Electrons as field quanta: A better way to teach quantum physics in introductory general physics courses

Abstract

I propose a conceptual change in the way we teach nonrelativistic quantum physics in introductory survey courses and general modern physics courses. Traditional instruction treats radiation as a quantized electromagnetic wave that, because it is quantized, is observable only as discrete field quanta, while treating matter as particles that are accompanied by a wave function. In other words, traditional instruction views radiation as fundamentally a field phenomenon, and matter as fundamentally a particle phenomenon. But quantum field theory has a more unified view, according to which both radiation and matter are continuous fields while both photons and material particles are quanta of these fields. The quantum field theory view of radiation and matter clarifies particle identity issues, dispels students’ Newtonian misconceptions about matter, arguably resolves the wave-particle paradox, is the accepted view of contemporary physics, and might be the simplest and most effective teaching approach for all students. I propose that we make this field-theory viewpoint the conceptual basis for teaching non-relativistic quantum physics.

Ephemeral Properties and the Illusion of Microscopic Particles

“…Some physicists do indeed strongly defend the point of view that most of our difficulties in understanding QM are the result of our bad habits of still thinking to quantum phenomena with classical corpuscular ideas, and that the way out of this impasse is just to replace the outdated concept of "particle" by the one of "field," something that is believed could be easily done as from the level of our introductory courses of quantum physics, thus offering to the students a more unified, realistic and less paradoxical view of the physical reality [see for instance Hobson 2005Hobson , 2009aHenry 2009;Hobson 2009b; van Kampen 2008 for some recent interesting discussions on this topic].…”

Teaching quantum interpretations: Revisiting the goals and practices of introductory quantum physics courses

“…These categories certainly do not encompass all the ways instructors might teach quantum interpretations, but they can be reasonably applied to every modern physics offering at CU during this time period, and we anticipate that most readers who have taught introductory quantum mechanics will recognize some similarity between their own approaches and those described below. We are aware of other perspectives on teaching quantum physics that do not fit within these categories [27][28][29][30], but there are no published studies of their respective impacts on student learning; and still more interpretations of quantum theory exist [31][32][33][34][35], but we do not know of any literature describing their use in the classroom.…”

Pitfalls in the teaching of elementary particle physics

“…Perhaps the most distinguished representative of this "all-fields view" [27, p. 211] is Art Hobson. In a series of publications he has exploited this position already for nonrelativistic quantum mechanics [28,29,30,31]. In Ref.…”