Beyond measure : modern physics, philosophy, and the meaning of quantum theory

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Title:

Personal Author:

Baggott, Jim

Publication Information:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2004

ISBN:

9780198529279

Subject Term:

Quantum theory

Physics -- Philosophy

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Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010069291	QC174.12 B334 2004	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

Quantum theory is one of the most important and successful theories of modern physical science. It has been estimated that its principles form the basis for about 30 per cent of the world's manufacturing economy. This is all the more remarkable because quantum theory is a theory that nobody understands. Baggott brings the reader up to date with the results of experimental tests of quantum non-locality and complementarity that have been successfully he also reviews the latest thinking on alternative interpretations - pilot waves, decoherence, consciousness, many worlds and God - and the frontiers of quantum cosmology, quantum gravity and potential applications of quantum entanglement in computing, cryptography and teleportation. Quantum theory emerges largely unscathed, only serving to reinforce the point that the theory remains the most powerful framework for explaining observations of the quantum world, but that its orthodox interpretation continues to offer little in the way of understanding in terms of underlying physical processes. Quantum theory remains a mysterious theoretical black top hat from which white rabbits continue to be pulled. Students are usually advised not to ask how this particular conjuring trick is done.

Author Notes

Dr James Baggott199 Beech Lane, Earley, Reading RG6 5UP07775 940 2560118 9212 134jim@logosconsulting.co.ukThe author has written many popular science articles for newspapers (Independent, Daily Telegraph) and popular science magazines such as New Scientist. He has also appeared on a couple of radio programmes dealing with quantum theory (the last time for a series aired on BBC Radio 4 in late 1999).

Reviews 1

Choice Review

Baggott takes readers from early-20th-century experiments that lead to quantum mechanics through the development of the theory and the problems associated with interpretation. He does a good job of helping readers realize that it is a very successful theory in making physical predictions but is still not well understood. This is what makes quantum mechanics so intriguing to physicists, philosophers, and general readers. Baggott shows the wide range of applications of quantum theory and how there are interpretation problems. He also goes on to explain that the attempted fixes are not satisfying and takes readers right to the edge of modern philosophical thought. This is not an easy read. Persons with little background in physics will need to go slowly or even possibly seek simpler references. A strength of the book is that the mathematics is put into appendixes so that the calculations can be easily skipped. This is much better than some competing works that advise readers to simply skip technical sections. This book will also interest physicists who would like a physical and philosophical survey of quantum theory. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers. E. Kincanon Gonzaga University

