"God is playing dice with the universe," writes Einstein in a letter about his talents with quantum theory

Three letters written by Albert Einstein in 1945 are auctioned and offer intriguing insights from critics of renowned physicists about how scientists interpret physics at the quantum level.

The letters, which were sent to Caltech's theoretical physicist Paul Epstein, describe Einstein's scruples about quantum theory, which he described as "incomplete" in a letter.

Another letter details the thought experiment that led to a quantum concept called "remote phantasmagoric action" – when separate particles behave as if they were related. [Gallery: See Photos of Einstein’s Brain]

The letters – eight pages of German writing and hand drawn diagrams – will be auctioned at Christie's in New York today (June 12) at 2 pm. AND, as part of the auction "Fine printed books and manuscripts, including Americana".

Einstein's words in the letters demonstrate his difficult relationship with quantum physics, or theories that describe the world of the very small (the atoms and subatomic particles that they contain). For decades, he ran into physicist Niels Bohr, whose views on the functioning of the quantum world asserted that particles behave differently when they are observed.

This introduces a fundamental element of uncertainty into the behavior of quantum particles; Einstein firmly rejected this perspective. Instead, Einstein argued that the rules for even tiny particles must be consistent whether the particles are observed or not.

"God tirelessly plays dice"

Einstein described his "private opinion" on quantum physics in one of 1945 's letters by referring to a phrase that he had already made famous: "God does not play dice with l'. universe". In the letter, he wrote: "God tirelessly plays dice according to the laws that he himself has prescribed". This variation clarified his argument that quantum particles had to adhere to some rules that did not change randomly, and that the quantum world required better explanations of particle behavior, as described in the article.

While Einstein admitted in the letter that quantum theory in its present form was "an extremely successful experiment", he added that it had been undertaken "with insufficient means". [The 18 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics]

In another letter written on November 8, 1945, Einstein traces the origins of his thought experiment behind quantum entanglement, using text and diagrams to explain how he imagined it for the first time. Einstein presented this idea in an article published in 1935; The concept – co-written with Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen – has become the paradox of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR), or spooky action at a distance, according to the American Physical Society.

Einstein and his colleagues wanted to show that this paradox had inherent flaws in the perception of the quantum world. When Epstein responded to Einstein's letter of November 8 with skepticism, Einstein reworked the REP paradox, sending another version of the thought experiment in a letter dated November 28, 1945.

He concluded the letter by reiterating his long-time criticism of the idea that the quantum realm could not be definitively described, saying "it is this vision against which my instinct is rebelling".

However, recent experiments have suggested that despite Einstein's protests, particle behavior at the quantum level is probably influenced by randomness after all.

Together, the letters should bring in more than $ 200,000 at the auction, according to the Christie's website.

Originally published on Science live.