Beyond Measure Modern Physics, Philosophy, and the Meaning of Quantum Theory

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ISBN: 9780198525363 | 0198525362
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 1/1/2004

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Summary

Supplemental Materials

Foreword by Peter Atkins

Preface

Part I: Discovery

1. An Act of Desperation

2. Farewell to Certainty

3. An Absolute Wonder

Part II: Formalism

4. Quantum Rules

Foreword by Peter Atkins

xiii

Preface

Part I Discovery

1 An act of desperation

(21)

Newton's legacy

(1)

Light at the turn of the century

(4)

Black-body radiation and the ultraviolet catastrophe

(3)

Planck's radiation formula

(3)

Quanta

(3)

This is wrong...

(1)

Bohr's theory of the atom

(3)

Discontinuous physics

(2)

2 Farewell to certainty

(16)

Wave-particle duality

(3)

Einstein and Bohr in conflict

(1)

Postscript: electron diffraction and interference

(1)

Wave mechanics

(3)

Interpreting the wave functions

(3)

Matrix mechanics

(2)

Heisenbergs uncertainty principle

(4)

3 An absolute wonder

(19)

Pauli's exclusion principle and the self-rotating electron

(1)

Electron spin

(1)

Dirac's theory

(2)

Quantum electrodynamics

(2)

Shelter Island

(1)

Sum-over-histories

(2)

Feynman diagrams

(4)

Quarks and the standard model

(6)

Part II Formalism

4 Quantum rules

(16)

The axiomatization of physics

(1)

Vector spaces

(2)

Quantum states

(1)

Operators and observables

(1)

Complementary observables

(1)

The time evolution of state vectors

(1)

The expansion theorem

(2)

Projection amplitudes

(1)

Indistinguishable particles

(1)

Fermions and bosons

(3)

5 Quantum measurement

(22)

Quantum probabilities

(2)

Linear polarization

(1)

Photon-polarization states

(1)

Photon spin

(3)

Von Neumann's theory of measurement

(1)

The 'collapse of the wave function'

(2)

State preparation

(1)

Entangled states

(2)

Which way did it go?

(1)

The bomb factory

(7)

Part III Meaning

6 The schism

(23)

The scientific method

(1)

The problem of induction

(2)

Logical positivism and the rejection of metaphysics

101

(2)

The Copenhagen interpretation

103

(3)

Complementarity

106

(2)

There is no quantum world

108

(1)

The aim and structure of physical theory

109

(3)

Social constructivism and incommensurability

112

(2)

The rational character of reality

114

(2)

The schism: realism versus anti-realism

116

(4)

7 A bolt from the blue

120

(20)

The fifth Solvay Conference

121

(2)

Is quantum mechanics consistent?

123

(3)

The photon box experiment

126

(3)

Is quantum mechanics complete?

129

(2)

A reasonable definition of reality

131

(1)

Spooky action at a distance

132

(1)

Einstein attacks quantum theory

132

(2)

Einstein separability

134

(1)

Entangled states and Schrödinger's cat

135

(3)

Summary

138

(2)

8 Bell's theorem and local reality

140

(23)

Einstein on hidden variables

141

(1)

A simple example

142

(2)

Von Neumann's 'impossibility proof'

144

(2)

Bohm's version of the EPR experiment

146

(2)

Correlated photons

148

(2)

Quantum versus hidden variable correlations

150

(3)

Bell's theorem

153

(5)

Generalization of Bell's inequality

158

(5)

Part IV Experiment

9 Quantum non-locality

163

(100)

Cascade emission

164

(1)

The Aspect experiments

165

(4)

Parametric down-conversion

169

(1)

Long-distance entanglement

170

(1)

How fast is 'instantaneous'?

