Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and Nobel Laureate, known for his pioneering work on quantum mechanics, particularly the Pauli exclusion principle. He is also famously associated with the "Pauli effect," a phenomenon where technical equipment inexplicably malfunctions or breaks in his presence[^1]. The Pauli effect was coined after numerous instances were noted where Pauli was present and technical equipment malfunctioned, fell, broke, or sustained unusual damage. For example, in February 1950, during a visit to Princeton University, the cyclotron Pauli had come to observe inexplicably caught fire[^1]. Pauli, along with psychiatrist [[Carl Jung]], had a lively conversation about [[Extrasensory Perception|ESP]] and [[Psychokinesis|PK]], discussing a paper by physicist Robert A. McConnell titled "ESP—Fact or Fancy?" Jung remarked on how some age-old mysteries never change, and that attempts to explain away seemingly miraculous results often fail against the facts[^1]. Pauli wrote an article on the subject titled "Background Physics," in which he discussed the relationships between physics, the conscious, and the unconscious[^1]. His association with Jung and his interest in the unconscious aspects of reality highlight a unique intersection of physics and parapsychology. ### Footnotes [^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.