Short description:

Quantum Reality: Theory and Philosophy, Second Edition cuts through much of the confusion to provide readers with an exploration of quantum theory that is as authoritatively comprehensive as it is intriguingly comprehensible.

Long description:

As probably the most successful scientific theory ever created, quantum theory has profoundly changed our view of the world and extended the limits of our knowledge, impacting both the theoretical interpretation of a tremendous range of phenomena and the practical development of a host of technological breakthroughs. Yet for all its success, quantum theory remains utterly baffling.

Quantum Reality: Theory and Philosophy, Second Edition cuts through much of the confusion to provide readers with an exploration of quantum theory that is as authoritatively comprehensive as it is intriguingly comprehensible. The book has been fully updated throughout to include the latest results in quantum entanglement, the theory and practical applications of quantum computing, quantum cosmology and quantum gravity. Needing little more than a school level physics and mathematics background, this volume requires only an interest in understanding how quantum theory came to be and the myriad ways it both explains how our universe functions and extends the reach of human knowledge.

Written by well-known physics author and teacher Dr. Jonathan Allday, this highly engaging work:

? Presents a thorough grounding in the theoretical machinery of quantum physics

? Offers a whistle-stop tour through the early part of the 20th century when the founding fathers of quantum theory forever altered the frontiers of human thought

? Provides an example-filled interpretation of the theory, its applications, and its pinnacle in quantum field theory (QFT), so crucial in shaping ideas about the nature of reality

? Separates fact from speculation regarding quantum physics? ability to provide a starting point for philosophical queries into ultimate understanding and the limits of science

The world beneath the one that we experience with our senses is profoundly mysterious, and while we may never completely unravel that mystery, quantum theory allows us to come closer than ever to understanding where the science leaves off and the mystery begins. Quantum Reality: Theory and Philosophy, Second Edition makes that understanding accessible to anyone possessing a quest for knowledge and a sense of awe.

Table of Contents:

Introduction. Chapter 1. Our First Encounter with the Quantum World: Light. Chapter 2. Particles. Chapter 3. Quantum States. Chapter 4. Amplitudes. Chapter 5. Measurement. Chapter 6. Interference. Chapter 7. Free Particles. Chapter 8. Identical Particles. Chapter 9. Scattering Identical Bosons. Chapter 10. Spin. Chapter 11. Fermion States. Chapter 12. Continuous Bases. Chapter 13. Uncertainty. Chapter 14. The Equations of Quantum Theory. Chapter 15. Constrained Particles. Chapter 16. Genealogy. Chapter 17. Planck and Einstein. Chapter 18. Bohr. Chapter 19. Heisenberg. Chapter 20. De Broglie & Schrödinger. Chapter 21. Dirac. Chapter 22. Conclusions. Chapter 23. Quantum Correlations. Chapter 24. Quantum Computing. Chapter 25. Density Operators. Chapter 26. Interpretations. Chapter 27. The Copenhagen Interpretation. Chapter 28. The Many Worlds Interpretation. Chapter 29. Assorted Alternatives. Chapter 30. Consistent Histories. Chapter 31. The Ontological Interpretation. Chapter 32. Quantum Field Theory. Chapter 33. Personal Conclusions. Appendix.