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Quantum

Quantum

John Bell and the most profound discovery of science

01 Dec 1998

Quantum theory is the most successful scientific theory of all time. Many of the great names of physics are associated with quantum theory. Heisenberg and Schrödinger established the mathematical form of the theory, while Einstein and Bohr analysed many of its important features. However, it was John Bell who investigated quantum theory in the greatest depth and established what the theory can tell us about the fundamental nature of the physical world. Andrew Whitaker tells us more

John Bell relaxing in his apartment in Geneva
John Bell relaxing in his apartment in Geneva with a “schneekupel” made by Renate Bertlmann, who also took this photograph. Bertlmann’s husband, Reinhold, was a friend and colleague of Bell. In 1981 Bell published a paper called “Bertlmann’s socks and the nature of reality” in which he explained the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox by analogy to Bertlmann’s habit of wearing different-coloured socks. (Courtesy: Renate Bertlmann)
Moreover, by stimulating experimental tests of the deepest and most profound aspects of quantum theo

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