Dr Faustus of Modern Physics - Department of Speech, Music and ...

70 CHAPTER 14. MYSTICISM OF MODERN PHYSICS
(and time) with N the number of elementary particles involved (electrons
and atomic kernels).
The formal simplicity of the linearity of Schrödingers equation is thus
combined with a monstrous complexity of dimensions which makes the wave
into monster without physical correspondence, because monsters don’t exist
in reality.
The problem of the physical interpretation of Schrödinger’s wave function
presented itself already for the 2-electron Helium atom with wave function in
6-dimensional space. After a heated debate between Schrödinger on one side
and Bohr-Heisenberg-Born on the other side, it was dictated to the community
of physicists that the wave function should not be considered as a physical
state variable, which was impossible because of the high dimensionality,
but as a probability of particle distribution. Schrödinger heavily objected
supported by Einstein, but had to give in because his own interpretation as
some form ”presence of particles” was vague and not convincing.
Schrödinger and Einstein were thus run over by the Copenhagen Interpretation
of quantum mechanics of Bohr&Co. which took control of modern
physics ultimately based on statistics.
The idea of introducing statistics into physics came from the work of
Boltzmann on thermodynamics followed by Planck on blackbody radiation,
who were the first to make the Faustian deal of selling out deterministic
continuum physics, also under urgent pressure to solve the main physics
problem of their time (late 19th century). This deal did not come easily
because the most holy principel of causality and physicl reality had to be
given up. The fact that Boltzmann and Planck accepted the deal shows that
they were under intense pressure.
To bring in statistics comes along with the severe side-effect of (i) missing
direct physical reality, because a probability is something in the mind
of a probabilist as observer and not in physics without observer, and (ii)
impossibilty of experimental verification of basic assumptions.
To understand why physcists sacrificed the most holy principles of science,
we must understand that there was an urgent need to save physics from a
threatening credibility collapse because of two apparent contradictions had
presented themselves:
• Reversibility paradox of Hamiltonian mechanics,
• ultraviolet catastrophy of blackbody radiation.