Watch The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics

2024
1 Season

The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics is about why we should take the Many-Worlds Interpretation seriously, as arguably the best explanation of quantum mechanics, the science of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic scales. In 24 fascinating lectures, Professor Sean Carroll guides you through the history, reasoning, and implications of this bold idea.

The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics is a series that ran for 1 seasons (23 episodes) between August 22, 2024 and on The Great Courses

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Seasons

24. A Future Renaissance for Quantum Mechanics

August 22, 2024

Many-Worlds and competing theories on the foundations of quantum mechanics may seem essential for our understanding of reality, but they were long ignored by no-nonsense practicing physicists. Close the course by witnessing how the tide is turning, as it becomes increasingly clear that the foundational issues are likely the key to unlocking the outstanding mysteries of the cosmos.

23. What Happens to Ethics under Many-Worlds?

August 22, 2024

A theory in which every moral act entails an immoral one taking place in a branching universe is rife with ethical quandaries. Now, consider whether you could be moral in each of the universes of a Many-Worlds scenario. One stumbling block is imagining that the version of you that took a branching path is actually you. You may share a past, but the two of you are really different people.

22. Free Will, Determinism, and Many-Worlds

August 22, 2024

Get philosophical by probing a pair of profound questions that arise from the far-out implications of Many-Worlds. Are multiple branching worlds caused by our decisions? Is human free will possible, especially in light of the deterministic nature of Many-Worlds? Professor Carroll analyzes the way the macroscopic world of human thought and action interact with the quantum realm.

21. The Quantum Emergence of Time

August 22, 2024

As space might be an emergent property of quantum entanglement, could the same be true of time? Divide a wave function into subsystems and watch how the rest of the universe becomes entangled in a manner that can be interpreted as time passing. Along the way, learn the ideas behind the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, which helped define the

20. Space Emerges from Entanglement

August 22, 2024

Starting with the basic ingredients of quantum theory

19. The Challenge of Quantum Gravity

August 22, 2024

Quantum theory accounts for a remarkable array of particles and forces

17. Mind before Matter in Quantum Theory

August 22, 2024

Since quantum mechanics and consciousness are both mysterious, could they be connected in some way? Examine several arguments that relate quantum phenomena to the involvement of conscious observers. The Copenhagen Interpretation is particularly open to such speculations. Also, look at Quantum Bayesianism, or QBism, which sidesteps quantum paradoxes by dispensing with the idea of objective reality.

16. Blocking Worlds with Hidden Wave Variables

August 22, 2024

Does the wave function tell the whole story? Explore the hidden variable theory, devised by Louis de Broglie and refined by David Bohm. According to this view, particles are guided by pilot waves constructed from the wave function. The

15. Quashing Worlds with Wave Function Collapse

August 22, 2024

Given the mind-boggling implications of Many-Worlds, many physicists have sought plausible alternatives. In this lecture, consider the possibility of altering the Schr

14. Where Does Probability Come From?

August 22, 2024

Yet another hurdle for Many-Worlds is the origin and nature of probability. The Copenhagen version of quantum mechanics is fundamentally probabilistic, rather than deterministic. This is a key feature in its success. By contrast, Many-Worlds is deterministic. We can derive an understanding of probability by thinking about where we are in the quantum wave function.

13. Testing the Many-Worlds Interpretation

August 22, 2024

Address another objection to the Many-Worlds Interpretation: its testability. This refers to philosopher Karl Popper

12. Too Many Worlds! Five Objections Answered

August 22, 2024

The Many-Worlds view seems to defy common sense. Why can

11. How Entanglement Powers Quantum Computers

August 22, 2024

Many-Worlds theorist David Deutsch helped pioneer quantum computing, which he argues is an outgrowth on the Many-Worlds Interpretation. Investigate the principles behind quantum computing, comparing it to classical computing. Discover that the big difference is the architecture of logic gates. See how quantum computers can surmount this obstacle and excel at certain types of calculations.

10. Decoherence Explains Branching Worlds

August 22, 2024

Focus on decoherence, which does the same work in Many-Worlds as the collapse of the wave function in the Copenhagen Interpretation. Both explain what happens when a measurement is made, but in Many-Worlds the mechanism is more consistent with the underlying physics. Then, see how decoherence is the gateway to multiple branching worlds, which differ from the cosmological idea of the multiverse.

9. Entanglement Leads to Many Worlds

August 22, 2024

Use concepts developed in the course so far to learn how physicist Hugh Everett arrived at a bold new approach to quantum mechanics. Called the Many-Worlds Interpretation, it holds that the wave function represents reality and evolves smoothly into multiple distinct worlds when a quantum measurement takes place. Contrast Everett

8. Quantum Entanglement and Action at a Distance

August 22, 2024

Focus on Einstein

7. Uncertainty in Action with Spin and Qubits

August 22, 2024

Explore the fundamental quantum property of particles known as

6. Is the Wave Function Real?

August 22, 2024

Consider exactly what Heisenberg meant by his uncertainty principle, which is often misstated, even by physicists. Go deeper into wave-particle duality, studying the famous double-slit experiment, which shows light behaving simultaneously as a wave and a particle. Discover why a realist perspective on Schr

5. Copenhagen Says the Wave Function Collapses

August 22, 2024

Quantum mechanics was disquieting to anyone trained in classical physics. To dispel this unease, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg devised the

4. A Wave Function to Describe Particles

August 22, 2024

Transition from the old quantum theory to full-fledged quantum mechanics with the mathematically elegant concept of the wave function, derived by Erwin Schr

3. Quantum Worlds Start with Waves and Particles

August 22, 2024

The widely accepted system of classical physics began to unravel in 1900 when Max Planck proposed an idea that later became known as the quantum. Elaborated by Einstein, this theory held that light waves behave like particles. Later work by Louis de Broglie held that particles sometimes behave like waves. Discover how both ideas were amply confirmed and became tenets of quantum mechanics.

2. The Classical Physics World That Never Was

August 22, 2024

Investigate the classical picture of reality, which is how physicists thought the world worked before quantum mechanics. Codified by Isaac Newton, classical physics evolved into a nearly unified view based on particles and fields, and it included such revolutionary ideas as Einstein

1. Why Suppose There

August 22, 2024

Fasten your seat belts and take off into the realm of multiple, maybe even infinite, worlds. Professor Carroll explains how quantum mechanics predicts the existence of a large number of universes parallel to our own. This far-out theory is one of the leading contenders for a rigorous formulation of quantum mechanics. Trace the history of, and motivation for, this idea.

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Where to Watch The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics

The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics on demand at Apple TV Channels and Amazon Prime and Amazon.