Prof. Mordecai Waegell (Physics)

Undergraduate students who work with me will study the conflict between classical intuition and quantum physics by exploring a set of relatively simple geometric structures that highlight this conflict. This will include studying Bell’s theorem on local realism and quantum entanglement, the Kochen-Specker theorem on noncontextual realism, and related issues. This project is focused on easily accessible methods of understanding these theorems and their implications about the world we live in. This project will enrich a student’s understanding of nature, but is unlikely to lead to a publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

For students looking for more of a challenge - and possibly something to publish - this might be extended into several other directions:

• Computational searches to identify new geometric structures that prove these theorems, many of which have applications in quantum information processing.
• Studying how weak values and weak measurement fit into this picture to provide a richer and deeper picture of nonclassical physics.
• Study of several different interpretations of quantum mechanics, including the many-worlds model, the De Broglie - Bohm pilot wave model, spontaneous collapse models, and the Copenhagen framework.
• Study of new or paradoxical problems in the foundations of quantum mechanics to explore the limitations and meaning of the theory. This is an open-ended research direction, and I would work with students to find a question with an appropriate level of difficulty.