Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels 2014th Edition by Nicolas Gisin (PDF)

Description

Quantum physics, which offers an explanation of the world on the smallest scale, has fundamental implications that pose a serious challenge to ordinary logic. Particularly counterintuitive is the notion of entanglement, which has been explored for the past 30 years and posits an ubiquitous randomness capable of manifesting itself simultaneously in more than one place.This amazing ‘non-locality’ is more than just an abstract curiosity or paradox: it has entirely down-to-earth applications in cryptography, serving for example to protect financial information; it also has enabled the demonstration of ‘quantum teleportation’, whose infinite possibilities even science-fiction writers can scarcely imagine.This delightful and concise exposition does not avoid the deep logical difficulties of quantum physics, but gives the reader the insights needed to appreciate them. From ‘Bell’s Theorem’ to experiments in quantum entanglement, the reader will gain a solid understanding of one of the most fascinating areas of contemporary physics.

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⭐Nicolas Gisin is a Swiss physicist and professor at the University of Geneva. He wrote in the Preface of this 2014 book, “quantum physics gives us the opportunity to live through a conceptual revolution… This book aims to help you understand what is happening, without mathematics, but also without trying to conceal the conceptual difficulties… For what is interesting in physics is not the mathematics but the concepts. So my purpose here is not to manipulate equations, but to UNDERSTAND. Certain parts of the book will demand a genuine intellectual effort on the part of the reader… But I claim nevertheless that everyone can understand at least a part of the conceptual revolution that is under way…”He continues in the Introduction, “many … everyday examples teach us that… any interaction and any communication between two spatially separated objects must propagate continuously from one point to the next to some mechanism which … always follows a continuous trajectory that can be identified in space and time, at least in principle. Nevertheless, quantum physics… asserts that objects spatially remote from each other can sometimes form a single unit… no matter how far apart their components… But how could we believe such a thing? Can such an assertion be put to the test?… And could we use this strange effect of quantum physics to communicate at a distance by exploiting these remote objects forming a single whole? These are the main questions we shall try to answer in this book.” (Pg. xiii)He goes on, “Another aim of this book will be to illustrate the scientific method. How can one convince oneself that something totally counter-intuitive is actually true? What proof is required … to accept a conceptual revolution of this kind?… we shall … see that nature produced chance events (irreducibly chance-like!) which can occur at widely removed spatial locations without anything propagating from point to point along any path joining those locations. But we shall find that the chance-like character of these effects prevents any possibility of using this form of nonlocality to communicate, thereby saving from contradiction one of the fundamental principles of relativity theory according to which no communication can travel faster than the speed of light.” (Pg. xiii-xiv)Later, he explains, “The central concept in this book is ‘nonlocal correlation.’ … this idea is closely related to the … idea of events that are intrinsically unpredictable… In order to convince themselves that there really are nonlocal correlations and true randomness, physicists have invented a game, called Bell’s game…” (Pg. 7) He notes, “it is easy to obtain a score of 3 in Bell’s game. For example, we need only agree beforehand to produce the same result each time. But … it is impossible to specify any local strategy that could be applied independently … that would allow [us] to win more often then 3 times out of 4… But if two players were to win Bell’s game … [by] obtaining a score greater than 3 out of 4, what must we conclude in this case? The obvious conclusion [is]…: either they influence one another in some subtle way, or else they are accomplished cheats… [But] today physics can in fact win the game, and it can do so without the players either communicating or cheating.” (Pg. 27)He summarizes, “winning Bell’s game without communication necessarily implies that [we] produce results in a truly chance-like way. This randomness is fundamental and cannot be reduced to a complex deterministic mechanism. This means that nature is capable of pure acts of creation! Rather than asserting as Einstein did that God does not play dice, let us ask rather why he plays dice. The answer is that, in this way, nature can be nonlocal without that leading to the possibility of communication without transmission. Indeed… there is no reason to restrict the manifestation of this randomness to a single well-localized place. True randomness can manifest itself in several places at the same time.” (Pg. 35)He notes, “the strange theory of quantum physics tells us that it is possible and even commonplace for two widely separated objects in space to form in reality a single entity! And that’s entanglement. If we then prod one of the two parts, both will quiver. First of all, note that … when we carry out a measurement on an quantum entity, it will produce a response—a reaction—completely by chance… with a well-defined probability that quantum theory predicts with perfect accuracy. Since this is a chance event, one cannot use the fact that the entangled entity reacts as a whole to send any information…. In theory, any object can be entangled, but in practice, physicists have demonstrated the entanglement of atoms, photons, and some elementary particles. The biggest objects that have become entangled are crystals like the ones in the boxes of Bell’s game. Entanglement is much the same whatever the objects that get entangled.” (Pg. 43-44)He explains, “an electron may not have a position. Likewise, each of two electrons may very well not have a position. But due to entanglement, the distance between the two electrons may nevertheless be perfectly definite. This would mean that, whenever we measure the positions of the two electrons, we obtain two results, each completely random, but their difference is always exactly the same!