Soaring Ninety Thousand Li

The vast hall was filled only with the sound of chalk scraping against the blackboard.

To many, the sound was grating and unpleasant.

But to those in the know and the true experts, it was akin to heavenly music.

Especially the dozen or so physics giants in the front rows, who were now staring intently at every word on the blackboard.

When Li Qiwei wrote the word [Light Quantum], a gasp swept through the hall.

Rayleigh could no longer remain calm, "Good heavens, could Bruce be treating light as [Quantum] as well?"

Wien and Lorentz were incredulous. The complex mathematical formulas unfolded before their eyes like a divine tapestry.

Upon seeing [Light Quantum], Planck immediately grasped the full implications and couldn't help but exclaim, "This is such a stroke of genius!"

Lord Kelvin's face was alight with joy, his thoughts drifting back decades.

His equally brilliant junior, Maxwell, like Li Qiwei now, had disregarded established authority and leaped ahead in his thinking.

But his innate talent for physics was so astounding, he had almost single-handedly constructed the edifice of electromagnetism, leaving behind the Maxwell equations that captivated so many.

Lord Kelvin saw Li Qiwei's image merge with Maxwell's, and tears welled in his eyes. He cried with a smile.

He chuckled wryly, "Indeed, as one gets older, one tends to reminisce about the past, about the friends and colleagues one fought alongside."

Thomson, Rutherford, and Wilson, a trio of master and disciples, exchanged stunned glances, yet couldn't resist a bit of teasing.

"Rutherford, Wilson, has Bruce discussed the photoelectric effect with either of you?"

Both shook their heads. Thomson waved a dismissive hand, "Little rascals, always hiding something good. But this time, the Cavendish Lab must be credited in the paper."

"After all, without our lab's assistance, Bruce wouldn't have come up with this method."

Rutherford was rendered speechless by his mentor's words. His curiosity about Li Qiwei had reached its peak.

He recalled their previous disagreements. Was the plum pudding model truly wrong? Did the atom really contain other structures?

Only Wilson resolved to stick to Li Qiwei's side, never leaving him, even for meals, from now on.

Though their thoughts varied, the giants were united in their astonishment.

Of course, most people in the hall had no idea what the experts were so amazed or discussing.

For instance, Chris, tugging at Professor Keith, asked, "Professor, what does that diagram Bruce drew mean?"

Professor Keith stared blankly, completely captivated by Li Qiwei's genius. He sighed and slowly replied, "That's a schematic diagram of the photoelectric effect."

Chris looked confused, "What is the photoelectric effect?"

Professor Keith explained, "In 1887, German physicist Hertz, while conducting experiments, discovered that when a metal surface is illuminated by light of a specific frequency, if a circuit is connected to the metal, a current is generated."

"We now know this is because electrons escape from the metal surface under the light's illumination, and these electrons form the current. This is the photoelectric effect."

"However, to date, no one has understood or proven the mechanism of the photoelectric effect, as classical physics cannot explain it."

Chris listened, half understanding, half not. He owed this partial comprehension to Li Qiwei's recent training; otherwise, it would have been utterly incomprehensible.

But he did grasp that the photoelectric effect was a problem that had stumped physicists worldwide.

And now, his senior Bruce, under the gaze of countless onlookers, was directly providing the proof. Chris could only think: Amazing!

Li Qiwei's impact wasn't limited to Chris.

As more content and formulas appeared on the blackboard, even ordinary professors and doctors began to grasp what Li Qiwei was writing.

But understanding only deepened their shock, leaving them speechless.

The method of proof was so astonishingly brilliant it was almost unbelievable.

Time trickled by. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the young man before the blackboard, awaiting the final proof.

At this moment, Li Qiwei was nearing the end of the fourth blackboard.

He felt a slight ache in his arm, yet a profound sense of exhilaration coursed through him.

Presenting a Nobel-worthy achievement in front of so many physics luminaries was a level of accomplishment Li Qiwei from his previous life could never have imagined.

Soon, the chalk in his hand was nearly gone. Li Qiwei wrote the final formula and annotation:

"E=hv-W (E: kinetic energy of the electron, h: Planck's constant, v: frequency of the light Quantum, W: work required for the electron to escape the positive charge.)"

BOOM!

The entire hall fell into an absolute silence.

It was as if countless beams of light shone upon Li Qiwei, dazzling everyone.

After an unknown period, Lord Kelvin was the first to applaud.

Soon, others joined in, and within seconds, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.

Bathing in the glory, Li Qiwei's previously impassive face finally broke into a smile.

With full confidence, he declared, "Hearing your applause, I believe there's no need for further explanation of what's on the blackboard."

"I have treated light as individual [Quantums]. Light of different frequencies carries different energies, thus perfectly explaining the photoelectric effect."

"This not only proves the correctness of [Quantum theory] but also revitalizes Newton's [corpuscular theory of light]."

"The nature of light is complex; it's not simply a [wave]."

"Regarding this paper, my good friends Einstein and Grossman have given me great inspiration."

"Both Einstein's genius ideas and Grossman's mathematical prowess were crucial to proposing the [light Quantum] concept."

"Therefore, once this paper is published, they will both be listed as second authors."

Whoosh!

Einstein and Grossman in the audience instantly stood up, their faces filled with disbelief.

Although they had discussed this issue together at ETH Zurich, the main content had been proposed by Li Qiwei.

Now, Li Qiwei was going to credit them as co-authors for such a groundbreaking result.

One could imagine the reception and accolades they would receive upon returning to school.

For a moment, Einstein and Grossman were too moved to speak.

Meanwhile, Li Qiwei's inner monologue was more complex: God of Love, I'm sorry, I promise I won't touch relativity, only the photoelectric effect.

Everyone else in the venue turned to look at Einstein and Grossman, clearly curious about these two young men.

However, at this moment, Lord Kelvin spoke. "Friends, please quiet down. Let us now return to the main topic."

"Professor Rayleigh, Professor Wien, Professor Lorentz, may I ask if Bruce's answer has resolved your doubts?"

The three men exchanged glances, then let out wry smiles. The theoretical proof on the blackboard was simply too perfect, offering no room for criticism.

Anyone present who had a deep understanding of the photoelectric effect would recognize the brilliance of the proof on the blackboard.

If the [Quantum theory] explaining one problem could be considered a coincidence, then explaining two major challenges consecutively was no longer a matter of chance or skill.

The [Quantum theory] must be correct!

Its correctness was proven entirely through theory, leaving no room for argument.

Now, all that was needed was experimental verification of the [Quantum theory]'s explanation for the photoelectric effect, and a brand new theory would be born.

Li Qiwei's heart surged with excitement. After today, he would truly soar to unimaginable heights.

All his plans could now be set in motion.

Thanks to Qingchayu Jiu for the reward.

Thanks to Fengzhuye Huo, Leng Mou 7cy for the monthly votes.

Thanks to all new and old readers for the recommendation tickets.

Old Xu once again pleads for collections and continued reading. Thank you.