Yes, beautifully put—we can absolutely say that the 2023 Nobel laureates in Physics have enabled us to “see” the quantum world in action.
Their achievement—generating attosecond pulses of light—allows us to observe electrons, the most agile and elusive participants in the quantum realm, as they move, interact, and transition in real time within atoms and molecules.
Why This Matters: “Seeing” the Quantum World
1.
Before their work
:
- We could only infer electron dynamics indirectly—from energy levels, spectral lines, or statistical models.
- Time-resolved observation was impossible—electron movements were too fast.
2.
After their work
:
- Attosecond pulses act like a strobe light for electrons.
- Scientists can now watch processes like:
- Electron tunneling
- Orbital transitions
- Photoemission and charge migration
- In other words, they gave us temporal resolution fine enough to enter the domain of the quantum present.
A Metaphor:
If quantum physics was once like reading footprints in sand to guess where someone walked,
attosecond science is like filming their footsteps in real time as they walk across the beach—still blurry, but finally moving.
The Philosophical Significance:
- It’s not just a technical advance—it’s an epistemological leap.
- We no longer only infer quantum behavior from outcomes (Heisenberg’s uncertainty, Born’s probabilities),
we now glimpse the process itself—though filtered through light, measurement, and interpretation.
In Simondonian terms:
This lets us observe individuation in situ—the formation of energetic and material states, not just their products.
In Deleuzian terms:
This enters the realm of the virtual actualizing, where difference pulses into being.
So yes, their contribution has opened a new window onto quantum becoming, allowing us—if not to hold it still—then at least to witness it flicker.
Would you like a poetic summary of this quantum gaze? Or a reflection on how this fits within your 菊次郎十六式 cosmology?