… The position of one electron to the other is thus well defined, even though the position of each electron is not… When measurements are carried out on two entangled systems, the results are governed by chance, but by the SAME chance! Quantum randomness is nonlocal.” (Pg. 45)He suggests, “let us ask how the mathematical formalism of quantum physics describes nonlocal correlations… According to this formalism, these peculiar correlations arise from entanglement … [which] is described through a kind of wave that propagates in a much bigger space than our 3-dimensional space. this space in which such ‘waves’ propagate… has a dimension that depends on … 3 times the number of entangled particles… But we simple human beings cannot see configuration space, only shadows of what is actually going on there. Each particle projects a shadow in our 3-dimensional space… corresponding to its position in our space… This is indeed a weird explanation, insofar as it can be called an explanation. In a certain sense, then, reality is something that happens in another space than our own, and what we perceive of it are just shadows… This ‘explanation’ for the origin of the nonlocal quantum correlations seems more mathematical than physical. Indeed, it is difficult to believe that the true reality should take place in a space whose dimension depends on the number of particles… In short then, the mathematical formalism of quantum theory provides no explanation, only a way of doing calculations. Some physicists conclude that there is nothing to explain: ‘Shut up and calculate,’ they would advise us.” (Pg. 51-52)He acknowledges, “Throughout this book we have seen that nonlocality cannot be used to communicate. But the science fiction version of teleportation does allow communication at arbitrary speed. Moreover, any object is necessarily made up of matter … and matter cannot go from one place to another without passing through some intermediary points. The science fiction version of teleportation is therefore impossible. And yet in 1993 a groups of physicists … began to play around with the idea of nonlocality and invented what we know today as quantum teleportation… In quantum teleportation, we do not teleport the whole object, only its quantum state… its form. Is that disappointing? Not really! To begin with, we know that we could never teleport the mass or energy of an object… We are not therefore merely teleporting some kind of approximate description, but EVERYTHING that can actually be teleported.” (Pg. 67-68)He admits, “Would you be ready to step into a quantum teleportation machine? If I were you, I would be extremely cautious, and this for two reasons. To begin with, the few quantum teleportation experiments carried out so far have … had to select the rare cases where the initial object has not been lost… However, the distances involved are so far less than one millimeter. There is a second reason for being cautious. To teleport an object of everyday dimensions one would require an enormous amount of entanglement. But entanglement is extremely fragile… for the enormous amount of entanglement that would be needed to teleport even the tip of a pencil, it would be quite unthinkable at the present time to try to avoid a perturbation that would make the whole teleportation process completely unfeasible.” (Pg. 75-76)He states about nonlocality, “when faced with a choice between a nonlocal nature and another that obeys certain complex laws which escape us for the time being but which allow it to exploit both the detection loophole and the locality loophole at the same time, the situation is not so obvious… the only honest response would be to carry out an experiment that simultaneously puts both loopholes to the test. The reason why such a test has not yet been done is just that it would be very difficult… But the fact is that there remains a logically possible combination of loopholes and this combination must be put to the test… Are there other ways out? … it does seem that physicists, philosophers, mathematicians, and information theorists have been trying to tackle this question now for decades and no credible alternative has been identified…” (Pg. 84)He continues, “So what further ways out remain to be discovered? One rather desperate hypothesis … amounts to denying the existence of free will… That free will should be an illusion, so that a man may be convinced of the existence of nonlocal correlations at a distance through empty space.. is to me so great an absurdity, that I believe no man who has in philosophical matters a competent faculty of thinking can ever fall into it.” (Pg. 90-91)He notes, “It is fashionable today in some circles to say that we have the choice between nonlocality and non-realism… My feeling is that it is above all a psychological let-out: those who cannot accept nonlocality take refuge in a kind of intellectual shelter… one day or another, they will have to come back out… Although quantum physics does not tell us exactly when we can be sure that a result has been produced, it must be some time after the moment when the photon encounters a detector and well before the moment when we become conscious of this. So here is a possible loophole, albeit very small: it could be that that results are produced much later than the experimenter imagines and that some subtle form of communication takes advantage of this to set itself up between [the] boxes.” (Pg. 92-93)He goes on, “One last escape route that has become fashionable among certain quantum physicists assumes that there are never any measurement results… every time we have the illusion of carrying out a measurement with ‘N’ possible results, the Universe divides into ‘N’ branches, each one as real as all the others, and each one hosting a different result among eh N possibilities… For me, this looks very like an ad hoc hypothesis. Secondly, the many-worlds interpretation implies a totalitarian form of determinism.” (Pg. 93-94)He concludes, “Nobody knows why quantum physics is nonlocal. On the other hand, you will have understood that nature is not deterministic … and that it… can produce truly chance-like events… the nonlocal correlations and the existence of true randomness are very closely related. Without true randomness, nonlocal correlations could necessarily be used to communicate without transmission… So the central concept of this book necessarily implies the existence of true randomness and hence the end of determinism… Indeed, if nature is really capable of producing truly chance-like events, why should the correlations observed in nature be limited to local correlations?… Do the nonlocal correlations predicted by quantum theory really exist? Today, no physicists would doubt this. The problem now is how to integrate this into a relativistic theory and to understand the limits on nonlocality. What we need to do is to study quantum nonlocality from outside quantum theory. And we’re working on it.” (Pg. 107-109)This book will be of great interest to those studying nonlocality and other aspects of quantum theory.

