At that moment, the only sound in the vast conference hall was chalk scraping against the blackboard.
To many people, the sound was grating and unpleasant.
But to those who truly understood the subject, and to the big shots, it was nothing short of heavenly music.
Especially the dozen or so titans of physics in the front rows, all of whom were now staring intently at every word on the blackboard.
When Li Qiwei wrote the words [Light Quantum], gasps rang through the hall.
Baron Rayleigh could no longer keep his composure. "Good heavens, does Bruce really regard light as [quanta] too?"
Wien and Lorentz, meanwhile, could hardly believe their eyes. In their minds, the intricate mathematical formulas looked like a canvas painted by the Creator, slowly unfurling before them.
The moment Planck saw [Light Quantum], he immediately understood how it all fit together. He couldn't help exclaiming, "This is an absolutely brilliant idea!"
Lord Kelvin's face brimmed with delight, while his thoughts had already flown back several decades.
His equally brilliant junior colleague, Maxwell, had once been just like Li Qiwei: he'd disregarded authority and leapt from one idea to another.
Yet his talent for physics had been the envy of all. Almost single-handedly, he had built the edifice of electromagnetism and left behind Maxwell's Equations, which countless people had become fascinated with.
Lord Kelvin gradually began to see Maxwell's shadow in Li Qiwei. Tears slowly gathered in his eyes as he laughed and cried at the same time.
He scoffed at himself. As expected, the older one got, the easier it was to long for the past—to remember the friends and teammates who had once fought by his side.
Thomson, Rutherford, and Wilson, the three mentor and student, were shocked, but still found time to tease him.
"Rutherford, Wilson, has Bruce ever discussed the Photoelectric Effect with either of you?"
They both shook their heads at the same time. Thomson waved a big hand. "You little rascal, hiding something good from us again. But this time, the paper has to include Cavendish's name."
"After all, without our lab's help, Bruce would never have come up with this method."
Rutherford was so stunned by his mentor's words that he was left speechless. His curiosity about Li Qiwei had now reached its peak.
He also thought of their disagreement. Could the Plum Pudding Model really be wrong? Was there really some other structure inside the Atom?
Only Wilson had made up his mind: once they got back, he would never leave Li Qiwei's side again. They would even have to eat together.
Though the big shots had different thoughts running through their minds, every one of them was in shock.
Of course, most of the people in the hall had no idea what the big shots were amazed by or discussing.
Chris, for instance, was tugging at Professor Keith and asking, "Professor, what does that diagram Senior Bruce drew mean?"
Professor Keith stared into space, thoroughly won over by Li Qiwei's genius. He sighed and slowly replied, "That's a diagram of the Photoelectric Effect."
Chris was confused. "What's the Photoelectric Effect?"
Professor Keith explained, "In 1887, the German physicist Hertz discovered during an experiment that when light of a specific frequency shone on a metal surface, an electric current was produced if the metal was connected to a circuit."
"We now know that this happens because electrons escape from the metal's surface when light shines on it. Those electrons form an electric current. That's the Photoelectric Effect."
"But so far, no one has understood or proven the mechanism behind the Photoelectric Effect, because classical physics can't explain it."
Chris only half understood. He had Li Qiwei's recent training to thank for that; otherwise, it would have sounded like gibberish.
Still, he understood one thing: the Photoelectric Effect was a problem that had stumped physicists all over the world.
And now, his Senior Bruce was providing a proof right before the eyes of countless onlookers. Chris could only shout inwardly, That's freaking awesome!
Chris wasn't the only one stunned by Li Qiwei.
As more and more content filled the blackboard and the formulas piled up, even some ordinary professors and doctoral students began to grasp what Li Qiwei was writing.
But once they understood, they were even more speechless with shock.
His method of proof was so dazzlingly brilliant that it was almost unbelievable.
Time drifted by. Everyone held their breath, watching the young man before the blackboard and waiting for the final result.
By then, Li Qiwei was almost done filling the fourth blackboard.
His arm was beginning to ache, yet he felt a rush of pure satisfaction deep in his chest.
To produce a Nobel Prize-worthy result on the spot, before so many titans of physics—Li Qiwei in his previous life could never have imagined such a sense of accomplishment.
Soon, the chalk in his hand was nearly spent. Li Qiwei wrote down the final formula and its annotation:
"E=hv-W (E: electron kinetic energy, h: Li-Planck Constant, v: Light Quantum frequency, W: the work required for an electron to break free from a positive charge.)"
Boom!
The entire hall fell silent in an instant.
It was as if countless rays of light were shining down on Li Qiwei, dazzling everyone.
No one knew how long it took, but Lord Kelvin was the first to start clapping.
One after another, people joined in. A few seconds later, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.
Bathed in glory, Li Qiwei's usually impassive face finally showed the faintest smile.
He spoke in a strong, steady voice. "Hearing your applause, I don't think I need to explain the contents of the blackboard any further."
"I treated light as individual [quanta]. Light of different frequencies carries different amounts of energy, which provides a perfect explanation for the Photoelectric Effect."
"This not only proves that [Quantum Theory] is correct, but also breathes new life into Newton's [corpuscular theory of light]."
"The nature of light is complex. It isn't simply [a wave]."
"My friends Einstein and Grossman gave me great inspiration while I was working on this paper."
"Einstein's brilliant ideas and Grossman's mathematical ability were both crucial to the proposal of the [Light Quantum] concept."
"Therefore, when this paper is published, they will be its second authors."
A commotion broke out!
Einstein and Grossman leapt to their feet, their faces full of disbelief.
The three of them had discussed the question together at ETH Zurich, but the main ideas had all come from Li Qiwei.
Now, however, Li Qiwei was going to attach their names to such a momentous result.
It went without saying what kind of welcome and praise they would receive once they returned to the university.
For a moment, Einstein and Grossman were so moved they didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, Li Qiwei's inner monologue was even busier: God of Love, I'm sorry. I promise I'll only take the Photoelectric Effect. I absolutely won't touch the Theory of Relativity.
Everyone else in the hall also looked at Einstein and Grossman, clearly curious about the two young men.
But just then, Lord Kelvin spoke. "Friends, please quiet down. Let's return to the subject at hand."
"Baron Rayleigh, Professor Wien, Professor Lorentz, does Bruce's answer resolve your questions?"
The three exchanged glances, then gave a rueful laugh. The theoretical proof on the blackboard was simply too perfect. They couldn't find a single flaw.
Anyone in the room who understood the Photoelectric Effect knew just how stunning the proof on the blackboard was.
If [Quantum Theory] could explain one problem, it might be a coincidence. But if it could explain two supremely difficult problems in a row, that could be neither chance nor a trick.
[Quantum Theory] had to be correct!
Its correctness had been established entirely through theoretical proof—unassailable and beyond reproach.
Now, they only had to find experimental evidence to confirm [Quantum Theory]'s explanation of the Photoelectric Effect, and a brand-new theory would be born.
Li Qiwei's heart surged. After today, he could truly soar ninety thousand miles into the sky.
All his plans could now be set in motion.
Thanks to [Qingcha Yujiao] for the reward.
Thanks to [Fengzhuy Huo] and [Lengmou丶7cy] for the monthly votes.
Thanks to all my new and longtime readers for your recommendation votes.
Lao Xu is once again asking for your likes and follows. Thank you.
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