Why Particles Don't Exist (Quirky Quantum, Assoc. Prof. Aleksey Cherman)

The fifth lecture in the Quirky Quantum 2026 Summer lecture series, delivered on July 21st, 2026 by Aleksey Cherman. Many textbooks claim that atoms and electrons are both particles and waves, but Prof. Aleksey Cherman argues that's not quite right. The real answer, quantum fields, explains everything from tabletop experiments to the deaths of stars. More on Quantum Field Theory: For those who attended (or watched the recording of) the summer talk: Why Particles Don’t Exist by Prof. Aleksey Cherman and would like to know more about Quantum Field Theory, here are some links and videos. An excellent intro to QFT in the video by Prof. David Tong:    • Quantum Fields: The Real Building Blocks o...   David Tong has a wonderful website with a wide range of public talks. You can find them all here: https://davidtong.org/ And if you’d like something with a bit more math, Prof. Sean Carroll’s public talk is here:    • The quantum revolution explained | with Se...