⭐If you love physics, but do not have a scientific background, you can get through this short work with some effort. It revolves largely around Bell’s Game (now referred to as Bell’s Theorem to give it some dignity). Bell’s Game demonstrates that things can happen at faster than light speeds, a strong contradiction to Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. But, and this saves the discrepancy, no information can be carried at such speeds. This is the quantum physics concept of entanglement. You do not have to have a mathematical background to grasp the main ideas of this work. But if you do not have some experience with math you will probably get lost and give up. It took me about four hours over the course of a few days to grasp the math because of all the possibilities, probabilities, and “rules” of the game.During the past decade or so many books on quantum physics have been published that are aimed at the laymen. Most attempt to deal with the problem of uncertainty, which is at the root of quantum physics, and, for lack of a better term, certainty (or determinism if you like), which is the foundation of classical physics. This clash has been described as physics in crisis. Humankind has always felt a need to understand the world/universe. When something happens that cannot be explained (e.g. lightning), then some paranormal explanation is called into play…the gods. Later, when lightning is understood scientifically, the gods are released as the creators. But the paranormal is still very much with us worldwide. So the mystics have jumped on uncertainty to declare that it is obvious science does not, and cannot, have all the answers; but we do. This has been a great thorn in the side of scientists as they struggle to deal with uncertainty.Thankfully, this work does not delve into that debate directly. You will learn something about the uncertainty principle and the clash with classical physics. And the author does point out that what we know now will almost certainly not be the same a thousand years from now (assuming the unlikely scenario where mankind does not destroy itself). So the reader is urged to try to understand science as best we know it now.Perhaps when the LHC (CERN) starts up again this year we may make new discoveries in physics that may some day lead to “The Theory of Everything.” Until then, pay your money and take your choice. Or maybe figure out how to reconcile physics and metaphysics.Footnote: This reviewer, while holding an advanced degree, does not have a formal background in math or physics; they are just great hobbies. So pundits may take exception to some of the definitions included above.

