Fundamental basis of an Ecomonic boom

[tw]

Warning: a long post- over 110 lines:

The standard atomic model is protons, neutrons, and electrons. But Bohr's old model does not explain a phenomena that even Einstein had difficulty appreciating. Quantum Mechanics simply violates principals we use to view the world. For example, in our world, if you stand a card on edge and let it drop, then the card appears face up or face down. But in quantum mechanics, the card appears both face up and face down. Clearly you have a problem with this as physists did. Their solution was to stick with the quantum model until something better appeared. Problem was the more they stuck with their model, the more accurate that the quantum model became.

If an electron is injected into low temperature helium, the waveform of the electron appears as a sphere - the lowest level electron shell. We create light by exciting that electron into higher level shells. When the electron drops back down, it emits a photon - light. If that Helium electron is excited by absorbing a photon, then it moves to a higher shell which is an hourglass shape. But if Helium temperature is low enough and pressure high enough, then the electron hourglass shell separates into two separate spheres where the electron is in each sphere 50% of the time. However, if the scientist attempts to determine which sphere contains the electron, then the electron disappears from the other sphere. Quantum physics.

Even more intriguing is that gas electrical conductity increases when the electrons are in those two different spheres. IOW helium in the right temperature and pressure can be turned electically conductive (maybe superconductive) simply by applying light? This mystery is quantum mechanics. We don't know why superconductivity exists nor even why certain crystals conduct heat or are transparent to certain light frequencies. We are guessing because we don't understand yet what occurs inside the atom. That would be sub-atomic research.

Some recent mysteries were certain metallics that become superconductors at higher temperatures - liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide. Products based upon super conductive wire are currently sold. Not understanding the theory, we instead wildly test materials everywhere for superconductivity. Recently, Bell Labs found organic polymers - not metals - that were superconductive. Why? If we knew how superconductivity works, then we could quickly identify or create higher temperature superconductive materials.

Superconductivity is not the only interest. Organic materials, such as carbon based materials, should be capable of transistor and LED functions. Bell Labs again managed to create an organic transistor by reducing impurities in alpha-sexithiophene. If I remember, this is a small carbon chain. LED emission in a transistor involves holes and electrons meeting in a central location. More photons are emitted than reabsorbed making possible circuits that can be both transistorized and laser transmitters. Are we discussing optical computers? But again this is the sub-atomic operation of materials.

Recently a Rubidium gas was setup whereby a second light into the gas would switch the Rhodium gas on and off as a light switch. IOW they created a light transistor, by simply changing the 'spin' of Rhodium atoms - another concept in quantum mechanics.

A quantum problem involves the thickness of insulated gate transistors currently numbering millions in CPUs. A section of silicon is switched off and on by applying a charge on the other side of that thin glass - silicon dioxide. It is this ability of silicon to form SiO2 - an insulator - that continues to make silicon a superior IC material than Gallium Arsinide, Silicon Carbide, Galium Nitrate, or even carbon based materials (ie. diamonds). Although these other materials have higher dielectric constants, silicon still dominates.

However a quantum effect called tunneling now threatens Moores law - the accurate prediction for those galloping performance increases in computers. As this Silicon dioxide layer thins to three atoms thick, a transistor's insulated gates no longer remain good insulators. The electrons tunnel through the glass insulator. A quantum effect is not understood and is key to understanding future advances in semiconductor electronics.

Diamonds and sapphire structures should make superior ICs because of their great abilities to conduct heat, to remain undistorted in temperature extremes, and as a superior insulator (higher dielectric constants). However we don't understand the subatomic principals in these materials that would accelerate the development of these new technologies.

Hydrogen, the fundamental tool of fuel cells is manufactured or purified by platinium crystals. The hydrogen electron is separated from its one proton, one neutron nucleus. This now smaller nucleus is pushed through the platinium crystal where it is electrically recombined with its electron on the other side. Fuel cell fuel has been created. Other material that perform the same task are polymer membranes. A hydrogen's electron is removed to drive electrical appliances, while the nucleus passes through a polymer membrane. As both recombine with oxygen, a waste product (water) is created. A fuel cell creates electricity.

Again we are talking clean energy generation and energy storage using principals based upon sub-atomic and quantum physics.

IOW quantum physics is fundamental to continuing economic growth. Quantum based innovaton in electro-optical communication as well as in other sciences mostly due to breakthroughs in basic science. Most medical breakthroughs come from basic science in other industries. A responsible country would then appreciate the need for investing in basic research. One early effort to concentrate in basic research led to the atomic bomb (that ended WWII followed by nuclear energy and other scientific discoveries including advance dating techniques (anthropoloy, environmental sciences, medicine, geneology, etc). Those dating techniques demonstrated greenhouse effect on earth over the past million years on earth.

About ten years ago, the Big Hole in TX was to build the super collider which smashes particles together to identify the sub-atomic building block components. Currently is a race to discover the Higg Bosum and to complete an inventory of these particles. Since a myopic US congress can only appreicate big hype science, then instead we removed research money to build Reagan's rediculous Space Station Freedom. The resulting ISS was only to cost $8billion, now estimated somewhere around $70 billion AND still has no scientific purpose.

In an ad hoc and very informative meeting with a NASA engineer, the only way in NASA to get a research project approved to put it on ISS. That space station is in desperate need of a purpose.

In the meantime, any scientist worth his while left the US for Cern in Europe where sub-atomic and quantum mechanic research is now headquartered. Have they provided humanity with anything productive? The world wide web is an obvious creation.

Presently Cern is down for upgrading. In the meantime, the HQ for this research is Fermilab outside Chicago - after which the upgraded Cern returns on-line 7 times more powerful. Researchers will again attempt to get US government money into a research tool to address so many of our future innovations.

Currently Cern smashes protons and anti-protons together in what is called the Large Hadron Collider. Protons are chosen because they take less energy to accelerate in large circle. The resulting smashed protons result in free quarks that hold protons and neutrons together. Examination of the collision results in a plethora of fundamental (and typicially unstable) sub-atomic particles.

But maybe we are smashing the wrong particles? Electrons and anti-electrons themselves are sub-atomic particles as well as part of Bohr's old standard model. Maybe we should be smashing electrons? That requires more energy. In fact energy loses increase exponentially when using rings to accelerate electrons. The Stanford Linear Accelerator, Japan's KEK, and Germany's DESY are linear accelerators. However these units have been in existance for some time. More power is required.

And so America will again face an oppurtunity to share the world leadership in quantum study with Cern IF we spend what looks like $5 to $8billion on a new linear super collider. Not much money when you consider the $1+billion per plane that Reagan spent on a B-1 bomber that could never be used in combat and that could be downed by a single bird hit on the fuselage (all hydralic lines grouped together).

Can George Jr appreciate what made America great. Currently he quashed a long worked out need for arsinic standards in western drinking water (without any science advisors). The he quashed any greenhouse gas solutions in some grossly unscientific belief that we have an energy shortage. IOW will George Jr put America back into recession next decade by quashing necessary research America requires to grow? So far he has done just that. So far the man has demonstrated no scientific intelligence. Only recently he may have learned that ozone depletion and global warming are not the same thing. Do you think he can appreciate anything written above - or did he stop reading after the third paragraph.

BTW, that is exactly what George Jr says he does. He rarely reads any briefing papers beyond the first page.


[Edited by tw on 04-05-2001 at 02:09 AM]