Teleportation: The Impossible Leap by David Darling (PDF)

Description

An authoritative, entertaining examination of the ultimate thrill rideUntil recently the stuff of sci-fi fiction and Star Trek reruns, teleportation has become a reality-for subatomic particles at least. In this eye-opening book, science author David Darling follows the remarkable evolution of teleportation, visiting the key labs that have cradled this cutting-edge science and relating the all-too-human stories behind its birth. He ties in the fast emerging fields of cryptography and quantum computing, tackles some thorny philosophical questions (for instance, can a soul be teleported?), and asks when and how humans may be able to “”beam up.””

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From Publishers Weekly A science fiction staple and a fantasy of those with long commutes, teleportation—sending something from here to there in the blink of an eye—has long seemed likely to remain a fictional construct. But as Darling explains in this marvelous work, teleportation in one form or another has been happening in laboratories for a few years and is on its way to becoming a routine part of life—at least for information. Darling (Equations of Eternity) uses lively, companionable prose to explain such heady subjects as quantum mechanics, the property of entanglement (which Einstein referred to as “spooky action at a distance”) and information theory. While these concepts appear to fly in the face of reason, the author is able to make sense of them and put them in the context of other new ideas that at first may be impossible to accept. After tracing the history of developments that became key to teleportation, the text delves into its use for secret communications, massive parallel data processing and investigating quantum mechanics; it also examines the moral, spiritual and philosophical questions that will arise if “beaming” people up ever becomes possible. Suitable for a pop-science audience, especially those looking for a way into quantum mechanics and wave-particle duality, this singular work deserves a wide audience. Agent, Patricia van der Leun. (May) From Booklist Teleportation is cool. Captain Kirk stands on the pad, and Scotty beams him up, down, and all around. Cooler is that teleportation may become practical soon. Computer scientists abetted by physicists are now exploiting quantum phenomena to teleport photons, mostly, and some atoms, though not all that far. As for anything big enough to see, well . . . Darling predicts that inanimate objects, at least, will be teleported eventually, and he broaches human teleportation and the philosophical, religious, and social questions it may raise fore and aft of the enlightening main text here, which begins with light. Darling chronicles the varying historical fortunes and the eventual merger of particle and wave theories of light before turning to the quantum phenomenon of entanglement and information theorists’ appropriation of quantum mechanics because information comes in particles (bits), too. Cryptographers then wondered whether in entanglement lay the means to create absolutely secure messages. Darling’s descriptions of recent experiments are readable, if not always transparent, and the -science–historical text that surrounds them is both. Terrific science writing. Ray OlsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review “”Explores the possibility of this bizarre form of travel… A fascinating tale with philosophical and practical musings on the highly unlikely prospect of teleportation of people.”” (“”Science News””)A science fiction staple and a fantasy of those with long commutes, teleportation–sending something from here to there in the blink of an eye–has long seemed likely to remain a fictional construct. But as Darling explains in this marvelous work, teleportation in one form or another has been happening in laboratories for a few years and is on its way to becoming a routine part of life–at least for information. Darling (“”Equations of Eternity””) uses lively, companionable prose to explain such heady subjects as quantum mechanics, the property of entanglement (which Einstein referred to as “”spooky action at a distance””) and information theory. While these concepts appear to fly in the face of reason, the author is able to make sense of them and put them in the context of other new ideas that at first may be impossible to accept. After tracing the history of developments that became key to teleportation, the text delves into its use for secret communications, massive parallel data processing and investigating quantum mechanics; it also examines the moral, spiritual and philosophical questions that will arise if “”beaming”” people up ever becomes possible. Suitable for a pop-science audience, especially those looking for a way into quantum mechanics and wave-particle duality, this singular work deserves a wide audience. “”Agent, Patricia van der Leun. (May)”” (“”Publishers Weekly, “” March 28, 2005) From the Inside Flap The idea of teleportation is familiar to everyone who has watched Star Trek. With the words “beam me up,” a person shimmers out of existence in one place and then rematerializes an instant later somewhere else. No longer the stuff of science fiction, teleportation has become a reality. Though the current state of this cutting-edge science can transport only such light fare as subatomic particles, it is simply a matter of time before larger atoms, molecules, and eventually living things take the ultimate thrill ride. In Teleportation, science writer David Darling traces the evolution of this hugely exciting field, relating the all-too-human stories behind its birth and taking an in-depth look at the incredible possibilities that may await us in the next few decades.Darling visits the key labs that cradled teleportation during its adolescence, outlining the remarkable experiments and discoveries that advanced the science. He masterfully ties in two of the hottest, fastest-growing fields—quantum cryptography and quantum computing—which share, along with teleportation, the strangest, most mysterious phenomenon in all of science at their core: entanglement.Adding a rich context to the underlying science, Darling examines the thornier philosophical questions that would arise with the possible success of human teleportation, shedding new light on the existence of the soul and what it really means to be a human being. Would you want to be dismantled atom by atom knowing that what would rematerialize at the other end might just be a copy of the original you?Authoritative, thought provoking, and thoroughly entertaining, Teleportation uncovers the powerful role this fascinating technology will play in all our futures—and reveals how it may soon become the not-so-impossible leap. From the Back Cover Praise for David DarlingDeep Time””A speculative and provocative book that extends what is known into what is unknown. It is not just another book on cosmology. . . . The emphasis here is on wonder.””–Los Angeles Times””You don’t have to be a scientist to understand it, and if you’re one who enjoys contemplating the mysteries of creation, you should find it deeply rewarding.””–The Associated PressEquations of Eternity””Mr. Darling provides one of the clearest and most eloquent expositions of the quantum conundrum and its philosophical and metaphysical implications that I have read recently.””–The New York Times””In a boldly speculative tour of the mind and the cosmos, Darling expounds upon the relationship between mathematics and the physical reality it describes.””–Library Journal About the Author DAVID DARLING, Ph.D., is the author of several other narrative science titles, including Equations of Eternity, a New York Times Notable Book, and Deep Time. He is also the author of The Universal Book of Mathematics, The Universal Book of Astronomy, and The Complete Book of Spaceflight, all from Wiley, as well as more than thirty children’s books. His articles and reviews have appeared in Astronomy, Omni, Penthouse, New Scientist, the New York Times, and the Guardian, among others. He lives near Dundee, Scotland. Read more

