The Demon and the Quantum: From the Pythagorean Mystics to Maxwells Demon and Quantum Mystery

We often hear phrases like quantum weirdness and the strange world of the quantum. A fact that is not so widely appreciated is that quantum mechanics can (and does) shed light on problems such as the Maxwell Demon Paradox of thermodynamics, the seemingly spiritual nature of information, and even, perhaps, new insights into the existence of Mind! The common denominator of all this is the fact that information is a real physical quantity. Information is more than something just in our mind, it is the essence of, and in many ways more general than the concept of entropy. By focusing on entropy, information, and observation, the authors bring a unique perspective to this subject, and offer insight into the strange ways of the quantum which will not only fascinate scientists but lay persons as well.

Spis treści:
Introduction.
1. Mathematics, Mysticism, and More.
From Pythagoras and Plato to Pauli.
2. Mass in Motion.
Kepler, Newton and Kelvin lay the Foundations.
3. From Engines to Entropy.
Carnot and Clausius develop the yardstick of engine efficiency.
4. From Statistical Entropy to Statistical Time.
Thermodynamics evolves from being an engineer′s coal pit to becoming a philosopher′s gold mine.
5. Maxwells′s Demon and Szilard′s One Atom Engine.
A heady mixture of entropy, information and consciousness.
6. Quantum Mechanics I.
From magnets to masers.
7. Using Quantum Mechanics to resolve the Maxwell Demon Paradox.
Solving the demon problem with quantum mechanics but without information science, sweat or tears.
8. Quantum Mechanics II.
The Wave side of particles and the particle side of waves.
9. From Wigner′s Friend to Quantum Eraser.
Of Wigner′s friends and their amnesia.
10. On Quantum Mechanics and the Big Questions.
From quantum controversy to Pauli′s spiritual complementarily .
Endnotes.
Acknowledgements.
Glossary.
Citations, Comments and Further Readings.
Index.

Nota biograficzna:
Marlan O. Scully holds joint appointments at Texas A&M and Princeton Universities. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and the Max–Planck–Gesellschaft. During the course of his life work on the foundations and applications of quantum mechanics, he has come to know many of the pioneers in the field and has collected biographical material on them, which R. Scully has woven into this book.
Robert J. Scully is a heavy equipment diesel mechanic living and working in Irving, Texas, where he is employed by the Caterpillar Corporation. His academic connections include the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas at Dallas. He was a tank diesel mechanic in the marine corps from 1988 to 1993. Robert Scully writes biographies for the National Academy of Sciences, including one on William Hewlett of the Hewlett Packard Corporation and one on quantum physicist Leonard Mandel.

Okładka tylna:
We often hear phrases like quantum weirdness and the strange world of the quantum. A fact that is not so widely appreciated is that quantum mechanics can (and does) shed light on problems such as the Maxwell Demon Paradox of thermodynamics, the seemingly spiritual nature of information, and even, perhaps, new insights into the existence of Mind! The common denominator of all this is the fact that information is a real physical quantity. Information is more than something just in our mind, it is the essence of, and in many ways more general than the concept of entropy. By focusing on entropy, information, and observation, the authors bring a unique perspective to this subject, and offer insight into the strange ways of the quantum which will not only fascinate scientists but lay persons as well.