Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Institut de Chimie Radicalaire Institut Universitaire de France
The current scientific understanding of nature is firmly rooted in what Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek termed the Core Theory, a comprehensive physics framework encompassing fundamental particles, their interactions, and general relativity. Despite this framework being the cornerstone for explaining our universe, quantum chemistrythe study of molecules and their behavior at the quantum leveloften appears to operate in a self-contained bubble, seemingly disconnected from the broader canvas of the Core Theory. This lecture will explore the intriguing questions that quantum chemists have traditionally, for too long, left unexplored.1 Why do quantum chemists never delve into quarks and gluons? Do molecular structures truly exist, or are they a construct born from the Born-Oppenheimer approximation? What does a molecular wave function look like? Why do quantum chemists invoke concepts like molecular vibrations and electron dynamic correlation when solving time-independent equations? And about superimposed gravitational space-time distortions caused by entangled quantum molecular states, do they have any implications?
Keywords: Born-Oppenheimer approximation, Wave function interpretation, Core Theory
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is pleased to provide support for the 2024 VWSCC through a generous donation from Alan Fortier.
We thank Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) and CECAM for their support.
Virtual Winter School on Computational Chemistry