Quantum Enigma

Author: Bruce Rosenblum
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019979295X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 300

Book Description
In trying to understand the atom, physicists built quantum mechanics, the most successful theory in science and the basis of one-third of our economy. They found, to their embarrassment, that with their theory, physics encounters consciousness. Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner explain all this in non-technical terms with help from some fanciful stories and anecdotes about the theory's developers. They present the quantum mystery honestly, emphasizing what is and what is not speculation. Quantum Enigma's description of the experimental quantum facts, and the quantum theory explaining them, is undisputed. Interpreting what it all means, however, is heatedly controversial. But every interpretation of quantum physics involves consciousness. Rosenblum and Kuttner therefore turn to exploring consciousness itself--and encounter quantum mechanics. Free will and anthropic principles become crucial issues, and the connection of consciousness with the cosmos suggested by some leading quantum cosmologists is mind-blowing. Readers are brought to a boundary where the particular expertise of physicists is no longer the only sure guide. They will find, instead, the facts and hints provided by quantum mechanics and the ability to speculate for themselves. In the few decades since the Bell's theorem experiments established the existence of entanglement (Einstein's "spooky action"), interest in the foundations, and the mysteries, of quantum mechanics has accelerated. In recent years, physicists, philosophers, computer engineers, and even biologists have expanded our realization of the significance of quantum phenomena. This second edition includes such advances. The authors have also drawn on many responses from readers and instructors to improve the clarity of the book's explanations.

Elegance and Enigma

Author: Maximilian Schlosshauer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642208800
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 315

Book Description
Quantum mechanics is one of mankind's most remarkable intellectual achievements. Stunningly successful and elegant, it challenges our deepest intuitions about the world. In this book, seventeen physicists and philosophers, all deeply concerned with understanding quantum mechanics, reply to Schlosshauer's penetrating questions about the central issues. They grant us an intimate look at their radically different ways of making sense of the theory's strangeness. What is quantum mechanics about? What is it telling us about nature? Can quantum information or new experiments help lift the fog? And where are we headed next? Everyone interested in the contemporary but often longstanding conundrums of quantum theory, whether lay reader or expert, will find much food for thought in these pages. A wealth of personal reflections and anecdotes guarantee an engaging read. Participants: Guido Bacciagaluppi, Caslav Brukner, Jeffrey Bub, Arthur Fine, Christopher Fuchs, GianCarlo Ghirardi, Shelly Goldstein, Daniel Greenberger, Lucien Hardy, Anthony Leggett, Tim Maudlin, David Mermin, Lee Smolin, Antony Valentini, David Wallace, Anton Zeilinger, and Wojciech Zurek.

The Quantum Enigma

Author: Wolfgang Smith
Publisher: Sherwood Sugden
ISBN:
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Book Description
Following upon the overthrow of the classical world picture by the findings of quantum mechanics, physicists have proposed a broad gamut of alternative world views. The present book begins with the major recognition that each of these suffers from a certain "residual Cartesianism" that has been smuggled in, as it were, unconsciously. It turns out, moreover, that the moment one discards this hidden and problematic premise, quantum theory begins to "make sense" in a way that it never has before. As the author goes on to show, it now becomes possible, for the first time, to integrate the findings of quantum physics into a world view that is neither forced nor ad hoc, but conforms to the permanent intuitions of mankind. Surprisingly, this treatise can be read with pleasure and profit, not only by scientists, but also by readers previously unacquainted with the technical conceptions of physics or the quantum-reality literature.

Through Two Doors at Once

Author: Anil Ananthaswamy
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101986107
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
The intellectual adventure story of the "double-slit" experiment, showing how a sunbeam split into two paths first challenged our understanding of light and then the nature of reality itself--and continues to almost two hundred years later. Many of science's greatest minds have grappled with the simple yet elusive "double-slit" experiment. Thomas Young devised it in the early 1800s to show that light behaves like a wave, and in doing so opposed Isaac Newton. Nearly a century later, Albert Einstein showed that light comes in quanta, or particles, and the experiment became key to a fierce debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr over the nature of reality. Richard Feynman held that the double slit embodies the central mystery of the quantum world. Decade after decade, hypothesis after hypothesis, scientists have returned to this ingenious experiment to help them answer deeper and deeper questions about the fabric of the universe. How can a single particle behave both like a particle and a wave? Does a particle exist before we look at it, or does the very act of looking create reality? Are there hidden aspects to reality missing from the orthodox view of quantum physics? Is there a place where the quantum world ends and the familiar classical world of our daily lives begins, and if so, can we find it? And if there's no such place, then does the universe split into two each time a particle goes through the double slit? With his extraordinarily gifted eloquence, Anil Ananthaswamy travels around the world and through history, down to the smallest scales of physical reality we have yet fathomed. Through Two Doors at Once is the most fantastic voyage you can take.

Confronting the Quantum Enigma

Author: David J Kreiter
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780615482439
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description

Quantum Strangeness

Author: George S. Greenstein
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262039931
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 157

Book Description
A physicist's efforts to understand the enigma that is quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics is one of the glories of our age. The theory lies at the heart of modern society. Quantum mechanics is one of our most valuable forecasters—a “great predictor.” It has immeasurably altered our conception of the natural world. Its philosophical implications are earthshaking. But quantum mechanics steadfastly refuses to speak of many things; it deals in probabilities rather than giving explicit descriptions. It never explains. Einstein, one of its creators, considered the theory incomplete. Even now, many years after the creation of quantum mechanics, physicists continue to argue about it. Astrophysicist George Greenstein has been both fascinated and confused by quantum mechanics for his entire career. In this book, he describes, engagingly and accessibly, his efforts to understand the enigma that is quantum mechanics. The fastest route to the insight into the ultimate nature of reality revealed by quantum mechanics, Greenstein writes, is through Bell's Theorem, which concerns reality at the quantum level; and Bell's 1964 discovery drives Greenstein's quest. Greenstein recounts a scientific odyssey that begins with Einstein, continues with Bell, and culminates with today's push to develop an industry of quantum machines. Along the way, he discusses spin, entanglement, experimental metaphysics, and quantum teleportation, often with easy-to-grasp analogies. We have known for decades that the world of the quantum was strange, but, Greenstein says, not until John Bell came along did we know just how strange.

