The Quantum World: A Journey to the Center of Reality

Note: You can read the original version of this article from here. This article is translated by Gemini

As technology advances, our journey into the quantum world accelerates. We are gaining a better understanding of the reality that lies beneath the material world we see with our eyes. In an increasingly miniaturized world, Moore’s Law is losing its validity because we are beginning to use the mathematics of nature. In this sense, we are entering the quantum age, where our cosmic understanding is growing.

The world we live in seems real to us, but it also has an unseen side. Our minds believe what we see. For example, the volume of the Sun is 1.3 million times larger than that of the Earth. However, in the early days of astronomy, the Sun appeared smaller than the Earth, so it was accepted as such.

Far below the world we experience, we are subject to the rules of an order that is extremely contrary to our minds. The fact that we cannot see or touch the quantum world does not mean that the subatomic world does not exist. In this sense, seeing the truth is more difficult. We do not see God, but we believe in his existence.

We have a life that swings on a very finely tuned quantum balance. Nature has written its laws with a very elegant mathematical equation. The fact that everything runs in such a finely tuned, interconnected, and respectful order cannot be explained otherwise. As Einstein said, “God does not play dice.

“Let There Be Light”, God Said

Scientists have drawn much inspiration from Plato’s allegory of the cave. In the cave, a group of people sit with their backs to a fire, facing a wall. The shadows cast by the fire on the wall are mistaken for reality by these people. Since they cannot see the fire that illuminates the path to truth, they are trapped in an illusion. To reach the truth, they must train their eyes and minds, for enlightenment occurs only in prepared minds.

Similarly, sacred texts initially refer to words and reading. Humans create concepts in their minds through their perceptions and experience enlightenment. For their minds to draw new meanings from the conclusions they reach, they must be prepared. They need a light to guide them to take action.

Religion is not an obstacle to science. On the contrary, it constantly refers to it. However, people seek the secret of life in the crude meanings of words. The mystery of the cosmos is too vast to fit into a book. For this reason, scientists understand religion better than anyone else because they never stop searching for the truth.

Even in the 17th century, scientists’ reference was religion. For example, Newton was a very religious man. Galileo and Bruno directed their objections against the religious references of their time. Copernicus, on the other hand, was a clergyman who spent his free time studying mathematics, astronomy, and cartography.

In those days, getting a good education and doing science depended on being close to the royalty and the church. In fact, one could not do science without being a member of the Church’s Academy of Sciences. For this reason, religion has shaped the thought world of scientists to a great extent.

The Quantum world: Everything is in motion

From the smallest particles to the vastness of the universe, everything is constantly moving. Even objects that appear still to us are actually made up of tiny particles vibrating at incredible speeds. If we could see the world at a quantum level, it would look like a swarm of tiny particles, always in motion. Just like snowflakes swirling in a blizzard, everything would be a blur of activity.

And it’s not just about tiny particles. Even the planets and stars are in constant motion, creating a cosmic dance. When you touch something, like a warm plate, you’re feeling the effects of these tiny particles moving and vibrating. It’s the energy of motion being transferred to your hand.

Scientists like Galileo and Newton have studied this motion for centuries. Newton even discovered that light itself is made up of tiny particles called photons.

In fact, everything we see is made up of energy, and that energy is essentially light. If we could travel at the speed of light, we would become light. And according to Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc², energy and matter are interchangeable. So, the next time you look around, remember that everything you see is made up of tiny particles in constant motion. It’s a universe full of energy and movement.

What are we made of?

The fundamental structure of nature consists of uncertain, abstract, wavy, and fluid fields. We are also part of these strange, vibrating fluctuations that spread throughout the universe.

Michael Faraday proved that these fields are at the foundation of nature by showing that electric and magnetic fields go hand in hand. He hypothesized that these electromagnetic waves, which occur in a vacuum, are also light. Later, Maxwell managed to show that light has a dual nature. Today, we know that light has both particle and wave function properties.

Light travels in the universe both as a wave and as a particle. Therefore, the dual nature of light is valid for all particles in the universe. Thus, we can say that energy consists of fields trapped in electron particles that encompass the entire universe.

The particles that make up us are not the basic building blocks, but the waves of the underlying field. Thus, the electron that fluctuates in the fields that make up you also fluctuates in my body. Ultimately, the reality that creates us and connects us is the fluid fields that fluctuate in space.

Quantum Fields: The Periodic Table of Nature

In the earliest moments of the Big Bang, particles didn’t exist, but quantum fields did. In the first few minutes of the universe, approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the fireball began to cool. The light emitted as a result gives us a clue about how the universe was formed.

Everything is composed of 4 particles, with quantum fields underlying them. These are the electron, neutrino, down quark, and up quark. These fields interact with each other, increasing the number of fields to 12. We can also call these the new periodic table of nature. These fields continue to fluctuate, interacting with the forces of nature.

