Ant-Man, a small but strong hero
If you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), you will not be able to forget the snap of fingers in 'Avengers: Infinity War,' which was released this April. How will the remaining heroes resolve this cosmic crisis? It is intriguing, but there is nothing you can do about it. You have to wait until next April for the sequel to be released. However, the anticipation can be somewhat satisfied, as 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' was released this July.

Ant-Man is a hero who fights by freely shrinking and growing himself and objects. Ant-Man delivered impressive performances in 'Ant-Man' as the lead and 'Captain America: Civil War' as a supporting character, but he did not appear in Infinity War. Where was Ant-Man and what was he doing while the other heroes were fighting to the death? You can find out the full story in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'.

The reason why 'quantum' can be attached anywhere
The word that audiences going to see 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' will likely hear the most is 'quantum.' It is so common that the protagonist even asks, "Do you just throw that word 'quantum' around anywhere?" Quantum energy, quantum realm, quantum mechanics, quantum superposition, quantum penetration, and so on. However, the reason 'quantum' is mentioned so persistently throughout the movie is that Ant-Man and quantum are inextricably linked.

True to his name, Ant-Man shrinks to the size of an ant, but if he sets his mind to it, he can become smaller than an atom. Ant-Man uses fictional Pym particles to contract and expand the distance between atoms, allowing him to shrink and grow. This is a statement made by Dr. Hank Pym, who developed the Pym particles in the movie. Wait, becoming smaller than an atom just by contracting and expanding the distance between atoms? Well, Ant-Man is a movie. It is a detail that can be overlooked as cinematic license. Still, couldn't Dr. Pym have just given a rough explanation due to time constraints? Couldn't he try shrinking other parts of the atom as well?

An atom consists of an atomic nucleus and electrons. The atomic nucleus is one hundred thousandth the size of the atom, and the electron is one thousandth the size of the atomic nucleus. For example, if an atom were a baseball field, the nucleus would be the baseball placed in the center, and the electron would be nothing more than dust far from the ball. If someone could enter an atom, it would be so empty that they would think there was nothing there. If Ant-Man could use Pym particles to shrink or expand the empty space between the nucleus and the electrons that make up himself and objects, it would be possible to become smaller than an atom. Without Pym particles, this would be impossible for us.

Anyway, Ant-Man deals with atoms. And quantum mechanics deals with a world smaller than the atomic and molecular scales.


Quantum mechanics and quantum
Quantum mechanics is called quantum mechanics in English, where the prefix "quantum" comes from the word "quantity." It refers to something existing in discrete, separated quantities. Mechanics is the field of learning how to express the motion and interactions of objects using mathematical formulas. In other words, quantum mechanics is the study of how discrete quantities move when subjected to a force.

Quantum mechanics provides accurate explanations for phenomena that cannot be explained by classical mechanics. Experiments up to the mid-19th century could be explained by Newton's classical mechanics. However, experiments involving subatomic particles conducted from the late 19th century onwards could not be explained by classical mechanics.

The concept of a quantum was introduced in the early 20th century by the German scientist Max Planck, who was studying blackbody radiation. According to him, a quantum is the energy within light, the energy of each individual light. (Later, Einstein discovered that each of these individual quanta is a photon.) Now that discussions on quantum mechanics have progressed to a certain extent, everything related to quantum mechanics is referred to as a quantum. It has established itself as a term referring to the smallest unit of quantity when a physical quantity—such as length, energy, momentum, or potential—does not take continuous values but can be expressed as an integer multiple of a specific minimum unit. There is a reason why the word "quantum" was used here and there throughout the movie.


For those who find quantum mechanics difficult
British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke wrote in his book, “Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” As I learn more about quanta and quantum mechanics, I find myself feeling infinitely small. Although they clearly exist in this world, it is utterly difficult to understand what they mean. Even in the Marvel movies, the only hero who shares the quantum realm with Ant-Man is Doctor Strange, a sorcerer who transcends science. To me, quanta and quantum mechanics feel just like indescribable magic.

Just as we understood the macroscopic world through classical mechanics in the past, we must now understand the microscopic world through quantum mechanics. But what if you can't understand it?