Overview

"When we were preparing the first edition of this book, the concept of de­ coherence was known only to a minority of physicists. In the meantime, a wealth of contributions has appeared in the literature - important ones as well as serious misunderstandings. The phenomenon itself is now experimen­ tally clearly established and theoretically well understood in principle. New fields of application, discussed in the revised book, are chaos theory, informa­ tion theory, quantum computers, neuroscience, primordial cosmology, some aspects of black holes and strings, and others. While the first edition arose from regular discussions between the authors, thus leading to a clear"" entanglement"" of their otherwise quite different chap­ ters, the latter have thereafter evolved more or less independently. While this may broaden the book's scope as far as applications and methods are con­ cerned, it may also appear confusing to the reader wherever basic assumptions and intentions differ (as they do). For this reason we have rearranged the or­ der of the authors: they now appear in the same order as the chapters, such that those most closely related to the ""early"" and most ambitious concept of decoherence are listed first. The first three authors (Joos, Zeh, Kiefer) agree with one another that decoherence (in contradistinction to the Copen­ hagen interpretation) allows one to eliminate primary classical concepts, thus neither relying on an axiomatic concept of observables nor on a probability interpretation of the wave function in terms of classical concepts."

Full Product Details

Author:   Erich Joos ,  H. Dieter Zeh ,  Claus Kiefer ,  Domenico J. W. Giulini
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Edition:   Softcover reprint of hardcover 2nd ed. 2003
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.60cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.777kg
ISBN:  

9783642055768

ISBN 10:   3642055761
Pages:   496
Publication Date:   30 November 2010
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Reviews

From the reviews of the second edition: This book is essential for anyone who is working in the quantum-classical divide. (Contemporary Physics 2005, 46, page 146) The goal of this collective book is the understanding, in the framework of quantum mechanics, of the appearance of our macroscopic classical world ... . I strongly recommend it to all those interested in an understanding of quantum mechanics that goes beyond the pragmatic point of view summarized in the formula: 'for all practical purpose'. (Philippe Spindel, Physicalia Vol. 57 (2), 2005) This book is essential for anyone who is working in the quantum-classical divide. Most of the material is written in a pedagogical style so that it can easily be used as an aid to start ones research in this field. The size of the reference list is impressive ... . (J.Hartley, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 46 (2) 2005) Since quantum mechanical interpretational issues are usually very sensitive matters, not to mention controversial, the authors are commended for putting together a coherent text ... . is highly recommended reading for anyone with a serious interest in basic problems in physics, notwithstanding being a senior scientist or an advanced graduate student. It constitutes an excellent portrayal of issues related to our fundamental conception of natural science. It also has much to offer to readers who already have experienced knowledge of physics. (Erkki J. Brandas, International Journal of Quantum Chemistry, Vol. 99, 2004)

From the reviews of the second edition: This book is essential for anyone who is working in the quantum-classical divide. (Contemporary Physics 2005, 46, page 146) The goal of this collective book is the understanding, in the framework of quantum mechanics, of the appearance of our macroscopic classical world ! . I strongly recommend it to all those interested in an understanding of quantum mechanics that goes beyond the pragmatic point of view summarized in the formula: 'for all practical purpose'. (Philippe Spindel, Physicalia Vol. 57 (2), 2005) This book is essential for anyone who is working in the quantum-classical divide. Most of the material is written in a pedagogical style so that it can easily be used as an aid to start ones research in this field. The size of the reference list is impressive ! . (J.Hartley, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 46 (2) 2005) Since quantum mechanical interpretational issues are usually very sensitive matters, not to mention controversial, the authors are commended for putting together a coherent text ! . is highly recommended reading for anyone with a serious interest in basic problems in physics, notwithstanding being a senior scientist or an advanced graduate student. It constitutes an excellent portrayal of issues related to our fundamental conception of natural science. It also has much to offer to readers who already have experienced knowledge of physics. (Erkki J. Brandas, International Journal of Quantum Chemistry, Vol. 99, 2004)

From the reviews of the second edition: This book is essential for anyone who is working in the quantum-classical divide. (Contemporary Physics 2005, 46, page 146) The goal of this collective book is the understanding, in the framework of quantum mechanics, of the appearance of our macroscopic classical world ... . I strongly recommend it to all those interested in an understanding of quantum mechanics that goes beyond the pragmatic point of view summarized in the formula: `for all practical purpose'. (Philippe Spindel, Physicalia Vol. 57 (2), 2005) This book is essential for anyone who is working in the quantum-classical divide. Most of the material is written in a pedagogical style so that it can easily be used as an aid to start ones research in this field. The size of the reference list is impressive ... . (J.Hartley, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 46 (2) 2005) Since quantum mechanical interpretational issues are usually very sensitive matters, not to mention controversial, the authors are commended for putting together a coherent text ... . is highly recommended reading for anyone with a serious interest in basic problems in physics, notwithstanding being a senior scientist or an advanced graduate student. It constitutes an excellent portrayal of issues related to our fundamental conception of natural science. It also has much to offer to readers who already have experienced knowledge of physics. (Erkki J. Brandas, International Journal of Quantum Chemistry, Vol. 99, 2004)

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