Standard Model particles and their interactions. We continue our lives without feeling the interaction of these particles. Kaynak: Wikipedia

Seeing, smelling, laughing, the Earth rotating on its axis, and the expansion of the universe are all the result of the interactions between particles. Everything that causes motion in the universe occurs with the energy carried by the fields that fill the void.

The Quantum World and the Theory of Everything: The Pinnacle of Human Knowledge (For Now)

Science has managed to explain the quantum expressions and fundamental particles of 3 of the 4 known forces in nature. Science has shown that forces other than gravitational force are quantum fields. If it is proven that gravity is also a quantum field, then the theory of everything that has been wondered about since Einstein will have been realized.

Similarly, as we enter the quantum age, it is becoming clear that quantum mechanics will also converge with chemistry, biology, and other sciences. In addition, quantum mechanics may offer a new perspective on consciousness, a subject that science has not been able to solve.

With quantum mechanics, we embark on a journey to the heart of reality. The theory of everything takes us to a singularity that unites not only fields and forces but all sciences and disciplines.

Quantum Physics: A Call to Reality

Particles have a nature contrary to our reality. Their superpositions, entanglement, or tunneling through insurmountable barriers allow a ship not to sink or a rocket to go into space with a thrust force stronger than gravity.

Subatomic particles can do multiple things at once. They can be in multiple places at once. To determine a particle, you need to look at it (measure it). This is called the superposition of a particle. You calculate not where it is, but the probability of where it can be. For example, when you look at a child who cannot stay still, the child stops. You need to look at him to make him stop. This is due to our interconnectedness with fields. The fluctuation in me affects the other person. The electron is the same. You cannot determine its position or speed until you look at it.

Quantum Computers: Harnessing the Mathematics of Nature

The superposition property of particles transports us from the digital world to the quantum world. We are transitioning from a system where everything is 1 or 0 to a quantum world where everything is both 1 and 0. This also allows us to move from digital computers to quantum computers.

Unlike digital computers, quantum computers consist of units of information called qubits and exhibit quantum entanglement. The entanglement of an electron means that it moves simultaneously with its counterpart in another part of the universe.

In a digital computer, the state of a bit does not affect its neighbors. However, in a quantum computer, a qubit loses its individuality due to entanglement and affects all qubits. This is like reading all the books in a library at the same time instead of reading them one by one. For example, the exponential increase in information created in a quantum computer could allow us to solve the mystery of the Big Bang. It could also tell us 10 years in advance that we are at risk of cancer.

When we think about quantum computers, we realize that the artificial intelligence we use now is primitive. After all, artificial intelligence uses a digital number system. The obstacles that artificial intelligence encounters in the digital world can be easily overcome with quantum computers. Thus, tasks that take years can be solved in seconds. The combination of artificial intelligence and quantum computers can lead to the spontaneous solution of seemingly intractable problems.

For quantum computers to be effective, qubits must be isolated from all external influences. To ensure quantum coherence, the particles in the environment must produce minimal noise. In this sense, we can say that the brain of a Buddhist who reaches nirvana by silencing his mind is a quantum computer.

Will the universe cease to be a mystery in the quantum age?

As we become more familiar with quantum life, we can more easily unravel the mysteries of the universe. Neutrinos are a good example for understanding how particles affect our lives. For instance, we can study the core of the sun thanks to neutrinos. Since neutrinos do not interact with matter, they can pass through the Sun. Moreover, they do this at the speed of light. Thus, we can examine the enormous radiation that is formed at the center and cannot be observed optically thanks to neutrinos.

In addition, we can study supernovae thanks to neutrinos. Before a star dies in a supernova, it collapses onto its own core. During this collapse, enormous pressure and energy are created in the core. Only neutrinos can escape from this environment among the particles we know. As a result, we can examine the events taking place in the center through neutrinos.

Another benefit is that it gives us ideas about other life in the universe. The death of stars causes heavy atoms that create life in their centers to be scattered into space. As a result, the death of a star means the beginning of a new life. We can also use neutrinos to study astronomical sources beyond our solar system. The fact that they do not interact with matter allows them to travel undiminished and at the speed of light on their journey.

Quantum Biology: The Delicate Balance in Nature

Quantum fields connect everything in the universe. A vibration that occurs at the other end of the universe reaches us through fields with a butterfly effect. Life on our planet also continues as a result of the interaction between the visible and invisible worlds. For example, migratory birds interact with the Earth’s magnetic field as a result of quantum entanglement. They do this thanks to the quantum particles in their necks and eyes. Thanks to this compass in their bodies, they find their way without getting lost. Including humans, all living things have a solar compass that synchronizes their day and night movements.

