THE TRUE IDENTITY OF THE QUANTUM

Kay Strang
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  • PHYSICS

A provocative analysis of the history of quantum mechanics in six short podcasts.  Six more podcasts will be released in November 2025 on ontology or what is real as opposed to what is mathematically expedient following the insights of the physicist-philosophers such as Faraday, Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, J. J. Thomson, Eddington, Schrödinger and others.

Episodes

  1. The Return of the Ether Part 3 Dynamics and the Continuum

    12/02/2025

    The Return of the Ether Part 3 Dynamics and the Continuum

    The chances of arriving at a unified field theory increase if duality is removed and all phenomena is considered as variations of motion in one single continuum. What the continuum is, is an open question: a void, ether, a superfluid, plasma or something else? On the website is a more detailed essay, a note on  Leibniz's incredibly logical explanation of why anything exists at all, a booklist and a paper by Maxwell 'Action at a Distance' and Einstein's 1905 paper on 'Special and General Relativity'.  Support the show www.quantumid.science

    10 min
  2. The Return of the Ether Part 2 The Space Theory of Matter and the Vortex Atom

    12/02/2025

    The Return of the Ether Part 2 The Space Theory of Matter and the Vortex Atom

    Examines the merits of a theory that could replace the current particle theory of matter. On the website is a more detailed essay, a note on  Non-Euclidean Geometry and Infinity, a booklist and a paper by W. K. Clifford 'The Space Theory of Matter'.  Support the show www.quantumid.science

    12 min
  3. The Return of the Ether Part 1 Fields

    12/02/2025

    The Return of the Ether Part 1 Fields

    Identifying the anomalies in the gravitational, electrostatic and quantum fields. Demonstrating that given the contradictions in each of them any attempt to unify them is a fruitless exercise.  On the website is a more detailed essay, a note on  Renormalisation, a booklist and a 1920 paper by Einstein on 'Ether and Relativity'.  Support the show www.quantumid.science

    10 min
  4. Particle Menace Part 3 Farewell to Primitive Concepts

    12/02/2025

    Particle Menace Part 3 Farewell to Primitive Concepts

    Discovering how concepts such as energy, mass, space, force and charge can be replaced by frequency, density and motion . On the website is a more detailed essay, a note on gravitational and inertial mass including interpretations of Newton's bucket of water experiment and some of the qualities of gyroscopes;  a booklist and a transcription of Xmas lectures at the Royal Institution 1974 (which were banned for a time) by Eric Laithwaite .  Support the show www.quantumid.science

    11 min
  5. The Particle Menace Part 2 The Wave Model of the Atom

    12/02/2025

    The Particle Menace Part 2 The Wave Model of the Atom

    Schrodinger's wave model of the atom is described and how he chose to interpret it by looking for analogies in light and fluid mechanics. His realism was rejected and one of the main criticisms was that the wave model could not provide the permanence and stability required of the atom. This criticism is dealt with in the fifth podcast in this second series, on 'The Space Theory of Matter and the Vortex Atom'. On the website there is a more detailed essay, a note on Dirac and the QFT, a booklist and  papers by C.G. Darwin 'The Electron as a Vector Wave' and Maxwell's 'Analogies in Nature'.  Support the show www.quantumid.science

    8 min
  6. The Particle Menace Part 1 The Solar System Model of the Atom

    12/02/2025

    The Particle Menace Part 1 The Solar System Model of the Atom

    The Bohr-Sommerfeld model of the atom is described including the four quantum numbers used to identify electrons and explain the Zeeman effects and Pauli's exclusion principle. While this particle model is serviceable it is ontologically flawed. There is a pdf on the website with images and tables which may be helpful in following the podcast, plus a more detailed essay, a note on the Stern-Gerlach experiment, a booklist and a paper by Leibniz, 'Primary Truths'.  Support the show www.quantumid.science

    10 min
  7. Magic Particles

    08/18/2025

    Magic Particles

    Einstein’s criticism of the Copenhagen interpretation, detailed in a 1935 paper he co-authored with Podolsky and Rosen and commonly referred to as the EPR paper included a thought experiment which involved the position and momentum of two particles and how these quantities could be determined. His thought experiment morphed into one involving 'spin' and a theory of entangled particles that could communicate faster than the speed of light, and this along with experiments conducted with  photons and orientation, were used to support the idea of 'spooky action at a distance' which Einstein repudiated and which can be shown to be unfounded. Support the show www.quantumid.science

    8 min
  8. The Quantum Cat meets the Quantum Computer

    08/18/2025

    The Quantum Cat meets the Quantum Computer

    Schrödinger's intention was that his cat analogy serve as a criticism of the notion of a particle being in a superposition of states. Once again the supporters of the Copenhagen interpretation hi-jacked the criticism and used it to support the notion. The theory underlying quantum computers is this unsound notion. Superposition is a quality unique to waves, for example  several vibrations overlapping each other and causing an interference pattern. So it is not surprising that after several decades quantum cats and quantum computers remain chimeras. Support the show www.quantumid.science

    10 min
  9. Atomic Circus: Jumps and Spins

    08/11/2025

    Atomic Circus: Jumps and Spins

    Atomic spectra was used to support the idea that electrons can jump between energy levels or ‘stationary states’ in the atom. Schrödinger rejected this and thought a more natural explanation was to view the electron as a standing wave changing frequencies. The notion of the ‘spin’ of an electron was an example of mathematical expediency at work, rather than anything physically real. Support the show www.quantumid.science

    9 min
  10. Heisenberg, the Salieri of Physics

    08/11/2025

    Heisenberg, the Salieri of Physics

    Heisenberg and Schrödinger had competing theories about the atomic model: Heisenberg took a discontinuous particle approach and his rival Schrödinger, a continuous wave approach. Heisenberg prevailed by hi-jacking Schrödinger's wave equation which had been intended to describe real phenomena, and along with Max Born, turned it into a probability calculator for the whereabouts of a particle. This led to a certain amount of confusion and the so-called 'particle-wave duality’. Support the show www.quantumid.science

    10 min
  11. The Ultra-Violet Catastrophe or a Storm in a Teacup

    08/05/2025

    The Ultra-Violet Catastrophe or a Storm in a Teacup

    The first of six podcasts in the search of the true identity of the quantum: is it a particle or a wave or both; or a mathematical entity which has some utility in solving equations. The remaining podcasts in this series are: 2. Einstein's Other Blunder – the photo-electric effect misinterpretation 3. Heisenberg, the Salieri of Physics – how Heisenberg sabotaged his rival Schrödinger 4. Quantum Circus: Jumps and Spins – questions the Bohr model of the atom 5. Magic Particles – examines the concept of entanglement or 'spooky action at a distance' 6. The Quantum Cat meets the Quantum Computer – how both are chimeras More detailed analysis, booklists, additional material and scientific papers can be found at www.quantumid.science Support the show www.quantumid.science

    7 min
  12. Einstein's other Blunder

    08/05/2025

    Einstein's other Blunder

    An account of Einstein's interpretation of the photo-electric effect involving discrete photons. His analysis had ontological consequences, namely the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which he later criticised as an incomplete and self contradictory theory. Support the show www.quantumid.science

    8 min
  • 12 Episodes

About

A provocative analysis of the history of quantum mechanics in six short podcasts.  Six more podcasts will be released in November 2025 on ontology or what is real as opposed to what is mathematically expedient following the insights of the physicist-philosophers such as Faraday, Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, J. J. Thomson, Eddington, Schrödinger and others.

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