Strong words on Weak Measurements

Even the greatest ships can get it wrong.Recently news made the round that the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle was supposedly violated (apparently BBC online news tries to build on its bad track track record for news related to quantum mechanics).

Of course this is utter and complete nonsense, and the underlying papers are quite mundane. But all caveats get stripped out in the reporting until only the wrong sensational twist remains.

Yes, Heisenberg did at some point speculate that the uncertainty relationship may be due to the measurements disturbing the system that is probed, but this idea has long been relegated to the dust bin of science history, and Robert R. Tucci deservedly demolishes it.

I am now breathlessly awaiting the results of this crack team revisiting the Inquisition’s test for witchcraft by attempted drowning.  I bet they’ll find this doesn’t hold up either. Cutting edge science.

 

 

4 thoughts on “Strong words on Weak Measurements

  1. In mischievous fashion, I continue to think that Quantum Computing is a salve and a distraction from facing up to the very real problems in fundamental physics.

    After all this work, folks can factor the number 15!

    Would it not be more interesting to fix the broken theory called QM?

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