The demon and the quantum : from the pythagorean mystics to Maxwell's demon and quantum mystery / Robert J. Scully ; with endnotes by Marlan O. Scully.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scully, Robert J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nuclear physics.

Atomic theory.

Physical Description:

viii, 271 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, [2007]

Summary:

We often hear phrases like "quantum weirdness" and the "strange world of the quantum". A fact that is not so widely appreciated is that quantum mechanics can (and does) shed light on problems such as the Maxwell Demon Paradox of thermodynamics, the seemingly "spiritual" nature of information, and even, perhaps, new insights into the existence of Mind! The common denominator of all this is the fact that information is a real physical quantity. Information is more than something just in our mind, it is the essence of, and in many ways more general than the concept of entropy. By focusing on entropy, information, and observation, the authors bring a unique perspective to this subject and offer insight into the strange ways of the quantum which will not only fascinate scientists but lay persons as well.

Contents:

1 Mathematics, Mysticism, and More: From Pythagoras and Plato to Pauli 7

2 Mass in Motion: Kepler, Newton and Kelvin lay the foundations 25

3 From Engines to Entropy: Carnot and Clausius develop the yardstick of engine efficiency 41

4 From Statistical Entropy to Statistical Time: Thermodynamics evolves from being an engineer's coal pit to becoming a philosopher's gold mine 55

5 Maxwells's Demon and Szilard's One Atom Engine: A heady mixture of entropy, information and consciousness 65

6 Quantum Mechanics I: From magnets to masers 75

7 Using Quantum Mechanics to Resolve the Maxwell Demon Paradox: Solving the demon problem with quantum mechanics but without information science, sweat or tears 93

8 Quantum Mechanics II: The wave side of particles and the particle side of waves 105

9 From Wigner's Friend to Quantum Eraser: Of Wigner's friends and their amnesia 121

10 On Quantum Mechanics and the Big Questions: From quantum controversy to Pauli's spiritual complementarily 137.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9783527406883

3527406883

OCLC:

166314679