The uncertainty principle first stated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927 has been proven to be mathematically correct for the first time. Paul Busch, Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of York, Pekka Lahti of the University of Turku in Finland, and Reinhard F. Werner of Leibniz Universität in Hannover, Germany are the first to demonstrate a rigorous mathematical proof of Heisenberg’s work. The research was published in the Journal of Mathematical Physics on April 29, 2014.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle indicates that it is not possible to measure both the position of an electron and the momentum of an electron at the same time. The interference of the energy from the measuring device alters the exact momentum of the electron making a simultaneous exact measurement of both quantities impossible. The Heisenberg uncertainty principle has been accepted in theoretical physics and quantum physics without an exacting proof for almost 90 years because it works as a postulate in other quantum mechanical discoveries.
The mathematicians were able to prove that Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle remains accurate even in the most simplistic case of a single object in a symmetric system. The researchers also developed a graduated system that identifies the range of potential interference with the measurement of the momentum of an electron depending on the instrument used to measure the momentum of an electron. The research makes quantum mechanical inequality proposed by Masanao Ozawa invalid except in a limited set of special conditions.
The researchers note that the amount of uncertainty involved in measuring both the position and momentum of an electron has diminished in recent times due to work that has developed nanotechnology and an increasingly low energy method of detecting the momentum of an electron. The study proposes that uncertainty as proposed by Heisenberg may be minimized and potentially eliminated with technology that has yet to be developed. The brilliance of Heisenberg was he did this work with pencil and paper only.