Math & science · 1925
Quantum mechanics
Heisenberg and Schrodinger write the laws that govern atoms and light.
Matrix mechanics (1925) and the wave equation (1926), with Born's probability rule and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle (1927), explained chemistry and the solid state. Transistors, lasers and MRI all depend on it.
What it built on 2
What it led to 19
- Dirac equation and antimatter 1928
- Nuclear fission 1938
- Transistor 1947
- Quantum electrodynamics 1948
- Stellarator 1951
- Atomic clock 1955
- Laser 1960
- Magnetic resonance imaging 1973
- Intercalation cathodes 1976
- Bell tests of entanglement 1982
- Quantum computing proposal 1982
- High-temperature superconductors 1986
- Graphene 2004
- SI redefined by constants 2019
- Migdal effect observed 2026
- AI-driven materials discovery ~2030
- Fault-tolerant quantum computer ~2032
- Room-temperature superconductor ~2055
- Atomically precise manufacturing ~2058
Related measurements
The dashed line marks when it first worked.
Transistors per microprocessor Latest: 58.2B transistors (2021) Source: Our World in Data
Selected gate-model quantum processors Latest: 1.12k physical qubits (2023) Source: Wikipedia: Timeline of quantum computing and communication; Wikipedia: List of quantum processors