Is quantum discrete or continuous?

Quantum mechanics is ultimately continuous, not discrete.

Are quantum fields discrete?

While the state space of a single quantum harmonic oscillator contains all the discrete energy states of one oscillating particle, the state space of a quantum field contains the discrete energy levels of an arbitrary number of particles.

Is quantum energy discrete?

A quantum mechanical system or particle that is bound—that is, confined spatially—can only take on certain discrete values of energy, called energy levels. The energy spectrum of a system with such discrete energy levels is said to be quantized.

What exactly is a quantum field?

Quantum fields are the quantum theoretical generalizations of classical fields. The two archetypal classical fields are Maxwell’s electromagnetic field and Einstein’s metric field of gravitation. In a quantum field theory, what we perceive as particles are excitations of the quantum field itself.

What is a quantum field made of?

Instead, what we interpret as “matter” is itself a quantum field. And these quantum fields, themselves, are made up of particles. The electromagnetic field? Made of particles called photons.

What are quantum properties?

The main properties of quantum mechanics are the quantification of energy (quanta), the wave particle duality, the uncertainty principle and the correspondence principle. Connection to Big Idea about energy: Electronic transition in atoms corresponds to a quantized energy.

Do Tachyons exist?

Tachyons have never been found in experiments as real particles traveling through the vacuum, but we predict theoretically that tachyon-like objects exist as faster-than-light ‘quasiparticles’ moving through laser-like media. “We are beginning an experiment at Berkeley to detect tachyon-like quasiparticles.

What is second quantization in physics?

Second quantization arises when dealing with many-particle systems, when the focus is not anymore on the wave nature of the states, but on the number of particles in each state. The discreteness (of particles) is inherent in this approach.

What is quantum quantisation and why does it matter?

Quantisation means that the classical description of a particle having independent position and momentum at any time is replaced by a probabilistic description in which these numerical properties are not fundamental to the description of matter, but are determined in measurement processes. As summarised by Paul Dirac:

What is quantization of a photon?

It is the boundary conditions of that well that give rise to standing waves with a discrete number of nodes —hence the quantization. Photons are wave packets, i.e., localized excitations of the electromagnetic field that happen to be traveling at the speed of light.

What is quantization in spectroscopy?

In practice (first) quantization refers to describing particles as waves, which in principle allows for discrete spectra, when boundary conditions are present. The electromagnetic waves behave in a similar fashion, exhibiting discrete spectra in resonators.