Entanglement: The Greatest Mystery in Physics - Softcover

Aczel, Amir D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470850477 ISBN 13: 9780470850473

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2002

Synopsis

Could ′Beam me up, Scotty′ soon become a reality?
The lines between ′science′ and ′science fiction′ have become increasingly blurred. Now, quantum mechanics promises that some of humanity′s wildest dreams may be realized. Serious scientists, working from Einstein′s theories, have been investigating the phenomenon known as ′entanglement′ one of the strangest aspects of our strange universe.
According to Einstein, quantum mechanics required entanglement, the idea that subatomic particles could become linked and that a change to one such particle would instantly be reflected in its counterpart, even if separated by a universe. Einstein felt that if quantum theory could produce such bizarre effects, then it had to be invalid. But new experiments show not only that it does happen, but that it may lead to unbreakable codes and even teleportation, perhaps in our lifetimes.
This is a highly accessible yet technically well researched introduction to the bizarre phenomenon of entanglement and the scientists who have helped to discover it. The book provides an excellent introduction to a complex but exciting branch of science that could have significant implications for our understanding of the world and the way we live.
∗ Amir D. Aczel is an internationally known author and speaker who attracts large crowds
∗ We have all seen teleportation in science fiction. This book shows how it could become a reality.
∗ The first book to explain the theory of entanglement and to make recent developments in quantum mechanics widely available.
∗ Gives an insight into the lives and thinking of some of the leading physicists of the past century.

About this title

About the Author

Amir D. Aczel, PhD, is the author of a number of successful books, including: The Mystery of the Aleph, Fermat′s Last Theorem and God′s Equation: Einstein, Relativity and the Expanding Universe.

He is Professor of Statistics at Bentley College and lives in Boston. His work has been translated into Turkish, Hebrew, French, German, Italian, Chinese and Spanish.

From the Back Cover

Could fiction become reality? Will a time come when we are able to teleport across space or communicate between universes? The lines between science and science fiction are becoming increasingly blurred.

When Captain Kirk of Star Trek calls `Beam me up Scotty′ and when the spies in Philip Pulman′s The Amber Spyglass communicate between universes both are using the phenomenon known as entanglement. Now quantum mechanics promises that some of our wildest dreams may be realised. Recent experiments show not only that such bizarre effects might be possible but that they could become reality, perhaps even in our lifetimes.

From the Inside Flap

Scientists working from Einstein′s theories have been investigating the bizarre phenomenon of entanglement, the idea that two subatomic particles in different locations can be linked so that a change in one particle would instantly be reflected in the other, even if separated by a universe. Einstein could not believe that such bizarre effects could be true even though based on his own theories. He famously declared that quantum mechanics could not be correct because God does not play dice. But recent research shows that such effects do happen and could, as our understanding of them grows, transform our lives and our understanding of the universe or universes around us.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470850477
• ISBN 13: 9780470850473
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288