The Quantum Challenge, Second Edition : Modern Research on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (Physics and Astronomy) [Paperback]

George Greenstein (Author), Arthur G. Zajonc (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 076372470X | ISBN-13: 978-0763724702 | Publication Date: July 28, 2005 | Edition: 2

The Quantum Challenge, Second Edition is an engaging and thorough treatment of the extraordinary phenomena of quantum mechanics, and of the enormous challenge they present to our conception of the physical world. Traditionally, the thrill of grappling with such issues is reserved for practicing scientists, while physical science, mathematics, and engineering students are often isolated from these inspiring questions. This book was written to remove this isolation. Greenstein and Zajonc present the puzzles of quantum mechanics using vivid references to contemporary experiments. The authors focus on the most striking and conceptually significant quantum phenomena, together with a clear theoretical treatment of each. The depth and extent of the challenge of quantum mechanics becomes increasingly compelling as they move from the simplest experiments involving single photons or particles, to the famous Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen and Bell's Theorem, and then to macroscopic quantum phenomena.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.; 2 edition (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076372470X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763724702
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #982,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quantum Challenge, June 16, 2003

By 

Dr. Laurance R. Doyle (SETI Insitute, Mountain View, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quantum Challenge: Modern Research on the Foundations of Quantum (Jones and Bartlett Series in Physics and Astronomy) (Paperback)

This is the best book available, by far, on experimental results of the quantum measurement problem. It is one of the few books that are beyond popular accounts, which generally do not have the depth necessary to understand the measurement problem, and - on the other hand - very technical quantum optics volumes. I give it my highest recommendation for anyone with some science background to become acquainted with the quantum measurement problem in detail. It is a triumph and comprehensive in its coverage and reference to quantum measurement experiments. Every scientist should read this book.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Foundations of Quantum Mechanics made accessible, August 23, 2006

By 

M. Eichenlaub - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Quantum Challenge, Second Edition : Modern Research on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (Physics and Astronomy) (Paperback)

Even after taking an advanced-level quantun mechanics course my junior year of college, I had only heard vague reference to Bell's Inequalities, and certainly had not heard of delayed-choice experiments or Bohm's formulation of quantum mechanics. I knew nothing about quantum computation, hidden variable theories, or really anything at all beyond the Copenhagen Interpretation.

Quantum mechanics tends to bring up philosophical questions in first-time students. I have a friend who after taking his first quantum course, was adamant, to near the point of hysteria, that quantum mechanics must be wrong because to him the collapse of the wave function simply did not make sense. For him, and for myself, The Quantum Challenge was exactly what we needed. It takes questions about the meaning of quantum mechanics and answers them firmly and concretely (to the extent that the answers are known) in light of experimental results. These are the sort of things they don't teach you in physics class, where you diagnolize matrices, solve Schrodinger Equations, and learn approximation methods for months without understanding how everything you're doing works in application.

I was a teaching assistant for an intensive, 4-week quantum mechanics course for high school students this summer. The Quantum Challenge was our text. At first, I was skeptical of using this route to introduce students to quantum physics, but now I realize that it is much more successful than a traditional approach towards the mathematics of quantum. After working with Quantum Challenge, my students had a better understanding of quantum physics than they would have if we had spent four weeks trying to teach differential equations and linear algebra to them.

The book does include some math and is not for a complete beginner in quantum mechanics. Before reading it, you should understand bra-ket notation and have enough quantum mechanics to do simple one-dimensional problems, but after that, dive into the arcane and fascinating world of the quantum.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent for first year grad students, December 28, 2006

By 

Nesnayu - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quantum Challenge, Second Edition : Modern Research on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (Physics and Astronomy) (Paperback)

This book is great for understanding QM conceptually. You should have studied QM at least at the undergraduate level already - the authors assume you already know the math. I'm a first year grad student in electrical engineering and the level is perfect for me (that is, challenging and slow to read, but very rewarding and not too frustrating). The authors go over a lot of spiffy experiments that have taken place in the last 50 years. They give you the experimental schematic, tell you the "expected result", give you charts of the actual result, and discuss what it means. As an engineer, this style of learning is great for me, because there's a lot of pretty diagrams and plots.

The authors also teach you how to apply the math you learned in your undergrad to actually analyze real world situations. For example, they analyze scattering events inside a fission reactor using the uncertainty principle and conclude *warning: spoilers* that the uncertainty in the position of a particle in a fission reactor is one hundred times bigger than the cross section of the nucleus it is to strike. (This is a fundamental uncertainty due to the Heisenberg Principle, not due to faulty measuring equipment). This means that we cannot visualize a fission chain reaction as these neat little balls that bounce around, splitting nuclei apart. It means that we cannot be sure what is going on inside at all. I thought that was neat.