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Anybody who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it. Niels Bohr's dictum bears witness to the bewildering impact of quantum theory, flying in the face of classical physics and dramatically transforming scientists' outlook on our relationship with the material world. While the theory has been supremely successful in its explanation of some of the major problems in twentieth-century physics, its meaning (presenting a number of basic philosophical contradictions) is nevertheless the subject of unprecedented controversy amongst scientists. In The Ghost in the Atom, which has its origin in a series of radio broadcasts, Paul Davies interviews eight physicists involved in debating and testing the theory, with radically different views of its significance.
Foreword
1. The strange world of the quantum
2. Alain Aspect
3. John Bell
4. John Wheeler
5. Rudolf Peierls
6. David Deutsch
7. John Taylor
8. David Bohm
9. Basil Hiley
Glossary
Further reading
Index
"Paul Davies' summary [...] is one of the clearest short expositions of quantum theory I have ever read."
- New Scientist
"For those puzzled by the mystery of Schrödinger's 'dead and alive' cat, or intrigued by the idea of parallel universes, this is a must."
- The Good Book Guide
"Paul Davies' summary – well worth the price of the book – is one of the clearest short expositions of quantum theory I have ever read. But the best is yet to come. In the interviews we hear physicists defending passionately some very bizarre views of the world [...] seeing these questions through the eyes of the people who are actually struggling to answer them offers an exciting firsthand glimpse into this fundamental and controversial field of enquiry."
- New Scientist
"Non-specialists will find this an attractive and thought-provoking book."
- Contemporary Physics
