The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn
by:
Louisa Gilder (author)
In The Age of Entanglement, Louisa Gilder brings to life one of the pivotal debates in twentieth century physics. In 1935, Albert Einstein famously showed that, according to the quantum theory, separated particles could act as if intimately connected–a phenomenon which he derisively described as...
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In The Age of Entanglement, Louisa Gilder brings to life one of the pivotal debates in twentieth century physics. In 1935, Albert Einstein famously showed that, according to the quantum theory, separated particles could act as if intimately connected–a phenomenon which he derisively described as “spooky action at a distance.” In that same year, Erwin Schrödinger christened this correlation “entanglement.” Yet its existence was mostly ignored until 1964, when the Irish physicist John Bell demonstrated just how strange this entanglement really was. Drawing on the papers, letters, and memoirs of the twentieth century’s greatest physicists, Gilder both humanizes and dramatizes the story by employing the scientists’ own words in imagined face-to-face dialogues. The result is a richly illuminating exploration of one of the most exciting concepts of quantum physics.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9781400095261 (1400095263)
Publish date: November 10th 2009
Publisher: Vintage
Pages no: 464
Edition language: English
A personal look at the scientists who helped to develop quantum theory & the world into which it emerged. One interesting aspect is the effect of misguided political ideology on scientific discovery, both on the part of the Nazis pre-war & the anti-soviet hysteria in the USA after.
"Using historical development for understanding"A good historical survey of the early pioneers in quantum physics to "spooky action at a distance". I enjoyed this book but I had previously just read "Quantum" by Manjit Kumar who covers the early story slightly better. Later I ended up reading "How t...