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Schrödinger set out to
develop an alternate formulation of quantum mechanics based
on matter waves, à la de Broglie. At 36, he was somewhat
older than his contemporaries but still succeeded in deriving
the now famous 'Schrödinger Wave Equation.' The solution
of the equation is known as a wave function and describes
the behavior of a quantum mechanical object, like an electron.
At first, it was unclear what the wave function actually
represented. How was the wave function related to the
electron? At first, Schrödinger said that the wave
function represented a 'shadow wave' which somehow described
the position of the electron. Then he changed his mind
and said that it described the electric charge density
of the electron. He struggled to interpret his new work
until Max Born came to his rescue and suggested that the
wave function represented a probability – more precisely,
the square of the absolute magnitude of the wavefunction
is proportional to the probability that the electron appears
in a particular position. So, Schrödinger's theory
gave no exact answers… just the chance for something
to happen. Even identical measurements on the same system
would not necessarily yield the same results! Born's key
role in deciphering the meaning of the theory won him
the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954. |
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1933 - Erwin Schrödinger »
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1954 - Max Born »
