Page 41 - Science at the nanoscale

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June 9, 2009
Chapter Three
Brief Review of Quantum
Mechanics
With the advent of nanoscience, scientists are creating nanosys-
In some cases, such as
tems with ever reducing size scales.
quantum dots with a diameter of a few nanometres, the num-
ber of atoms in these systems falls in the range of 100 to 100,000
atoms. As we approach the atomic scale, the quantum nature of
the nanosystems becomes dominant. Quantum physics encom-
passes those laws of physics we use to describe and predict the
properties of matter at the length scales of atoms and electrons.
An understanding of quantum physics is therefore important for
understanding the behaviour of the nanomaterials and nanode-
vices as their dimensions are reduced towards atomic sizes. The
main focus of this chapter is to describe some of the basic concepts
of quantum physics.
BASIC QUANTUM PHYSICS AND QUANTUM
3.1
CONFINEMENT RPS: PSP0007 - Science-at-Nanoscale ch03
The first quarter of the 20th century saw the rapid development
of quantum physics. During this period, there was a series
of groundbreaking experiments that produced observable phe-
nomena and results that could not be accounted for by classi-
cal theories of physics. It was during this period that some of
the most fundamental and revolutionary concepts of quantum
physics were proposed. A brief summary of the important series
of experiments is presented in this section.
Science at the Nanoscale: An Introductory Textbook
by Chin Wee Shong, Sow Chorng Haur & Andrew T S Wee
Copyright c
2010 by Pan Stanford Publishing Pte Ltd
www.panstanford.com
978-981-4241-03-8