Real Quanta: Simplifying Quantum Physics for Einstein and Bohr by Martijn van Calmthout (PDF)

Description

Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr walk into the famous Hotel Métropole and sit down at the author’s table to discuss the state of quantum mechanics today.Particles that exist in two places at once, consequences that occur without a cause, objects that exist only if you look at them — quantum mechanics proves that all of this is possible, and not just in dark science labs. Look no further than your smartphone or tablet for technology made conceivable by quantum theory. From quantum computers to “teleporting” data, medicine to photosynthesis and the quantum compass in some migratory birds, Martijn van Calmthout plainly explains — to his readers and to an astounded Einstein and Bohr — how Quantum 2.0 is increasingly part of everyone’s daily life. Rather than being the exceptional domain, Van Calmthout shows how quantum mechanics is actually part of our tangible world, and may even be the very crux of our existence.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I love this book which takes us through the history of modern physics in simple, easy to understand language. A must read for anyone who is not a physicist, but wishes to visit the quantum world.

⭐Educational, while entertaining – a good read

⭐I don’t think this is the book I’d start with for an overview of basic principles of quantum physics. It’s all in there, but touched upon in a fashion that almost presupposes you already know the underlying principles. Rather, this book adds in personalities, disputes, disagreements, and leaps forward, and sets it all in a timeline that makes the progress and development of thinking about quantum issues very clear.Along the way we learn things like, what was the personal relationship between Bohr and Einstein? Why was the Solvay conference of 1927 so important? Why was Max Plank’s earlier work the basis for so much quantum physics progress? Why did Einstein receive a Nobel, and how did his experiments lay the groundwork for thinking about particles versus waves? All of that is set out clearly and engagingly in the early chapters of this book, but as I say you might need to know a little bit about the underlying physics to see how it all fit together and evolved.As you might suspect, as the book proceeds things get tougher. I finally hit the wall at Bose-Einstein condensates. Luckily, it’s just about at that halfway point that we switch gears and move into a discussion of potential practical applications of quantum physics. The discussion of quantum cryptography and then of quantum computing is interesting and reasonably accessible, (probably because we are still at a basic and speculative stage in our thinking). From there we move on to spooky action at a distance, and this ended up being one of the clearer discussions of that topic that I’ve encountered.You also realize, over and over, that a lot of quantum physics is what it is because the math says so, and whether it feels right or looks right from a classical perspective just doesn’t matter. Which also, of course, suggests that there’s more going on than we suspect or at this point can conceive. And it’s at this later point in the book that we wander into uncharted territory. There are discussions of teleportation, quantum biology and the quantum aspects of photosynthesis, quantum reality, many worlds theories, and so on. This part is thinner, but interesting enough.So, my bottom line was that this was fairly accessible, strong as history, and written to appeal to general but motivated readers. It offered a sometimes quirky but generally engaging perspective on popular topics, and certainly added to my understanding. A nice general purpose find.(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

⭐Real Quanta: Simplifying Quantum Physics for Einstein and Bohr by Martijn van Calmthout is a layman’s look at quantum physics. Calmthout is the editor of exact subjects and surroundings, physicist, science expert and fancier, Einstein biographer, author of popular scientific books, host in the monthly KennisCafé in de Balie and radio presenter De Kennis van Nu (NTR).There are many books explaining physics to layman from unknown writers to television celebrities like Michio Kaku. The basic concepts of relativity and quantum mechanics are available to all who have access to a library. This does not mean the reader will absorb all the mathematics and become an expert, but like classical physics, most people know how it works without the mathematics — action-reaction, bodies in motion…Newtonian physics plays a role that we see in everyday life. We drop things. We feel the force of being thrown forward against seat belts during a sudden stop. We may not like the effects but we have learned to accept them. Quantum interactions take place at subatomic levels and Relativity takes place on the huge scale of the galaxies and the universe. Both do affect us since we are made of organized collections of subatomic particles and live in the universe. We just don’t experience it with our senses.What it holds for mankind may be far greater than tunneling diodes. Computers are made of transistors but many people (younger than the transistor radio era) may not have seen a single transistor, but rather the millions put on an integrated circuit or chip. Science is at its limit of shrinking transistor sizes. Quantum physics may off the answer with quantum computing bits will no longer be a 1 or 0 they will become 1, 0, or both. Searching with a quantum computer would explore all possible answers at once instead of one at a time. Amazingly fast but it would kill credit card encryption algorithms.Calmthout journeys through the world of quantum mechanics and relativity in a coffee shop with two guests. The old man of physics Albert Einstein and the young upstart Niels Bohr. There is a little banter between the two giants of physics but mostly it’s a bit of history and the future of physics. The cell phone plays a role in the discussion for several reasons besides computing. Secure communication and uncrackable encryption are two examples of quantum power. It’s fairly easy to tie physics to chemistry but Calmthout also ties it to biology and biological systems from migration to chloroplasts. The more that is understood about quantum mechanics the more that can be seen in our world and the more we can build upon the discoveries of the subatomic world.Calmthout takes the reader on an exciting trip into the world of quantum mechanics. It is a place where “spooky interaction at a distance” is not so scary. It is a place that will make current microelectronics seem as clunky as an abacus. Real Quanta takes a look at the real world, its path, and possible future. Easily readable and very informative.

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