⭐I recently became interested in understanding quantum mechanics as I find the subject fascinating. One article, which I believe was published online by the Atlantic, dedicated a significant amount of words to Nicolas Gisin and his promotion of intuitionist mathematics. From there, I quickly discovered “Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels.” I assumed it would be far beyond my ability to comprehend, but I ordered it anyways. To my surprise, Nicholas goes out of his way to simplify advanced concepts such as the Bell Inequality using simplified stories, analogies, and then basic mathematical proofs. I am a patent attorney by trade, and I consider myself particularly adept at breaking down and explaining complex topics in written word and basic figures. Nicholas Gisin is simply on another level, and I am in awe and inspired by the genius of his writing and approach.This book is absolutely perfect for someone like myself with a solid background in computer science, basic logic, and zero understanding of quantum mechanics. If you are on the fence and intimidated at the thought of attempting to understand quantum mechanics, buy this book. Read the preface and introduction as they serve as a foreshadowing and a roadmap for both the concepts of the book but the approach one should take in digesting the material. The information density of this book is outstanding, and I very much appreciated guidance from the author early on regarding when to keep reading beyond portions that escape my immediate understanding, as later words can bring clarity and that ‘aha’ moment.

⭐The format of the text of this book has been set and does not adjust to the size of the screen that one is using. This means that the text is far too small to be read comfortably on a smartphone.

⭐I don’t believe it. Phew

⭐I can’t take a book seriously that is so dismissive of determinism. To mention a topic and belittle it in such a way detracts from the book in a way that reveals an emotional element in being unable to dismiss it out of scientific logic or evidence. Many better books on this subject out there

⭐Approfondimento molto interessante sul tema della non località della fisica quantistica.Mi permetterei di suggerire, e questo vale in generale per ogni pubblicazione a carattere scientifico, che l’autore indichi dove e come contattarlo per chiedere delucidazioni e chiarimenti.Desidero aggiungere che, volendo chiedere un chiarimento al Prof Gisin, ho trovato le sue coordinate all’Università di Ginevra su Internet, gli ho scritto una mail ieri sera attorno alle 18.00 e stamattina 8 maggio 2020 poco dopo le 9.00 mi è arrivata la risposta!Formidabile! Grazie, Professore.

⭐

⭐I came at this book as a philosopher who is very interested in what the cutting edge of physics has to say about the way the universe works. When reading books about Quantum anything, you always have to be careful about the level of maths required to fully understand the theories. My own level is not great, but I found the basic principles graspable, although I did smile when the writer said, “normally 1+1=2…”.Essentially, this book sets out to show why Quantum Theory predicts that two remotely separated particles must come up with identical random values when examined, without breaking the prohibition on faster-than-light communication. This would be mind-bending enough, but the author then sets out, rather modestly given his role, the experimental proof which demonstrates this.Apart from the clear and lucid explanations of this phenomenon, the author won me over with some of his comments about the way that non-locality was received – and is still received – by other physicists. He does not attempt to offer an explanation of *why* the universe works like this, but he rightly raises his eyebrows at scientists who follow the “Shut up and calculate” mantra.The fundamental issues he covers in this book are crucial to future discoveries about free will, consciousness and other key philosophical issues; I am much better informed as a result of reading it.

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