Quantum physics Books

Book SynopsisConsequences of quantum gravity on grander scales are expected to be enormous: only such a theory can show how black holes really behave and where our universe came from.Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Cosmology and Quantum Theory.- Kinematics: Spatial Atoms.- Dynamics: Changing Atoms of Space-Time.- Effective Equations.- Harmonic Cosmology: The Universe Before the Big Bang and How Much We Can Know About It.- What Does It Mean for a Singularity to be Resolved?.- Anisotropy.- Midisuperspace Models: Black Hole Collapse.- Perturbative Inhomogenities.- Difference Equations.- Physical Hilbert Spaces.- General Aspects of Effective Descriptions.

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Book Synopsis A lively collection of Einstein’s groundbreaking scientific correspondence on modern physics Imagine getting four of the greatest minds of modern physics in a room together to explain and debate the theories and innovations of their day. This is the fascinating experience of reading Letters on Wave Mechanics, the correspondence between H. A. Lorentz, Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, and Albert Einstein. These remarkable letters illuminate not only the basis of Schrödinger’s work in wave mechanics, but also how great scientific minds debated and challenged the ever-changing theories of the day and ultimately embraced an elegant solution to the riddles of quantum theory. Their collected correspondence offers insight into both the personalities and professional aspirations that played a part in this theoretical breakthrough. This authorized book features rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the AlberTrade Review “You are the only contemporary physicist, besides Laue, who sees that one cannot get around the assumption of reality—if only one is honest. Most of them simply do not see what sort of risky game they are playing with reality—reality as something independent of what is experimentally established.” —Albert Einstein to Erwin Schrödinger“I am as convinced as ever that the wave representation of matter is an incomplete representation of the state of affairs, no matter how practically useful it has proved itself to be.” —Albert Einstein to Erwin Schrödinger

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Book SynopsisPublish and perish-Giordano Bruno Given the number of books that already exist on the subject of quantum mechanics, one would think that the public needs one more as much as it does, say, the latest version of the Table of Integers.

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Book SynopsisFrom H.G. Wells to Star Trek, audiences have been captivated by the notions of time travel, time warps, space warps, and wornholes. But science fiction is not the only realm where these concepts thrive. An active group of general relativists and quantum field theorists has produced a considerable body of serious (thought admittedly speculative) mathematical and physical analyses of the wormhole system. Now, with this fascinating book, readers can explore in depth the science behind the science fiction. Drawing on pivotal work by Einstein, Wheeler, Morris, Thorne, Hawking, and others, Matt Visser charts the development and current state of Lorentzian wormhole physics. Dr. Visser shows that by pushing established physical theories to their limits, it is possible to deduce the physical properties of such exotica as wormholes and time travel. The physical framework he uses is derived from one of the major research frontiers of modern theoretical physics: quantum gravity-the intersection of classical Einstein gravity and quantum field theory. Physicists, students of general relativity, cosmology, quantum physics, or any interested reader with a background in physics wil find this a provocative introduction to an exciting and active topic of ongoing research.Table of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgments; I. Background: 1. Introduction; 2. General Relativity; 3. Quantum Field Theory; 4. Units and Natural Scales; II. History: 5. The Einstein-Rosen Bridge; 6. Spacetime Foam; 7. The Kerr Wormhole; 8. The Cosmological Constant; 9. Wormhole Taxonomy; 10. Interregnum; III. Renaissance: 11. Traversible Wormholes; 12. Energy Conditions; 13. Engineering Considerations; 14. Thin Shells: Fromalism; 15. Thin Shells: Wormholes; 16. Topological Censorship; IV.: Time Travel: 17. Chronology: Basic Notions; 18. From Wormhole to Time Machine; 19. Response to the Paradoxes; V. Quantum Effects; 20. Semiclassical Quantum Gravity; 21. van Vleck Determinants: Formalism; 22. van Vleck Determinants: Wormholes; 23. Singularity Structure; 24. Minisuperspace Wormholes; VI. Reprise: 25. Where We Stand; Bibliography; Index

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Book SynopsisQuantum theory is the bedrock of contemporary physics and the basis of understanding matter in its tiniest dimensions and the vast universe as a whole. But for many, the theory remains an impenetrable enigma. Now, two physicists seek to remedy this situation by both drawing on their scientific expertise and their talent for communicating science to the general reader. In this lucid, informative book, designed for the curious, they make the seemingly daunting subject of quantum physics accessible, appealing, and exciting. Their story is partly historical, covering the many "Eureka" moments when great scientists-Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, and others-struggled to come to grips with the bizarre realities that quantum research revealed. Although their findings were indisputably proven in experiments, they were so strange and counterintuitive that Einstein refused to accept quantum theory, despite its great success. The authors explain the many strange and even eerie aspects of quantum reality at the subatomic level, from "particles" that can be many places simultaneously and sometimes act more like waves, to the effect that a human can have on their movements by just observing them! Finally, the authors delve into quantum physics' latest and perhaps most breathtaking offshoots-field theory and string theory. The intricacies and ramifications of these two theories will give the reader much to ponder. In addition, the authors describe the diverse applications of quantum theory in its almost countless forms of modern technology throughout the world. Using eloquent analogies and illustrative examples, this book renders even the most profound reaches of quantum theory understandable and something for us all to savor.

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