Interpreting the Quantum World 1st Edition by Jeffrey Bub (PDF)

Description

This is a book about the interpretation of quantum mechanics, in particular how to resolve the measurement problem introduced by the orthodox interpretation of the theory. The heart of the book is a new result that shows how to construct all possible “no collapse” interpretations, subject to certain natural constraints and the limitations imposed by the hidden variable theorems. From this perspective one sees precisely where things have gone awry and what the options are. Various interpretations, including Bohm’s causal interpretation, Bohr’s complementarity interpretation, and the modal interpretation are shown to be special cases of this result, for different choices of a “preferred” observable. A feature of the book is a novel treatment of the main hidden variable theorems, and an extended critique of contemporary “decoherence” theories of measurement. The discussion is self-contained and organized so that the technical portions may be skipped without losing the argument.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “In his powerful new book Bub clearly lays out the measurement problem faced by Dirac and von Neumann’s interpretation of quantum mechanics….The book’s first three chapters should be required reading for anyone wishing to get up to speed on contemporary discussions of the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics.” Physics Today”The virtues Bub can claim are indisputable, and his achievement gives us a truly successful and illuminating way to understand quantum theory. The book is a must for everyone in the field.” Foundations of Physics”…Jeffrey Bub’s authoritative book, Interpreting The Quantum World…consists of deep and detailed consideration of most, if not all, current thought in this area. Many technical results are described and proved in detail.” Nature”Bub’s fine book will be a standard reference for many years.” Choice”The beauty of the book is its ability to discover a unified point of view that can encompass all of these disparate interpretations….insightful, incisive, and careful. This is a very good book for a philosopher or physicist deeply interested in the subject.” American Journal of Physics”This book must be seen as a milestone in the search for a coherent, generally acceptable understanding of the quantum world: there seems to be no other account providing a unified reconstruction and systematic assessment (from a realistic point of view) of all major interpretations of quantum mechanics. In making precise the central problems faced by these interpretations, this analysis will undoubtedly provide a source of inspiration…” Mathematical Reviews Clippings Book Description Philosophy of physics title by highly regarded author, fully revised for this paperback edition.

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

⭐This book is an exceptionally well written, scholarly and quite technical discussion of the central issues in the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Bub really knows his stuff and he takes great pains to be very clear. But be forewarned that some of the material is not easy and he does not shy away from technical details where needed, so be prepared to really think. Although he provides an admirably clear and succinct appendix summarizing the needed mathematics, I think prior exposure to quantum mechanics and the underlying mathematics is a prerequisite for really understanding the text.One highlight of the book is his discussion of the so-called New Orthodoxy, which invokes environment-induced decoherence to putatively resolve the measurement problem. It has been shown theoretically, and empirically verified, that decoherence can cause a state in quantum mechanical superposition (state of coherence) to quickly evolve into a state that, ignoring the environment, is indistinguishable from a classical statistical mixture, i.e., one in which there is no quantum mechanical interference among the individual superposed states. Bub argues, convincingly to my mind, that decoherence does not resolve the measurement problem in principle as opposed to, as some say, “for all practical purposes”. He also provides cogent criticisms of the Everett-style many worlds and consistent-histories approaches, which some have used to supplement decoherence.If you are looking for a serious discussion of the many key issues in the interpretation of quantum mechanics, this would be my first recommendation.

⭐Sorry, could not get through it. Too long to get to the point.

⭐This book explores and comments very important aspects of the fundamentals of quantum mechanics in a very interesting way. I know now why it won the Lakatos award

⭐This book provides a clear treatment of a number of technicalresults in the foundations of quantum mechanics rarely presentedin books.

⭐This is an excellent discussion of the interpretational issues of quantum mechanics, and essential reading for anyone with an interest in understanding quantum theory, rather than just using it.

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