Millard Baublitz
Millard Baublitz
Associate Professor of Natural Science
BS (physics & astronomy), University of Maryland; PhD (physics), Cornell University
baublitz@bu.edu
Research interests: foundations of quantum mechanics, X-ray diffraction, solids at high pressures
In 2003, Professor Baublitz won the Peyton Richter Award for excellence in interdisciplinary teaching.
Since he joined the College of General Studies in 1988, his primary research interest has been the foundations of quantum mechanics. He is actively exploring theoretical problems related to quantum decoherence and unsharp observables.
Quantum mechanics is a spectacularly successful theory, and a multitude of experimental results have confirmed quantum mechanics. Most physicists have concluded that an entire class of alternative theories, the local realistic theories, are no longer viable because of Bell’s theorem and the empirical results. On the other hand, some physicists continue to advocate such alternative theories due to what they perceive as “loopholes” in Bell’s theorem.
While at the College of General Studies in 1993–1995, Baublitz demonstrated that a low temperature electron tunneling experiment, which is not subject to the “loopholes” of Bell’s theorem, is in agreement with quantum theory and eliminates a subset of alternative theories.
Baublitz has written critiques of Bohmian mechanics, which some have advocated as an alternative theory to quantum mechanics. He also has published a journal article that placed stringent limitations on other alternatives to orthodox quantum mechanics, which would permit different values of the Planck Constant for different types of subatomic particles.
Baublitz held professional positions at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Cornell University, and Polaroid Corporation prior to joining the faculty of Boston University. His research activities at Goddard Space Flight Center concentrated on the remote sensing of water by unmanned satellites and the experimental determination of microwave dielectric constants of composite materials.
During his PhD thesis research at Cornell University, Baublitz demonstrated the practicality of energy dispersive x-ray diffraction from high-pressure polycrystalline solids using a synchrotron radiation source.
He also derived an equation, which is sometimes called the Baublitz-Arnold-Ruoff equation, to analyze the x-ray diffraction patterns from high-pressure solids. Both the experimental technique and the Baublitz-Arnold-Ruoff equation have been used successfully by dozens of research groups in physics, chemistry, geophysics, and materials science, and Baublitz’s research on solids at very high pressures has been cited in hundreds of publications and review articles.
- “Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy: A Test of Quantum Mechanics,” Millard Baublitz, Physical Review A 47, 2423–2426 (1993)
- “Electron Field-Emission Data, Quantum Mechanics, and the Classical Stochastic Theories,” Millard Baublitz, Physical Review A 51,
1677–1679 (1995) - “Limitations on the Possibility of Distinct Planck Constants,” M. Baublitz, Il Nuovo Cimento B 110, 121–124 (1995).