Proposing Quantum

After the morning classes ended, many people were still buzzing about it.

Li Qiwei, however, brushed off the dust and left, strolling leisurely to the meeting spot with Dr. Wilson.

The legendary Cavendish Laboratory!

Physics is an experimental science.

Any physical theory is only confirmed as valid after experimental verification.

Thus, physical experiments are extremely important.

Over the 85 years from 1904 to 1989, the Cavendish Laboratory produced 29 Nobel Prize in Physics laureates.

Terrifying!

The lab was founded in 1871 by a T1-level god, Maxwell.

He was also its first director.

The current director, the third in line, is Joseph Thomson.

A single sentence sums up this heavyweight: he discovered the electron in 1897.

Dr. Wilson is Thomson's student, and he has another even more impressive student: Rutherford.

Just as Li Qiwei was marveling at the greatness of the Cavendish Laboratory, Dr. Wilson spotted him.

"Bruce, come over here. I'm introducing you to a big shot today."

Li Qiwei followed Dr. Wilson into a meeting room, where a middle-aged man was already seated—the same one who had handed him the blackboard.

Dr. Wilson looked respectful and pulled Li Qiwei to sit down.

"Professor Planck, I'm terribly sorry. My mentor had an urgent matter come up, and he specifically asked me to host you."

The middle-aged Planck's eyes were sharp, and he smiled. "No worries. Thomson and I are old friends."

Hearing their exchange, Li Qiwei was stunned.

Sure enough, at Cambridge, you could bump into a heavyweight just by chance.

The information on this middle-aged man surfaced in his mind:

"Max Planck, born in 1858 in Germany."

"Graduated from Berlin University in 1879 with a doctorate in physics."

"Elected to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1894."

"Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918."

Back in his past life, that popular meme comparing photos before and after studying physics—the main character was this very guy.

And if history hadn't deviated, this December, Planck would formally propose the concept of energy quantization.

It was by borrowing this concept that Einstein proposed the "light quantum," proving the photoelectric effect and winning the Nobel Prize.

Physics is divided by Planck's quantum concept: everything before is classical physics, everything after is modern physics.

By Li Qiwei's grading, this was a future T2-level heavyweight!

Then, with Dr. Wilson's introduction, Li Qiwei formally met Planck as a junior student.

"Professor, how did you know Bruce was here?" Dr. Wilson asked.

"Oh, because I was at the conference in London yesterday too," Planck said.

"Oh, how amazing. And you happened to accept my mentor's invitation to give a lecture at Cambridge," Dr. Wilson said.

At that, Li Qiwei finally understood.

So his bold words from yesterday had caught this heavyweight's attention, sparking his interest.

And the Cavendish Laboratory director, Thomson, had invited Planck to give a talk at Cambridge a month ago.

Then Planck had run into Dr. Wilson's test problem.

He'd secretly observed Li Qiwei to see if the young man had real substance.

The result was clearly satisfying, or he wouldn't have met with Li Qiwei.

Seeing they were already acquainted, Dr. Wilson said, "Professor Planck, I have some matters to attend to. Please do give Bruce some guidance."

Then he added, "He's the best physics prospect I've ever seen."

Planck smiled faintly. After Dr. Wilson left, he said to Li Qiwei, "Bruce, would you like to take a walk with me?"

"It's my honor, Professor," Li Qiwei replied.

The April weather was bright and sunny.

Li Qiwei and Planck strolled casually through the Cambridge University campus, chatting as they walked.

Li Qiwei's grasp of physics knowledge left Planck astonished.

It was as if there was no field he didn't know.

This made Planck sigh inwardly—had Cambridge's teaching standards really reached such heights?

As the two grew more engrossed in conversation, they soon turned to the most famous problem of the day—the Cloud Problem.

Li Qiwei spoke with ease, his freewheeling thoughts once again stunning Planck.

Before long, they arrived at a stone arch bridge over the Jian River, the very Cambridge Bridge immortalized in Farewell to Cambridge.

The river rushed beneath them, turbulent as Planck's own mind.

"Bruce, do you truly believe energy can be parceled out, bit by bit—quantized?"

Yes, Li Qiwei had directly proposed the concept of "quantization" months ahead of schedule.

This sent a tidal wave of shock through Planck's heart. The idea ran completely counter to classical physics.

Newton's absolute space-time was continuous—how could it possibly be parceled out?

Historically, even after proposing quantization, Planck had agonized over it repeatedly.

Because once he accepted it, everything he had learned in the first half of his life would be wrong.

Still, out of respect for scientific truth, he had published the idea.

Li Qiwei believed that Planck was already toying with quantization at this point—he just needed a psychological anchor.

"Professor, only energy quantization can perfectly resolve the second cloud—the blackbody radiation problem."

"I've already completed most of the mathematical calculations. They can reasonably explain the radiation intensity near short wavelengths."

"But there are some sticking points I can't crack."

"I know you studied mathematics at the University of Munich. How about taking a look at these math problems for me?"

"I think this could be a monumental achievement."

By now, Planck was speechless with shock.

Yes, he himself had been considering quantization—but he never imagined Li Qiwei had already started crunching the numbers.

And this young man was only twenty years old!

In his eyes, Bruce was a genius born for physics!

At that moment, Planck fully believed Li Qiwei's bold claim: physics had only just begun!

Suppressing his excitement, he said, "Excellent, Bruce. Rest assured, I'll help you complete the mathematical calculations. I won't steal your results."

Li Qiwei felt a surge of emotion. This was the true character of the older generation of physicists.

They pursued only truth, indifferent to fame!

He smiled. "Thank you, Professor. But I have a better idea. I'd like you to be the Corresponding Author of my paper."

"Corresponding Author?" Planck blinked, unfamiliar with the term.

Li Qiwei explained, "There's an old saying in the East: when you meet an exceptional person, you may take them as your teacher."

"Though I'm not your student, talking with you has been immensely rewarding, and you'll help me solve the key mathematical proofs."

"I believe you can truly be my teacher."

"As Corresponding Author, it means I completed this paper under your guidance."

"We can state that clearly in the paper."

After hearing Li Qiwei's explanation, Planck realized he had underestimated this young man.

He himself was already a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, his reputation secure. He cared little for greater fame.

But Li Qiwei was just an undergraduate. He could have claimed all the glory for himself.

Yet he remained so humble and gracious—truly admirable!

Planck now felt a deep fondness for talent. He looked at Li Qiwei as if gazing at a treasure.

"Bruce, I accept your proposal. Send me the draft as soon as possible, and I'll verify the mathematics."

"Thank you very much, Professor." Li Qiwei replied with weight.

Then, master and student turned to gaze into the distance over the Jian River, their laughter ringing clear across the water.

Thanks to [Immortal Patting Your Head] for the first review! Please continue to support, dear readers—thank you~