image shot by a camera. In the
case of a camera we have better optical and digital
power.
 In any case “Uncertainty Principle” is just there in
Nature, like there is Gravity, or the sensation of
warmth and cold.
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
Merging the QM and the non
QM information ?
 I haven’t done this experiment with a film camera or
even with naked eye. This was done with a latest digital
model and I don’t know its exact mechanism. I haven’t
reviewed to understand how exactly, focusing gives us
inherent precision about position. In any case its clear
that this is independent of the camera’s other
measurement. By focusing in-between the grass and
flower we were going to get a blurry grass as well. Does
it mean a digital camera merges both optical
measurement with its digital or quantum mechanical
measurement and gives us better result?? In that case
can we merge another focusing component to the
“camera” to get a sharper image of the flower as well??
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
Merging the QM and the
non-QM information ?
 If not for commercial
purposes it may have
implications for
measurements in
astronomy !!
 A recently [15th Sept
2008] found “StarPlanet !!” by the
Gemini telescope.
September 27, 2008
Gemini adaptive optics image of 1RSX J160929.1-210524 and its likely
~8 Jupiter-mass companion (within red circle).
This image is a composite of J-, H- and K-band near-infrared images.
All images obtained with the Gemini Altair adaptive
optics system and the Near-Infrared Imager (NIRI) on the
Gemini North telescope. Photo Credit: Gemini Observatory
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
Adaptive Optics System at
Gemini Observatory
 Distortion in Optical
image is corrected by
calibration of the
atmospheric effects.
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech
Infra-red wavelength reveals
more
 Gemini works better at the
infrared wavelength, it
would be easier to study the
energy-wavelength
distributions.
 A sophisticated energywavelength analysis can be
incorporated by introducing
an optical “correction” to
Quantum Mechanical
information.
September 27, 2008
Manmohan Dash, Virginia Tech