Reality vs Quantum Mysticism

Author: R. Curtis Arthur
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525574345
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 135

Book Description
Science has made tremendous advances in overcoming superstition and replacing “revealed truth” with proven factual truth. Quantum mechanics and the Theories of Relativity have contributed immensely to these advances. But, in spite of this, certain absurdities, referred to as the “quantum enigma”, have emerged from the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. This has been recognized by some physicists, but the absurdities have been largely ignored by most to the detriment of our understanding of the creation, evolution and nature of the universe. Albert Einstein himself felt quantum mechanics was incomplete and spent the last 3 or 4 decades of his life fighting the proponents of the absurdities. It has been claimed that Einstein lost this battle, but the author disagrees and provides proof of the opposite. Einstein may have made slight mistakes in developing his Theories of Relativity, however, that may have unintentionally contributed to the absurdities and the author’s work supports the statement that "Einstein may have been wrong just where most thought he was right and right just where most thought he was wrong." The author provides a new analysis of space and time and corrections to aspects of quantum mechanics and the Theories of Relativity that may eliminate the absurdities. This could provide a new understanding of the birth, evolution and nature of the universe and possible explanations for dark energy and dark matter. This is presented in a manner that can be understood and appreciated by all curious folks, not just physicists, and will help them understand their universe and the amazing things physicists have accomplished.

Helgoland

Author: Carlo Rovelli
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593328906
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Named a Best Book of 2021 by the Financial Times and a Best Science Book of 2021 by The Guardian “Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator… This is the place where science comes to life.” ―Neil Gaiman “One of the warmest, most elegant and most lucid interpreters to the laity of the dazzling enigmas of his discipline...[a] momentous book” ―John Banville, The Wall Street Journal A startling new look at quantum theory, from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Anaximander. One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland, he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving. Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics, setting off a century of scientific revolution. Full of alarming ideas (ghost waves, distant objects that seem to be magically connected, cats that appear both dead and alive), quantum physics has led to countless discoveries and technological advancements. Today our understanding of the world is based on this theory, yet it is still profoundly mysterious. As scientists and philosophers continue to fiercely debate the meaning of the theory, Rovelli argues that its most unsettling contradictions can be explained by seeing the world as fundamentally made of relationships rather than substances. We and everything around us exist only in our interactions with one another. This bold idea suggests new directions for thinking about the structure of reality and even the nature of consciousness. Rovelli makes learning about quantum mechanics an almost psychedelic experience. Shifting our perspective once again, he takes us on a riveting journey through the universe so we can better comprehend our place in it.

Quantum Entanglement

Author: Jed Brody
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262357623
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 186

Book Description
A concise, non-technical exploration of quantum entanglement—the enigma Albert Einstein called ‘spooky action at a distance’—and how it contradicts our assumptions about the ultimate nature of reality. Quantum physics is notable for its brazen defiance of common sense. (Think of Schrödinger's Cat, famously both dead and alive.) An especially rigorous form of quantum contradiction occurs in experiments with entangled particles. Our common assumption is that objects have properties whether or not anyone is observing them, and the measurement of one can’t affect the other. Quantum entanglement—called by Einstein “spooky action at a distance”—rejects this assumption, offering impeccable reasoning and irrefutable evidence of the opposite. Is quantum entanglement mystical, or just mystifying? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Jed Brody equips readers to decide for themselves. He explains how our commonsense assumptions impose constraints—from which entangled particles break free. Brody explores such concepts as local realism, Bell’s inequality, polarization, time dilation, and special relativity. He introduces readers to imaginary physicists Alice and Bob and their photon analyses; points out that it's easier to reject falsehood than establish the truth; and reports that some physicists explain entanglement by arguing that we live in a cross-section of a higher-dimensional reality. He examines a variety of viewpoints held by physicists, including quantum decoherence, Niels Bohr's Copenhagen interpretation, genuine fortuitousness, and QBism. This relatively recent interpretation, an abbreviation of “quantum Bayesianism,” holds that there's no such thing as an absolutely accurate, objective probability “out there,” that quantum mechanical probabilities are subjective judgments, and there's no “action at a distance,” spooky or otherwise.

Coding Theory and Cryptography

Author: David Joyner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642596630
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Book Description
These are the proceedings of the Conference on Coding Theory, Cryptography, and Number Theory held at the U. S. Naval Academy during October 25-26, 1998. This book concerns elementary and advanced aspects of coding theory and cryptography. The coding theory contributions deal mostly with algebraic coding theory. Some of these papers are expository, whereas others are the result of original research. The emphasis is on geometric Goppa codes (Shokrollahi, Shokranian-Joyner), but there is also a paper on codes arising from combinatorial constructions (Michael). There are both, historical and mathematical papers on cryptography. Several of the contributions on cryptography describe the work done by the British and their allies during World War II to crack the German and Japanese ciphers (Hamer, Hilton, Tutte, Weierud, Urling). Some mathematical aspects of the Enigma rotor machine (Sherman) and more recent research on quantum cryptography (Lomonoco) are described. There are two papers concerned with the RSA cryptosystem and related number-theoretic issues (Wardlaw, Cosgrave).