University of California, Berkeley, scientists have proved a
fundamental relationship between energy and time that sets a “quantum speed
limit” on processes ranging from quantum computing and tunneling to optical
switching.
The energy-time uncertainty relationship is the flip side of
the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which sets limits on how precisely you
can measure position and speed, and has been the bedrock of quantum mechanics
for nearly 100 years. It has become so well-known that it has infected
literature and popular culture with the idea that the act of observing affects
what we observe.