Peter Atkins

Foreword	p. xiii
Preface	p. xv
Part I Discovery
1 An act of desperation	p. 3
Newton's legacy	p. 4
Light at the turn of the century	p. 5
Black-body radiation and the ultraviolet catastrophe	p. 9
Planck's radiation formula	p. 12
Quanta	p. 15
This is wrong...	p. 18
Bohr's theory of the atom	p. 19
Discontinuous physics	p. 22
2 Farewell to certainty	p. 24
Wave-particle duality	p. 24
Einstein and Bohr in conflict	p. 27
Postscript: electron diffraction and interference	p. 27
Wave mechanics	p. 28
Interpreting the wave functions	p. 31
Matrix mechanics	p. 34
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle	p. 36
3 An absolute wonder	p. 40
Pauli's exclusion principle and the self-rotating electron	p. 41
Electron spin	p. 42
Dirac's theory	p. 43
Quantum electrodynamics	p. 45
Shelter Island	p. 47
Sum-over-histories	p. 47
Feynman diagrams	p. 49
Quarks and the standard model	p. 53
Part II Formalism
4 Quantum rules	p. 59
The axiomatization of physics	p. 61
Vector spaces	p. 62
Quantum states	p. 64
Operators and observables	p. 65
Complementary observables	p. 66
The time evolution of state vectors	p. 67
The expansion theorem	p. 68
Projection amplitudes	p. 70
Indistinguishable particles	p. 71
Fermions and bosons	p. 72
5 Quantum measurement	p. 75
Quantum probabilities	p. 76
Linear polarization	p. 78
Photon-polarization states	p. 79
Photon spin	p. 80
Von Neumann's theory of measurement	p. 83
The 'collapse of the wavefunction'	p. 84
State preparation	p. 86
Entangled states	p. 87
Which way did it go?	p. 89
The bomb factory	p. 90
Part III Meaning
6 The schism	p. 97
The scientific method	p. 98
The problem of induction	p. 99
Logical positivism and the rejection of metaphysics	p. 101
The Copenhagen interpretation	p. 103
Complementarity	p. 106
There is no quantum world	p. 108
The aim and structure of physical theory	p. 109
Social constructivism and incommensurability	p. 112
The rational character of reality	p. 114
The schism: realism versus anti-realism	p. 116
7 A bolt from the blue	p. 120
The fifth Solvay Conference	p. 121
Is quantum mechanics consistent?	p. 123
The photon box experiment	p. 126
Is quantum mechanics complete?	p. 129
A reasonable definition of reality	p. 131
Spooky action at a distance	p. 132
Einstein attacks quantum theory	p. 132
Einstein separability	p. 134
Entangled states and Schrodinger's cat	p. 135
Summary	p. 138
8 Bell's theorem and local reality	p. 140
Einstein on hidden variables	p. 141
A simple example	p. 142
Von Neumann's 'impossibility proof'	p. 144
Bohm's version of the EPR experiment	p. 146
Correlated photons	p. 148
Quantum versus hidden variable correlations	p. 150
Bell's theorem	p. 153
Generalization of Bell's inequality	p. 158
Part IV Experiment
9 Quantum non-locality	p. 163
Cascade emission	p. 164
The Aspect experiments	p. 165
Parametric down-conversion	p. 169
Long-distance entanglement	p. 170
How fast is 'instantaneous'?	p. 171
Testing non-locality without inequalities	p. 171
Closing the locality loophole	p. 176
Closing the efficiency loophole	p. 178
10 Complementarity and entanglement	p. 181
Delayed choice	p. 182
Wheeler's 'Great Smoky Dragon'	p. 184
Watching the electrons	p. 185
The one-atom maser	p. 188
Which way did it go (again)?	p. 189
But what if we don't look?	p. 191
Scully's pizza	p. 193
Superluminal communications?	p. 197
Qubits and quantum computing	p. 198
Quantum cryptography	p. 200
Quantum teleportation	p. 201
Was Einstein wrong?	p. 202
Was Bohr right?	p. 203
Part V Alternatives
11 Pilot waves, potentials, and propensities	p. 207
De Broglie's pilot waves	p. 209
Quantum potentials	p. 210
A causal explanation of quantum phenomena	p. 212
Quantum theory and historical contingency	p. 216
The implicate order	p. 218
Popper's propensities	p. 219
12 An irreversible act	p. 223
The arrow of time	p. 224
Time asymmetry and quantum measurement	p. 226
From being to becoming	p. 227
Decoherence	p. 228
The problem of objectification	p. 233
GRW theory	p. 234
Penrose and the geometry of space-time	p. 236
Macroscopic realism	p. 237
Superpositions of distinct macroscopic states	p. 238
13 I think, therefore...	p. 242
Von Neumann's theory of measurement (revisited)	p. 242
Wigner's friend	p. 244
The ghost in the machine	p. 245
Multiple drafts	p. 247
The physical basis of consciousness	p. 249
Al	p. 252
Consciousness and objective reduction	p. 254
Free will and determinism	p. 255
The mind of God?	p. 257
14 Many worlds, one universe	p. 263
Relative states	p. 264
The branching world	p. 265
'Schizophrenia' with a vengeance	p. 266
Parallel worlds and 'schizophrenic' neutrons	p. 267
The non-existence of non-locality	p. 270
Quantum suicide: dead again?	p. 272
Time travel	p. 273
Many minds	p. 275
The quantum theory of the universe	p. 276
Consistent histories	p. 279
Quantum gravity	p. 283
Closing remarks	p. 286
Appendices	p. 289
1 Maxwell's equations and the speed of light	p. 291
2 Black-body radiation and the origin of the quantum	p. 294
3 Atomic theory and the emergence of quantum numbers	p. 297
4 Special relativity and de Broglie's hypothesis	p. 300
5 Schrodinger's wave equation	p. 302
6 Dirac's relativistic quantum theory of the electron	p. 305
7 The expectation value	p. 307
8 Complementary observables and the uncertainty principle	p. 309
9 The expansion theorem and quantum projections	p. 311
10 State vectors and classical unit vectors	p. 314
11 Quantum indistinguishability: fermions and bosons	p. 316
12 Projection amplitudes for photon-polarization states	p. 318
13 Quantum measurement and expectation values	p. 322
14 Complementary observables of two-particle states	p. 324
15 Quantum measurement and the infinite regress	p. 325
16 Von Neumann's 'impossibility proof'	p. 327
17 Photon spin correlations	p. 329
18 Quantum versus local hidden variable correlations	p. 332
19 Bell's inequality	p. 335
20 Bell's inequality for non-ideal cases	p. 337
21 Three-photon GHZ states	p. 339
22 The Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt form of Bell's inequality	p. 343
23 'Which Way' versus interference: testing complementarity	p. 345
24 The quantum eraser	p. 347
25 Beam me up, Scotty	p. 350
26 The de Broglie-Bohm theory	p. 352
27 Neutron worlds	p. 355
Bibliography	p. 357
Name Index	p. 365
Subject Index	p. 371

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