Quantum physics for poets

About This Book

Quantum 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. The authors of this book seek to remedy this situation by drawing on both their scientific expertise and their talent for communicating science to the general reader. Their story is partly historical, covering the many "Eureka" moments when great scientists -- Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrodinger, and others -- struggled to come to grips with the many 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 we humans can have on their movements by just observing them. The authors also 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.