| View Larger Image | Quantum Physics: A First Encounter: Interference, Entanglement, and Reality | Hardcoverby Valerio Scarani (Author), Rachael Thew (Translator)
| List Price: | $45.00 | | Price: | $36.00 | | You Save: | $9.00 (20%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | Oxford University Press, USA | | Page Count: | 144 Pages | | Publication Date: | February 16, 2006 | | Sales Rank: | 804,199th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Quantum physics is often perceive as a weird and abstract theory, which physicists must use in order to make correct predictions. But many recent experiments have shown that the weirdness of the theory simply mirrors the weirdness of phenomena: it is Nature itself, and not only our descriptions of it that behaves in an astonishing way. This book selects those, among these typical quantum phenomena, whose rigorous description requires neither the formalism, not an important background in physics. The first part of the book deals with the phenomenon of single-particle interference, covering the historical questions of wave-particle duality, objective randomness and the boundary between the quantum and the classical world, but also the recent idea of quantum cryptography. The second part introduces the modern theme of entanglement, by presenting two-particle interference phenomena and discussing Bell's inequalities. A concise review of the main interpretations of quantum physics is provided. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 3 reviews)
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Decent overview by Mayer A. Landau (Rochester, NY)  5 Stars
May 06, 2009
My compliments to the translator who did a fairly decent job. In the whole book there are only about 20 sentences that are grammatically awkward. The author himself does a fairly decent job as well. His technique is to explain quantum phenomena through interferometry experiments. This allows him to avoid all mathematics and yet, still get his point across. An enjoyable read.
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Fine Introduction to Quantum Physics by Christopher French (Australia)  4 Stars
April 24, 2008
Quantum Physics: A First Encounter: Interference, Entanglement, and Reality by Valerio Scarani is a very readable and informative introduction to quantum physics. The book has several notable strengths. Firstly the reflective didactic method that engages the reader and conveys clearly the fundamentals of the subject. Secondly, as opposed to several other popular expositions on the subject, Scarani conveys the extraordinary novelty and significance of non-locality. Additionally, there is a refreshingly detached attitude to the subject's intrinsic significance. Rather than the common unscientific triumphalistic assertions of the completeness and unassailability of quantum physics, Scarani emphasises the intrinsic limitations of what can only be descriptions of reality, and the need to maintain a sense of wonder and openness to phenomena. Finally, the book is short, and hence practically readable.
CR French
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A 'MUST BUY' for novices by Ashley Veliath 4 Stars
July 11, 2006
I would not give this a five star rating only because it is not PERFECT! I actually intend to give it a 4 1/2 rating in fact.
I liked this book for four things:
1) This is such a small book. (Lesser the words one speaks, the better to listen).
2) No technical blabbering, but STILL maintains clarity of concepts.
3) Tells about real experiments.
4) One of the latest on the old subject (as of July 2006!).
Now to give an example of the minor defects that I noticed - The Unbalanced Franson's Interferometer explanation could leave the novice reader confused as to why the tiny time difference could not lead to distinguishability. There is nothing in the main text that even hints about this.
All in all, this is a MUST BUY for all 'physics-maths' kind of people who have are new to QM.
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