Einstein's Struggles with Quantum Theory

A Reappraisal
Softcover Nachdruck of hardcover 1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4419-2445-2
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 370 Seiten, Previously published in hardcover, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 598 g

Einstein’s Struggles with Quantum Theory: A Re-Appraisal, presents an account of all aspects of Einstein’s encounter with quantum theory. Until recently it was accepted that, after important early work, Einstein was simply unable to follow Niels Bohr’s approach to quantum theory, and that Einstein’s own views, centered on realism, were of no interest. This book follows modern scholarship arguing that Einstein’s arguments were well constructed, in the Einstein-Bohr debate his position was legitimate, and his pragmatic approach to realism stimulated John Bell and encouraged the emergence of quantum information theory. The book provides a readable account of Einstein’s achievements in quantum theory, his own views, and the progress his work has stimulated since his death. While some chapters use mathematics at an undergraduate physics level, a path is provided for the reader more concerned with ideas than equations, and the book should be of interest to anybody interested in Einstein and his approach to the quantum.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Whitaker, Andrew

Home, Dipankar

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Physik Quantenphysik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

A Setting the Scene.- The Philosophical Background Einstein and Mach.- Einstein and Quantum Theory: The Early Years.- Quantum Mechanics and its Fundamental Issues.- The Standard Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.- B Einstein Confronting Quantum Theory from 1925.- Einstein’s Approaches to Quantum Theory 1925-1935.- EPR and its Aftermath.- Einstein and the Macroscopic Limit of Quantum Mechanics.- Summary of Einstein’s Views.- C Denouement.- Bell’s Contributions and Quantum Non-locality.- Non-standard Quantum Interpretations.- Einstein and Quantum Information Theory.- Bridging the Quantum-Classical Divide.- D Looking Forward.- Quantum Foundations: General Outlook.- Assessment of Einstein’s Views and Contributions.

Über Autor(innen)

Dipankar Home is Professor of Physics at Bose Institute, Calcutta. Over the past two decades he has been working extensively on the fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics, especially on topics related to entanglement and quantum nonlocality, quantum communications, the measurement problem, quantum Zeno effect, quantum time distributions and nonstandard interpretations of quantum mechanics such as the Bohmian model. One area of his research has involved linking the foundational issues of quantum mechanics with realizable experiments. Home's earlier book (Plenum, New York, 1997) was positively reviewed in various publications such as and in (London) Higher Education Supplement.

Andrew Whitaker has been Professor of Physics at Queen's University Belfast since 1999. His early research was in the theory of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. In recent years he has been concerned with the foundations of quantum theory and has published over 50 papers in this area. He has had a special interest in the quantum Zeno effect, the interpretations of quantum theory and the Bohr-Einstein dispute. He has written several articles on Belfast-born John Bell.  In 1996 he published and in 2002 edited with Mark McCartney.