A Sampler of Quantum Strangeness

At the subatomic level, Katherine had shown that particles themselves came in and out of existence based solely on her intention to observe them. In a sense, her desire to see a particle . . . manifested that particle. Heisenberg has hinted at this reality decades ago, and now it had become a fundamental principle of Noetic Science.
- From The Lost Symbol, 57

Extract filmed at The Living Matrix conference- for more information and to order a DVD boxset of the conference, please visit the official online store.

Extract from The Living Matrix - for more information and to order a copy of the film, please visit the official website and the official online store.

The subatomic level Katherine Solomon is exploring in her experiments is the world at an infinitesimally small scale that we cannot see or feel in everyday life. It’s the realm of electrons, protons, neutrons, photons, quarks and other quantum particles that come together to form the atoms that make up matter. When we peel away the layers of our world—the world of mountains and stones, clouds and flowers, bumblebees and human beings—we find that there is less and less substance to it the deeper down we go. For example, as you descend through the levels of your body, you find that it is made of tissues, organs and bones, which are made of cells, which are comprised of molecules, which are formed from atoms, which are made of quantum particles.

This quantum level of reality, as you are about to discover, is a mind-bending realm that defies common sense. It’s a theory that was developed in the early twentieth century, and over the decades has become the most tested and well-verified theory in the history of science. Our modern world is built upon technologies—from computers to laser to MRI imaging machines—that depend on the principles of quantum theory. Although we can apply quantum science easily enough, even the most open-minded scientists are left scratching their heads at what this world is like and what “it all means,” for the subatomic realm is bizarre. One of the founders of quantum theory, the Danish physicist Niels Bohr, famously declared, “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.”

What’s so shocking about it? Let’s take a look, allowing that the following explanations are written for the layperson to provide the highlights of quantum physics. Our discussion may lack the rigor that many of our more scientifically articulate readers desire; however, it accurately reflects the current “truths” of quantum theory.