Schrödinger's Rabbits: The Many Worlds of Quantum - Hardcover

Bruce, Colin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0309090512 ISBN 13: 9780309090513

Publisher: Joseph Henry Press, 2004

Synopsis

For the better part of a century, attempts to explain what was really going on in the quantum world seemed doomed to failure. But recent technological advances have made the question both practical and urgent. A brilliantly imaginative group of physicists at Oxford University have risen to the challenge. This is their story.

At long last, there is a sensible way to think about quantum mechanics. The new view abolishes the need to believe in randomness, long-range spooky forces, or conscious observers with mysterious powers to collapse cats into a state of life or death. But the new understanding comes at a price: we must accept that we live in a multiverse wherein countless versions of reality unfold side-by-side. The philosophical and personal consequences of this are awe-inspiring.

The new interpretation has allowed imaginative physicists to conceive of wonderful new technologies: measuring devices that effectively share information between worlds and computers that can borrow the power of other worlds to perform calculations. Step by step, the problems initially associated with the original many-worlds formulation have been addressed and answered so that a clear but startling new picture has emerged.

Just as Copenhagen was the centre of quantum discussion a lifetime ago, so Oxford has been the epicenter of the modern debate, with such figures as Roger Penrose and Anton Zeilinger fighting for single-world views, and David Deutsch, Lev Vaidman and a host of others for many-worlds.

An independent physicist living in Oxford, Bruce has had a ringside seat to the debate. In his capable hands, we understand why the initially fantastic sounding many-worlds view is not only a useful way to look at things, but logically compelling. Parallel worlds are as real as the distant galaxies detected by the Hubble Space Telescope, even though the evidence for their existence may consist only of a few photons.

About this title

About the Author

Colin Bruce trained as a mathematical physicist, and returned to the subject after detours via the defense and computing industries. He currently performs research for the European Space Agency and frequently writes about quantum physics and other science topics. Based in Oxford, England, he has been privileged to participate in the seminars at which the modern version of the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics has been debated and refined by its leading proponents. Bruce is the author of several books explaining physics and mathematics in the guise of detective stories, including The Strange Case of Mrs. Hudson's Cat: And Other Science Mysteries Solved by Sherlock Holmes and Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability.

From the Inside Flap

"Schrödinger's Rabbits made me feel less bad for never having understood quantum physics. Excellent for broadening the mind of the non-expert; valuable psychotherapy for the confused physicist." -- Joao Magueijo, author of Faster Than the Speed of Light

"A lucid and vivid exposition of a murky subject which famously confuses even professional physicists." -- A. Zee, author of Einstein's Universe and Fearful Symmetry

"Bruce's witty, fast-paced account of current controversies in quantum physics will keep you on the edge of your seat. An eloquent introduction to one of the deepest mysteries in modern science." -- Paul Halpern, author of The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything

"Mr. Bruce is our expert tour guide on a wild, thought-provoking ride through the Twilight Zone world of quantum theory, where objects can be two places at the same time, disappear and reappear somewhere else, and exist simultaneously in many parallel universes." -- Michio Kaku, author of Hyperspace, Parallel Worlds, and Einstein's Cosmos

Reviews

To the average reader trying to understand current theories of the subatomic quantum world, terms like nonlocality, decoherence and quantum collapse must sound like fantastical notions tossed about at an ivory-tower tea party. British physicist Bruce (The Einstein Paradox) attempts to put into plain English what physicists, especially those based in Oxford, think is happening in this invisible world that binds the universe together. We shouldn't be talking about "the universe" at all, Bruce says, but rather of the multiverse: the idea of coexisting alternate realities is based on sophisticated mathematical models of what happens to probability waves—the form in which subatomic elements exist before they "collapse" and assume tangible form. Very early, tentative experiments have confirmed pieces of the multiverse theory. Bruce illustrates these mind-altering concepts via accessible stories and illustrations. He gives equal time to "single worlders" like Sir Roger Penrose and Anton Zeilinger, who has proposed that apparent contradictions in quantum theory can be explained if the amount of information that a quantum system can contain is limited. The tone of the book changes midway through: the general reader will be able to follow the first half, but the latter part of the book is tough sledding and will appeal more to science buffs.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0309090512
• ISBN 13: 9780309090513
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 282