Chapter 225: The Sound of the Quantum World

The review process of “The Journal of Magical Theory” had always been known for its rigor and length.

Any paper submitted here required anonymous review by at least three mages of the Seventh Circle or higher in the same field.

If the paper’s content involved a major challenge to the existing theoretical system, the rank of the review panel would even be elevated to Ninth-Circle Archmages.

Heisenberg’s paper caused a massive stir as soon as it entered the review process.

The first reviewer was a Seventh-Circle Master of Theoretical Physics from the Royal Academy of Sciences.

He spent three days trying to decipher the paper.

In the end, he left only a single sentence in his review comments: “The entire piece is filled with unintelligible matrix operations; I even suspect the author mistakenly submitted a table of alchemical recipes to us.”

The second reviewer, also a senior Seventh-Circle mage, was even more vehement in his stance.

“This is a desecration of physics! Physics is a science built upon intuitive images and clear causality, not a game of mathematical symbols devoid of physical meaning. I suggest an immediate rejection and an investigation into the author’s mental state.”

These two review comments, laden with negative evaluations, put the Editor-in-Chief of “The Journal of Magical Theory” in a difficult position.

According to the rules, he could have already made the decision to reject the paper.

However, the calculation results in the paper, which aligned astonishingly well with experimental data, made him hesitate.

Ultimately, he decided to hand this hot potato to the Vice President of the Theoretical Review Committee, Ninth-Circle Archmage Horace Eisenberg.

Horace was the kingdom’s universally recognized authority on mathematics and one of the creators of the atomic model.

It was only fitting for him to decide the fate of this paper.

At the Eisenberg estate, Horace received the manuscript sent via magical transmission.

He was immediately interested upon seeing the title.

“A quantum-theoretical interpretation?” He stroked his white beard and began to read with great interest.

However, as he read deeper, the expression on his face gradually shifted from curiosity to confusion, and finally turned into profound solemnity.

The paper was riddled with a vast amount of matrix operations he had never seen before.

The author expressed fundamental concepts of the physical world, such as position and momentum, in an extremely abstract mathematical form, completely discarding any intuitive images of classical physics.

This was a massive shock to a classical physicist who believed in geometry and intuition.

“This is simply the raving of a lunatic,” Horace muttered, putting down the manuscript and rubbing his aching temples.

But unlike the previous two reviewers, he did not jump to a hasty conclusion.

He noticed the section at the end of the paper concerning the calculations of the hydrogen atom’s spectrum.

He picked up his pen and personally verified the calculations.

When he discovered that the results of this seemingly absurd theory were identical to experimental data down to the last detail, he fell into a long silence.

Mathematics does not lie.

An incorrect theory cannot be perfectly self-consistent in logic, let alone accurately predict experimental results.

Something profound, which he had not yet understood, was surely hidden within this paper.

For the next few days, Horace locked himself in his study.

Among his collection, he found a copy of Arthur Cayley’s manuscript, “Foundations of Linear Transformations”—the very one Heisenberg regarded as a treasure.

He began to learn matrix algebra from scratch.

For a Ninth-Circle Archmage, mastering a new mathematical tool was not a difficult task.

Soon, he understood the rules of matrix operations and the essence of their non-commutativity.

When he picked up Heisenberg’s paper again, the world in his eyes had completely changed.

Those philosophical assumptions that once seemed to refute all experience now felt logical.

Those symbols that had once appeared unintelligible had now transformed into clear and rigorous logical chains.

He finally understood.

Heisenberg was not playing mathematical games.

He was using a brand-new language to describe the physical laws of the microscopic world.

In this language, terms like “orbit” and “trajectory” fundamentally did not exist.

In their place was the evolution of states, the transition of probabilities, and the inherent uncertainty between physical quantities determined by non-commutativity.

“A physics without images…” Horace murmured to himself, waves of shock surging in his heart.

This was an even greater impact than that brought by wave-particle duality.

Wave-particle duality at least allowed people to switch between two familiar images.

Heisenberg’s theory, however, completely destroyed all images.

He was telling people that the essence of the microscopic world was utterly beyond the reach of human intuition and daily experience.

It could only be described by abstract mathematics.

Horace knew that once this paper was published, it would trigger an earthquake more violent than the wave-particle war.

It would shake the very foundations of all physics, and even all philosophical thought.

He spent the entire night reflecting in his study.

The next morning, he made his decision.

He transmitted Heisenberg’s paper, along with his own study notes, to two people.

Klein of the Royal Capital’s Mage Tower.

And Lia Farrien, who was at Klein’s side.

He wanted to hear the opinions of these two young people.

Especially Lia, the girl who could always see into the heart of things.

At the top of the mage tower, Lia and Klein looked over the thick manuscript together.

Klein finished reading it quickly.

Although he was an Archmage with a mathematical understanding far beyond ordinary people, he had never encountered matrix algebra before, so it was still somewhat too abstract for him.

Thus, he turned to pick up Horace’s notes and began to study them earnestly.

Lia, however, read much more slowly.

She read word by word, a faint smile gradually appearing on her face.

When she saw the core non-commutation relation equation, a gleam of approval flashed in her eyes.

Lia picked up a pen and wrote a reply on the back of the letter Horace had sent.

“Respected Master Eisenberg, I believe Mister Heisenberg is not insane. He has simply heard the true voice of the quantum world earlier than any of us.”

“That world may not have landscapes we are familiar with, nor orbits where one can stroll, only cold mathematical structures.”

“But it is not the raving of a ghost; it is the solid foundation that constitutes the very bottom of our world.”

“As for whether it is still the world we know? I believe the world never changes; what changes constantly is only our perception.”

After receiving Lia’s reply, the last trace of doubt in Horace’s heart vanished.

With a bold stroke of his pen, he wrote his conclusion in the review comments.

“Recommended for publication. Furthermore, I suggest it be featured on the front page of ‘The Journal of Magical Theory’.”

“For this paper shall initiate a brand-new era.”

One month later, the special 300th-anniversary commemorative issue of “The Journal of Magical Theory” was officially released.

Heisenberg’s paper, “On the Quantum-Theoretical Re-interpretation of Kinematic and Mechanical Relations,” was placed in the most prominent first position.

The entire academic community of the capital fell into a deathly silence upon seeing this paper.

Then, a violent controversy erupted like a volcanic explosion.

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