4/17/2006

The Meaning of Non-local

In Quantum Theory there is a concept known as non-local.  An electron’s Quantum field, for example, is said to be non-local before that field collapses to form the electron we know from classical physics.  While existing as a quantum field the electron is present everywhere in the universe at the same time.  It is said to be “non-local”.

Scientists can use Quantum Mechanics to predict the probability of where an electron will appear when it’s quantum field collapses, but they cannot predict with certainty.  They may predict with a 99.9999999999 % probability that the electron will appear at a given point in space but there is still a .0000000001 % probability that it might appear a billion light years from that point. 

This concept sounds a little weird, but actually it has been around for several thousand years, long before Quantum Theory was developed, and it is quite widely accepted.  In the past, however, we have called it “Omnipresence” and have attributed it only to God.  Now, with Quantum Theory, we attribute it to lots of things, even the lowly electron.  So is an electron’s Quantum field “Omnipresent”, or is God “non-local”?  Or are they both, both?