171

(1)

Testing non-locality without inequalities

171

(5)

Closing the locality loophole

176

(2)

Closing the efficiency loophole

178

(3)

10 Complementarity and entanglement

181

(26)

Delayed choice

182

(2)

Wheeler's 'Great smoky Dragon'

184

(1)

Watching the electrons

185

(3)

The one-atom maser

188

(1)

Which way did it go (again)?

189

(2)

But what if we don't look?

191

(2)

Scully's pizza

193

(4)

Superluminal communications?

197

(1)

Qubits and quantum computing

198

(2)

Quantum cryptography

200

(1)

Quantum teleportation

201

(1)

Was Einstein wrong?

202

(1)

Was Bohr right?

203

(4)

Part V Alternatives

11 Pilot waves, potentials, and propensities

207

(16)

De Brogue's pilot waves

209

(1)

Quantum potentials

210

(2)

A causal explanation of quantum phenomena

212

(4)

Quantum theory and historical contingency

216

(2)

The implicate order

218

(1)

Popper's propensities

219

(4)

12 An irreversible act

223

(19)

The arrow of time

224

(2)

Time asymmetry and quantum measurement

226

(1)

From being to becoming

227

(1)

Decoherence

228

(5)

The problem of objectification

233

(1)

GRW theory

234

(2)

Penrose and the geometry of space-time

236

(1)

Macroscopic realism

237

(1)

Superpositions of distinct macroscopic states

238

(4)

13 I think, therefore...

242

(21)

Von Neumann's theory of measurement (revisited)

242

(2)

Wigner's friend

244

(1)

The ghost in the machine

245

(2)

Multiple drafts

247

(2)

The physical basis of consciousness

249

(3)

252

(2)

Consciousness and objective reduction

254

(1)

Free will and determinism

255

(2)

The mind of God?

257

(6)

14 Many worlds, one universe

263

(26)

Relative states

264

(1)

The branching world

265

(1)

'Schizophrenia' with a vengeance

266

(1)

Parallel worlds and 'schizophrenic' neutrons

267

(3)

The non-existence of non-locality

270

(2)

Quantum suicide: dead again?

272

(1)

Time travel

273

(2)

Many minds

275

(1)

The quantum theory of the universe

276

(3)

Consistent histories

279

(4)

Quantum gravity

283

(3)

Closing remarks

286

(3)

Appendices

289

(68)

1 Maxwell's equations and the speed of light

291

(3)

2 Black-body radiation and the origin of the quantum

294

(3)

3 Atomic theory and the emergence of quantum numbers

297

(3)

4 Special relativity and de Brogue's hypothesis

300

(2)

5 Schrödinger's wave equation

302

(3)

6 Dirac's relativistic quantum theory of the electron

305

(2)

7 The expectation value

307

(2)

8 Complementary observables and the uncertainty principle

309

(2)

9 The expansion theorem and quantum projections

311

(3)

10 state vectors and classical unit vectors

314

(2)

11 Quantum indistinguishabiiity: fermions and bosons

316

(2)

12 Projection amplitudes for photon-polarization states

318

(4)

13 Quantum measurement and expectation values

322

(2)

14 Complementary observables of two-particle states

324

(1)

15 Quantum measurement and the infinite regress

325

(2)

16 Von Neumann's 'impossibility proof'

327

(2)

17 Photon spin correlations

329

(3)

18 Quantum versus local hidden variable correlations

332

(3)

19 Bell's inequality

335

(2)

20 Bell's inequality for non-ideal cases

337

(2)

21 Three-photon GHZ states

339

(4)

22 The Ciauser-Horne-Shimóny-Holt form of Bell's inequality

343

(2)

23 'Which Way' versus interference: testing complementarity

345

(2)

24 The quantum eraser

347

(3)

25 Beam me up, Scotty

350

(2)

26 The de Broglie-Bohr theory

352

(3)

27 Neutron worlds

355

(2)

Bibliography

357

(8)

Name index

365

(6)

Subject Index

371

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Beyond Measure Modern Physics, Philosophy, and the Meaning of Quantum Theory

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials