The Physical Basis of The Direction of Time (The Frontiers Collection) [Hardcover]

H. Dieter Zeh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3540680004 | ISBN-13: 978-3540680000 | Publication Date: June 11, 2007 | Edition: 5th

This thoroughly revised 5th edition of Zeh's classic text investigates irreversible phenomena and their foundation in classical, quantum and cosmological settings. It includes new sections on the meaning of probabilities in a cosmological context, irreversible aspects of quantum computers, and various consequences of the expansion of the Universe. In particular, the book offers an analysis of the physical concept of time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews of the fifth edition: This book is a real gem, providing concise yet clear and comprehensive coverage of the classic problem of time, ranging from classical electromagnetism and thermodynamics to quantum cosmology. The discussion is lucid and intuitive without glossing over the important details. It is a treat to learn about the role of decoherence from the man who discovered it. Max Tegmark H. Dieter Zeh, one of the main founders of decoherence theory, sets forth here a most penetrating analysis of recent advances in classical statistical mechanics, quantum physics and theoretical cosmology, enabling him to convincingly establish the observer-relatedness of the concept of entropy, along with that of macroscopic description in general. Both, he shows, are ultimately due to the unavoidable use of the relevance notion, itself linked to the fact that we, observers, are local whereas whatever may be called objective (i.e. mind-independent) reality is unquestionably nonlocal. Certainly one of the most informative, thorough and thought-provoking books on the subject. Bernard d'Espagnat Dieter Zeh has made important pioneering contributions to the interpretation of quantum mechanics and the study of the direction of time. His comprehensive and frequently republished book on the fascinating issue of time's arrow has few if any rivals. Julian Barbour This is a great book. It engages the reader in a philosophical meditation on time (much clearer, and in my opinion deeper than Heidegger's "Being and Time"). It is moreover a learned book in which every necessary physical or mathematical argument is given explicitly and cleanly. I learned much from it and nothing that I happened to know was missing. Roland Omnes [...] an authoritative treatment of an exciting and controversial subject: The origins and implications of the arrow of time are traced from its genesis at the microscopic quantum level to the macroscopic thermodynamic setting and include the analysis of Maxwell's demon. The monograph concludes with a provocative discussion of the arrow of time in the context of quantum gravity and cosmology. Dieter Zeh guides the reader with a sure hand through the meanderings of the subject, pointing out unexpected connections, and shedding new light on the remaining mysteries. Wojciech Zurek "Why does one never see a broken cup on the floor, jump back on the table? A question that many will have heard during lectures on statistical physics … . Dieter Zeh addresses this and similar phenomena expressing the asymmetric evolution of time. … I would like to recommend this book to those who have a deep interest in the problems associated with the arrow of time, as it contains a enormous amount of information on the subject and explains the problems very well." (J. Dubbeldam, Kwantitatieve Methoden, 2008)

From the Back Cover

This thoroughly revised 5th edition of Zeh's classic text investigates irreversible phenomena and their foundation in classical, quantum and cosmological settings. It includes new sections on the meaning of probabilities in a cosmological context, irreversible aspects of quantum computers, and various consequences of the expansion of the Universe. Many other sections have been rewritten. In particular, the book contains an analysis of the physical concept of time, a detailed treatment of radiation damping as well as extended sections on quantum entanglement and decoherence, arrows of time hidden in various interpretations of quantum theory, and the emergence of time in quantum gravity. Both physicists and philosophers of science will find in this book a magnificent survey and a concise, technically sophisticated, up-to-date discussion which shows fine sensitivity to crucial conceptual subtleties. "The discussion is lucid and intuitive without glossing over the important details." Max Tegmark, MIT

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 241 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 5th edition (June 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540680004
• ISBN-13: 978-3540680000
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE place to look for the physics behind the arrow of time, December 10, 1999

By 

Chris - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Physical Basis of the Direction of Time (Paperback)

A lot has been written about the arrow of time, a large amount of which leaves out the details (such as Huw Price's recent book). For those details, this is THE place to look. Those discussing the arrow of time, whether they agree or disagree with his conclusions, generally start with what has been written down here.

In this slim volume, Zeh gives a wonderfully concise and broad coverage to all physical aspects of the arrow of time. Furthermore, while his approach is rigorous, he makes a point of drawing out what the mathematical conclusions mean, and he does so quite lucidly. As a bonus he has a wonderful section on the quanticization of time. The only problem with this book is the rather high price tag, which will probably stop most of the casual readers interested in the topic from picking up a copy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy the FIFTH EDITION due out June 2007!, May 14, 2007

By 

Steve Reina (Troy Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Physical Basis of The Direction of Time (Paperback)

Make no mistake, this is a great book!

It thoroughly discusses the six arrows of time and their law like vs. fact like nature. It discusses pretty much every other serious work that's been done respecting time and its physical descriptions (including those of Hu Price and Julian Barbour as well as the more conventional accounts by Stephen Hawking).

And also, it has some fascinating speculations on how the universal expansion itself might be the master arrow of time.

However, it IS an expensive book and since Zeh will be having his Fifth Edition out in June 2007, you might want to wait until it's out to purchase his thoughts on this significant and important area of research.

That said, whether you choose to purchase the June 2007 version or this one, you won't be disappointed.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Requires advanced math degree, December 25, 2007

By 

Tom in northern California (Sutter Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Physical Basis of The Direction of Time (The Frontiers Collection) (Hardcover)

Being a professional engineer, although retired, I have lots of time to pursue my interest in astrophysics and associated topics. Time, to me, is an extremely interesting topic -- one which we think we all know, but probably know very little about.

Anyway, I had hoped this book would provide a greater understanding of time, and I'm sure it does .. but not for me. All of the material in this book relies HEAVILY on advanced mathematics for understanding -- calculus, differential equations, etc. Unless you are extremely versed and current in advanced math, you will not be able to realize the potential of this book.

I couldn't actually rate the book, as I'm no longer instantly conversant with the advanced math in the book. If one were, then I feel quite sure that this book could be four or five stars. But for a layman, or even one with a history of advanced math which hasn't been used recently, it is virtually not understandable. Too bad.