October 20, 1914 – March 16, 2015
Evert Jan Post
[Note: Evert Jan Post passed away in Los Angeles, California, on March 16, 2015, at the age of 100.]
Evert Jan Post is a theoretical physicist living in California. He works in the area of quantum mechanics and is a voice crying in the wilderness.
Unfortunately, although he is a dear friend and quasi-relative of mine, I don’t understand what he so passionately needs to get across because my own background in Physics is actually non-existent. Although an academic myself, my field was in the Humanities instead.
But what I hear loud and clear is his frustration at not being heard by the Physics Community, which seems to have well-entrenched ideas and a hierarchy of self-preservation that prevents opposing viewpoints from being aired.
There are many reasons trying to be heard is difficult.
First of all, Jan (as we call him) is now over 100 years old and no longer associated with any university or source of funding. Secondly, he has a dissenting point of view about a topic so esoteric that few people can understand it.
His book, “Quantum Reprogramming”, published in 1995, is large (322 pages in hardcover) and expensive, suitable for academic libraries more than in the direct hands of its stated audience: “Students of physics, mathematics, philosophers as well as outsiders with a general interest in the conceptual development of physics”.
Finally, Jan’s ideas counter mainstream physics and people have earned Nobel prizes for the generally accepted theories— principally the Copenhagen interpretation of the Schrödinger equation. (Whatever that means!)
As I understand it, one of his key ideas is related to something known as the Quantum-Hall Effect. The currently accepted point of view is that the only way to describe the perceived behavior of certain atomic wave particles is the “Fractional Quantum-Hall Effect”. Jan says that there is a misunderstanding of the mathematics involved and that there is no need for a “fractional” Quantum-Hall Effect in this instance, that an “integer” Quantum-Hall Effect is sufficient.
As someone totally ignorant of what is involved in proving or disproving such a theory, I can only say, I hope he is right. I like the idea of a universe that works in integers. I wish Jan could be recognized for his contribution (even if it might not have major implications), just because he cares so much about it.
I have a fantasy that someday— unfortunately probably after he is gone— that people will look back and realize that he was right. I only wish someone would realize it now and be able to say something about it out loud, before we lose him. Or before someone else comes up with a similar idea and gets all the credit.
Jan’s book, “Quantum Reprogramming. Ensemble and Single Systems: A Two-Tier Approach to Quantum Mechanics”, was published July 31, 1995, under the name “E.J. Post”, by Springer Netherlands.
The hardcover copy of Jan’s book is available on Amazon.com ($223.33 new), and Barnes & Noble ($221.09). Although it is also available as a reprint in paperback ($227.06 on Barnes & Noble), his book is not available electronically.
The book is Book 181 of the “Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science” series. ISBN-10: 0792335651, ISBN-13: 978-0792335658
I very much appreciate short write-up on Late Professor E J Post with whom I had numerous communications via airmail and then in recent years by email. I had the privilege to review his book Quantum Reprogramming for the journal Physics Essays. I had recently sent him my essay review “Demystifying the riddle of quantum physics” published in Contemporary Physics (UK). He could not download it properly; I had re-sent it but then his son gave me the sad news that he had passed away.
I reproduce few sentences from Contemporary Physics Essay Review below:
“It may be reminded that de Broglie distanced himself
from CI and asserted that he had instead in mind ‘the
coexistence of particles and waves’ [33]. Landé, critical
of ‘ideology’ and ‘idolatry of authorities’ rejects duality
of CI offering an alternative in terms of nonquantal pos-
tulates and unitary view of QM [33]; relatively recently
Post severely critical of CI proposes a novel alternative
termed as quantum cohomology [34].”
Note: CI – Copenhagen Interpretation; reference [34] E J Post, Quantum Reprogramming.
He was dedicated to free physics from the prevailing fantasy – especially in quantum physics. His ideas deserve to be known to young generation.
S. C. TIWARI, VISITING PROFESSOR,
Deaprtment of Physics, BHU,
and Institute of Natural Philosophy, Varanasi, India