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

⭐First of all, bravo! The insight that organic teleportation could not take place before quantum (sp?) computing is something that breezed through my mind, but I thought I did not understand enough for it to be true. And then I read it in this wonderful book! Helped my self-esteem and also showed me that Darling is not only brilliant, but open-minded. There is science of course: that which has been established as fact, science fiction: that which is fantasy and need not be at all rooted in science, and a third realm: the realm of the scientific imagination which I like to call “science faction.” And Darling embraces the importance of imagination and inspiration as necessary to any scientific progress of any significance. If one cannot dream it, or will not dream it, it will NEVER happen. But if one dares to dream, much more is possible than that which has already been established as fact. A lot of people think space initiatives are unimportant to us humans, but they’ve got it wrong: we must, MUST see our species as one people searching for friendship both on terra firma and well, wherever else. Who does not look at the stars at night without dreaming of what (or who) may be in that vast sea of existence. And out of such imaginings come ideas that have led young scientists to actually try to do “the impossible”: to teleport information, then things, and then perhaps people. When you think of the death rate on today’s roadways, how could anyone complain about possible dangers? We must dare to dream to make life better.

⭐This book offers a good review of the evolution of teleportation. However, the account of its enabling technologies of quantum computing and cryptography are dry and boring. Teleportation is demystified as it depends on quantum entanglement. Only quantum teleportation has been a reality while human teleportation remains a fantasy to date. The exploration of classical teleportation for human, their issues and concerns are interesting.

⭐Excellent product, and very fast service! Thank you:-)

⭐This book is a peculiar mix of interesting science blended with frustratingly bad writing and poor editing. It slogs through (granted some slogging is appreciated) the entire history of physics, somewhat breathlessly leading you toward teleportation and quantum computing … which should have been the START of the book, not the END. And the whole thing is book-ended by some heavy handed and sophmorically written sci-fi vignettes about some future dork trying to make up his mind about which planet would be suitable for tonight’s dinner date …I counted several typos throughout the book, like “teleportee” instead of “teleported” or “heath death” instead of “heat death”. Such small nits like this slipped through as tell-tale signs that this book was both written and edited in haste. It reads like nothing more than someone’s assembled notes about physics history: “Person A did this experiment, which showed A. Then Person B did another experiment which showed B. They published their results in Journal B. Then guess what. Person C did an experiment and found C. Then person D discoved D. Then … blah blah blah” … until 200 pages of this mind-numbing chronology later, you finally get to the letter Z, if you haven’t thrown the book across the room by then.Even worse, the author goes through tortuous verbal gymnastics in an attempt to explain arcane photon experiments. Seriously, a few simple diagrams would’ve done wonders, but instead the reader is forced to imagine lasers and tubes and layered mirrors and all kinds of abstract junk based on the author’s cryptic descriptions. Why not a nice historic diagram of Newton’s apparatus, or a scematic of how the EPR paradox plays out? This lack of even a single basic diagram is the book’s biggest flaw.The comment on the book’s jacket that this writer “brings characters to life” is laughable. That is the one thing this book DOES NOT DO. Explain photons and quantum entanglement for the lay-person, Hmmm, OK. It does that. List endless experiments published in journals X, Y, Z .. OK, it does that too. But it is devoid of personality, unless you find personality in a bland chronology of experiments. Which physicists may, in fact. Who knows how they think?This is a book that is worth reading, but be prepared to skim when it is obvious that the writer is neither writing (just “listing”) and the editor has stopped editing and fallen asleep (teleportee!). At the very least, drink some coffee first. If this guy is “one of the best science writers” around, as others claim, then the state of scientific writing must be in a shambles.

⭐When I had originally ordered this, I was really intrigued about an entire book devoted to the topic of teleportation. I had read everything on the internet about the subject and felt I wanted to go deeper in to the complexities and possibilities of current and future research. And based on the title “Teleportation, the Impossible leap” that’s what I expected this book to deliver. But sadly, that was not the case. The first 130 pages are devoted to what I would kindly refer to as “fill”. Darling basically just regurgitates the history of physics and at such a simplistic level that any first year physics student would find it pedantic. I realize Darling, or his supporters, would say that such information is necessary because the book has to appeal to a mass market and the least knowledgeable reader. This would be fine if the book had plans to go deeply in to the subject of teleporation in later chapters. But at only 251 pages, over half of the book is gone before the subject of teleporation is even touched upon. Darling has a nice little physics chronology in the back that basically just restates everything in the first half of the book. In my opinion, he should have just included this at the start of the book and doubled the section that dealt with the real subject, teleportation. I have to admit that Darling in an excellent writer and makes complex subjects easy for the reader to understand. But after paying $19 for this book, I would have expected it to be longer and more in depth.

⭐Quite interesting if like me you do not know much about the area.But anyone more advanced probably needs something deeper

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