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Quantum leap
 
 
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In physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, a quantum leap or quantum jump is a change of an electron
Electron

The electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has elementary particle and is believed to be a point particle....
 from one quantum state
Quantum state

In quantum physics, a quantum State is a mathematical object that fully describes a Quantum system. One typically imagines some experimental apparatus and procedure which "prepares" this quantum state; the mathematical object then reflects the setup of the apparatus....
 to another within an atom
Atom

|-! bgcolor=gray | Properties|-||}The atom is a basic unit of matter consisting of a dense, central atomic nucleus surrounded by a electron cloud of electric charge electrons....
. It is discontinuous; the electron jumps from one energy level to another instantaneously. The phenomenon contradicts classical theories
Classical theory

Classical theory has at least two distinct meanings in Physics:#In the context of quantum mechanics, "classical theory" refers to theory of physics that do not use the Quantization paradigm, particularly Newtonian mechanics ....
, which expect energy levels to be continuous. Quantum leaps cause the emission of electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
, including that of light, which occurs in the form of quantized units called photon
Photon

In physics, the photon is an elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field and the basic unit of light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation....
s.

In the vernacular
Vernacular

Vernacular refers to the native language of a country or a locality. In general linguistics, it is used to describe local languages as opposed to Lingua franca, official standards or global languages....
, the term quantum leap has come to mean an abrupt change or "step change", especially an advance or augmentation.






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Encyclopedia


In physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, a quantum leap or quantum jump is a change of an electron
Electron

The electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has elementary particle and is believed to be a point particle....
 from one quantum state
Quantum state

In quantum physics, a quantum State is a mathematical object that fully describes a Quantum system. One typically imagines some experimental apparatus and procedure which "prepares" this quantum state; the mathematical object then reflects the setup of the apparatus....
 to another within an atom
Atom

|-! bgcolor=gray | Properties|-||}The atom is a basic unit of matter consisting of a dense, central atomic nucleus surrounded by a electron cloud of electric charge electrons....
. It is discontinuous; the electron jumps from one energy level to another instantaneously. The phenomenon contradicts classical theories
Classical theory

Classical theory has at least two distinct meanings in Physics:#In the context of quantum mechanics, "classical theory" refers to theory of physics that do not use the Quantization paradigm, particularly Newtonian mechanics ....
, which expect energy levels to be continuous. Quantum leaps cause the emission of electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
, including that of light, which occurs in the form of quantized units called photon
Photon

In physics, the photon is an elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic field and the basic unit of light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation....
s.

In the vernacular
Vernacular

Vernacular refers to the native language of a country or a locality. In general linguistics, it is used to describe local languages as opposed to Lingua franca, official standards or global languages....
, the term quantum leap has come to mean an abrupt change or "step change", especially an advance or augmentation. The term dates back to early-to-mid-20th century, coinciding with the discoveries of quantum mechanics. The popular and scientific terms are similar in that both describe a change that happens all at once (revolutionary), rather than gradually over time (evolutionary), but the two uses are different when it comes to the magnitude of the change or advance in question.

In real physical systems a quantum leap is not necessarily a large change, and can in fact be very insignificant. A good example of this can be taken from the Bohr model
Bohr model

In atomic physics, the Bohr model created by Niels Bohr depicts the atom as a small, positively charged atomic nucleus surrounded by electrons that travel in circular orbits around the nucleus—similar in structure to the solar system, but with electrostatic forces providing attraction, rather than gravity....
 of the hydrogen atom, where the observed energy shifts associated with shifts of different quantum states (quantum leaps) span a wide range from large to small (when compared to the energy required to completely free an electron). In the popular sense, the term is usually applied to mean a large or significant change, which is thus not strictly correct.

See also

  • Fluorescence
    Fluorescence

    Fluorescence is a luminescence that is mostly found as an optical phenomenon in cold bodies, in which the molecular absorption of a photon triggers the emission of a photon with a longer wavelength....
  • Phosphorescence
    Phosphorescence

    File:Phosphorescence.jpgFile:Phosphorescent.jpgPhosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescent. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs....
  • Stimulated emission
    Stimulated emission

    In optics, stimulated emission is the process by which an electron, perturbed by a photon having the correct energy, may drop to a lower energy level resulting in the creation of another photon....


External links

  • "" by H. D. Zeh, Physics Letters A172, 189 (1993).