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HomeScienceChina team revisits Einstein–Bohr puzzle, bringing closure to century-old quantum mystery

China team revisits Einstein–Bohr puzzle, bringing closure to century-old quantum mystery

Einstein doubted the core idea of complementarity by Niels Bohr. Bohr said quantum objects act like waves and particles.

December 07, 2025 / 11:31 IST
China Team Revisits Einstein’s Quantum Puzzle After A Century

A quiet lab in China held rare tension today. A long debate in physics finally met a real test. A classic challenge by Albert Einstein now faced new tools. A team used fresh methods to study old ideas. Their work offered a clear look at quantum puzzles.

Einstein's Thought Experiment And Quantum Complementarity

Why did the Chinese team repeat Einstein’s thought test? The question goes back to the 1927 Solvay meeting. Einstein doubted the core idea of complementarity by Niels Bohr. Bohr said quantum objects act like waves and particles. He said both features cannot be seen together. Einstein later suggested a modified double-slit design. He hoped this plan would track both features. Such a result would have challenged Bohr’s idea. CGTN reported the new work on this long dispute.

China Researchers Test Photons And Confirm Bohr’s Idea

How did the team confirm Bohr’s old claim? The group came from the University of Science and Technology of China. Professor Pan Jianwei led the detailed project over many years. His team built equipment with very high sensitivity. Their tools tracked tiny motion from each passing photon. The tests showed the path check kills wave signs. The wave pattern then hides the exact photon path. Both properties refused to appear at the same time. This result matched Bohr’s strict rule on quantum facts.

Why the Findings Matter for Modern Physics?

Why did the experiment draw such wide praise? For decades the dispute stayed only as a theory. Now a real study tested the old thought plan. The outcome backed the Copenhagen view of quantum nature. It showed the strange role of photons is real physics. It showed the effect is not due to weak tools. The study also showed China’s strong progress in research. The results appeared in Physical Review Letters, as stated. Professor Pan’s team recreated Einstein’s plan with care. They showed how the quantum world works in practice.

first published: Dec 7, 2025 11:30 am

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