this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2025
34 points (97.2% liked)

Ask Science

12368 readers
9 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Do we have the technology to play minigolf using subatomic particles?

If the particles become waves when no one is looking that is ok a little cheating and magic is in the spirit of minigolf handwaving.

I am NOT talking about making a putter and golfball and snapping a cute shot I am dead serious I want to play the tiniest golf possible.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

So, the sport/game here is defined as having some moving element, which you're tasked with propelling through obstacles to some kind of capture point, which is the goal. Right?

I'm guessing the answer is a single electron in a series of semiconducting nanostructures at near-absolute zero, with a quantum dot as the hole. I'd assume there's some sort of way you could impart controlled momentum to the "ball" with a laser, and some way to measure where it is afterwards. Smaller than that, and we have pretty little control over what matter does.

Interference patterns as a strategic element could be kind of interesting. And, you'd have to relax any rules about waiting for the ball to stop, since by the uncertainty principle that can't happen.

[–] MysteriousSophon21@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The cooling reqiurement is a huge practical challenge - you'd need temps within a fraction of a degree of absolute zero to minimize thermal noise that would basically make your "ball" bounce around randomly like its constantly hitting invisible bumpers.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yep. Hopefully the dilution refrigerators they use for quantum computers would work. Electrons are also easier than more substantial particles to keep still IIRC.

In hindsight, it's obvious that the "club" should be an electrostatic field modulated in the RF range, not a laser. We've been carefully knocking electrons around with fields since Faraday, after all. The hardest part would be to incorporate a grid of minimally-invasive single electron detectors. And maybe the more whimsical obstacles, if you really want an electron windmill.