Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know (Paperback)

Around 1900, physicists started to discover particles like electrons, protons, and neutrons, and with these discoveries believed they could predict the internal behavior of the atom. However, once their predictions were compared to the results of experiments in the real world, it became clear that the principles of classical physics and mechanics were far from capable of explaining phenomena on the atomic scale. With this realization came the advent of quantum physics, one of the most important intellectual movements in human history. Today, quantum physics is everywhere: it explains how our computers work, how lasers transmit information across the Internet, and allows scientists to predict accurately the behavior of nearly every particle in nature. Its application continues to be fundamental in the investigation of the most expansive questions related to our world and the universe.

However, while the field and principles of quantum physics are known to have nearly limitless applications, the fundamental reasons why this is the case are far less understood. In Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know, quantum physicist Michael G. Raymer distills the basic principles of such an abstract field, and addresses the many ways quantum physics is a key factor in today's science and beyond. The book tackles questions as broad as the meaning of quantum entanglement and as specific and timely as why governments worldwide are spending billions of dollars developing quantum technology research. Raymer's list of topics is diverse, and showcases the sheer range of questions and ideas in which quantum physics is involved. From applications like data encryption and quantum computing to principles and concepts like "quantum nonlocality" and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know is a wide-reaching introduction to a nearly ubiquitous scientific topic.

大約在1900年，物理學家開始發現像是電子、質子和中子這樣的粒子，並且相信這些發現可以預測原子的內部行為。然而，一旦他們的預測與真實世界中的實驗結果進行比較，就變得清楚，古典物理學和力學的原則遠不能解釋原子尺度上的現象。隨著這一認識的到來，量子物理學應運而生，成為人類歷史上最重要的知識運動之一。如今，量子物理學無所不在：它解釋了我們的電腦如何運作，激光如何在互聯網上傳輸信息，並且使科學家能夠準確預測自然界中幾乎每一個粒子的行為。它的應用在探索與我們的世界和宇宙相關的最廣泛問題中仍然是基礎。

然而，儘管量子物理學的領域和原則被認為具有幾乎無限的應用，但為什麼會如此的基本原因卻遠不被理解。在《量子物理學：每個人都需要知道的事情》一書中，量子物理學家Michael G. Raymer提煉了這個抽象領域的基本原則，並探討了量子物理學在當今科學及其他領域中的重要性。這本書涵蓋了廣泛的問題，從量子糾纏的意義到為什麼全球各國政府花費數十億美元進行量子技術研究，既有廣泛的應用，如數據加密和量子計算，也有原則和概念，如“量子非局域性”和海森堡的不確定性原理。《量子物理學：每個人都需要知道的事情》是對一個幾乎無所不在的科學主題的廣泛介紹。