Re: How can Quantum Jumps happen instantaneousl

 Q:If Special Relativity predicts that nothing can travel faster than 
light, how can Quantum jumps be instantaneous? Is this one of the 
discrepancies between Relativity and Quantum mechanics?
 Q:Could Quantum jumps be used to transmit information faster than light?

Note: I'm using "^" as an exponent operator.

No, I do not think you will find a discrepancy here. Excellent question, 
though, and the resolution lies in understanding the Heisenberg Uncertainty 
Principle. It states that the product in uncertainty of two conjugate 
quantum variables will be greater than Plank's constant divided by 4 pi. 
Plank's constant is 1.054 x 10^(-34)J-sec. Notice the units, energy 
multiplied by time or (kg-m^2/sec^2)(sec). Energy and time are conjugate, 
so the uncertainty regarding time of a transition from one state to another 
multiplied by the uncertainty in the energy will be greater than 1.024 x 
10^(-34) J-sec. The only way that you can make the time for the transition 
small is to increase the uncertainty regarding the energy. That may not be 
feasible if the quantum states are specifed realistically.

There have been a lot of incorrect interpretation of Heisnberg's principle. 
It does not mean that "everything is uncertain", just as the Special Theory 
of Relativity does not mean that "everything is relative".  They each make 
very precise and verifiable predictions about how matter, energy, space and 
time are related. Planck's constant is pretty small, so the level of 
uncertainty is not too great, unless you are at very small scales or small 
masses. Just for the record, another conjugate pair of variables are 
momentum and position. The units can also be expressed as (kg-m/sec)(m) 
which are the same as above. The typical explanation for the uncertainty 
relations uses the change in momentum induced by a measuring photon. I have 
become increasingly dissatisfied with that explanation as I have 
gotten older, since it does not extend well to the energy-time question and 
I think the relation is more fundamentally built into the operator algebra 
of quantum mechanics.

I have never heard of a plausible mechanism for  transmitting information 
using quantum mechanics. The two theories generally put mutual constraints 
on what is physically possible.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Gehen Sie herien. The original..(Apologies for my 
poor memory and poorer still study habits in college German.) 
 aip.org 

Or go here: 
 ufl.edu 

Or look at this nice 4 page essay: 
 msu.edu 

David Winsemius, MD