In addition, a salmon lays its eggs in the same place every year. They come from distant places in the ocean and gather at the place where the river they nest in empties into the ocean every year. The olfactory neurons in their noses capture the scent molecules of the area where they will lay their eggs. Thus, the salmon begins its journey against the current. Moreover, it makes this dangerous journey despite the bears waiting for it.

The convergence of quantum mechanics and biology also affects the transmission of genetic inheritance to the next generation. DNA replication depends on the stable state of the proton that binds the bases together. Similarly, mutations that drive evolution begin with the bases in DNA adapting to changing environments. This is then preserved and inherited to the next generation.

Quantum mechanics and biology also converge in providing the energy we need for movement. The oxygen we breathe reacts in our body and produces heat. The heat generated activates the mitochondria found in all cells. Thus, we move thanks to the seemingly discordant order of trillions of particles.

In addition, pigments that capture photons from the sun convert them into excitons. Excitons allow atoms to reach the reaction center through different paths by quantum tunneling. Thus, we survive by eating the apples created by photosynthesis and breathing the oxygen produced.

All these processes occur through the intermolecular quantum entanglement and tunneling of particles within fields.

Quantum Chemistry: The Building Block of Life

Chemistry is the building block of life. By combining atoms and molecules, we give them meaning through chemistry. For example, when we combine 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom, we obtain water, the source of life.

All the matter we see around us is formed by the combination of atoms that we cannot see in the universe. While physics strives to reach the smallest, chemistry creates things by combining atoms and molecules.

Chemistry and biology also converge with the aim of creating synthetic life. Creating the simplest form of a cell can be achieved through the joint efforts of both sciences. For example, by regulating the reactions that catalyze enzymes, we can simulate the bacteria that started life on Earth together with quantum biology.

With nanotechnology, we can see the quantum world better. Nobel Prizes are now more often given to studies related to the subatomic world. We can discover how big things are formed with technologies that show the smallest details. The sudden disappearance or creation of something out of nothing is not an illusion, but is due to the counterintuitive nature of quantum mechanics.

The entanglement or superposition of a particle is contrary to the reality we live in. However, things that happen beyond the limits of our understanding in the quantum world create the real life we experience in the macroscopic world.

Can Quantum Mechanics Solve the Hard Problem of Consciousness?

One of the most significant unsolved mysteries in science is consciousness. We are composed of the same atoms as trees, plants, and inanimate objects, yet why do these atoms animate us but not them? How does a human find the energy to speak?

As we walk, we feel the coolness or warmth of the air as the wind touches our skin. The scent of a flower can remind us of a memory from years ago. When we look at a flower, we copy it into our minds and recreate it in our imagination when we want to draw a picture of it.

The movement of wind carrying a scent and our ability to see what we are looking at are caused by particles that form quantum fields carrying energy. For example, the wind touching our skin creates electrification in our skin. The signals formed when the image falls on the receptors in our eyes create concepts in our brains and make us aware.

There are no gaps between our movements. Every conscious action we take creates other effects that we are unaware of. When we stretch, we bring our hand to our mouth, the smell on our finger activates an area in our brain, and we move in a certain direction. There is no moment when we do not change. In this sense, quantum mechanics can open new horizons for us in the greatest mystery, the problem of consciousness.

Thermodynamics: The Meaning of Life

People on the streets move in a disorderly crowd, unaware of each other. However, when you look from a distance, you see an order. Similarly, the trillions of particles in our cells create an order within a great chaos.

The apparent crowd and noise are for the creation of an order. People gather around the gravitational pull of a leader. Among trillions of particles, only 46 chromosomes come together in the cell nucleus and genes are passed on to the next generation. Thanks to the tunneling of one proton with another in the center of the Sun, the light that is our source of life is formed. Only one out of millions of sperm enters the egg and a fetus is formed.

In the universe, nothing touches each other but everything is connected. Atoms exchange particles with each other without touching. Planets balance around each other’s gravitational force without touching each other. Humans communicate without touching each other. Even though we think we do everything consciously, we act according to the purpose of a structure that nature imitates itself and that our minds cannot comprehend.

Conclusion

Technology has ushered us into an era where we can understand things beyond the limits of our comprehension. Perhaps the time has come for the people in Plato’s allegory of the cave to look at the reality behind the wall, at the fire.

The journey that began 2500 years ago has prepared us for the next stage, the quantum age, with the artificial intelligence revolution.

Technology is gradually preparing our brains for a new era.

Our structure is slowly changing and adapting to the new era. We have succeeded in evolution by standing upright and creating technology by using our hands. Now, time will tell what kind of species we will become in the quantum world we have created with our brains.”

Additional Resources:

Jim Al-Khalili & Johnjoe McFadden……..Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology

Christophe Galfard…………………………..The Universe in Your Hand

Lawrence M. Krauss…………………………..The Greatest Story Ever Told