Quantum Reality: Beyond the New Physics

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Alan Aspect, John F. Crowther, and Anton Zeilinger. The reasons for the award were "experiments with entangled photons, the proof of the violation of the Bell inequality, and pioneering research in quantum information science." However, even now that I know that, the value of this book remains unchanged. Its wonderful and extensive description suggests J.S. Bell's claim that "the universe is inseparably and nonlocally connected...". I read this book in 1985, and it is still a masterpiece worth reading. There is a Japanese translation, but you can look for it if you need it.

non deve mancare nella libreria di un fisico. Un capolavoro

Easily one of the best layman's books on quantum mechanics i've ever read (i've read over 25 at last count). The analogies used to explain complex quantum concepts are some of the best i've come across. The book focuses fully on quantum mechanics and not any TOE (thankfully). Although its quite an old text it doesn't really feel dated, as there haven't been too many further discoveries in this field.

The front cover of "Quantum Reality" has the subtext "Beyond the new Physics, an Excursion into Metaphysics and The Meaning of Reality", a label that might tend to frighten one off. That would be a great pity, because anyone interested in physics and popular science will find this book very rewarding. Being interested in popular science myself, I have read quite a number of books over the years dealing with the general evolution of scientific knowledge. Some of these books have been more accessible than others, some more specific in content, some very enjoyable and others not so. Many of these books have dealt to some degree with quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics, or quantum physics, deals with the world of the very small, the atomic and sub-atomic world. Strange, counter intuitive, illogical things appear to happen there. That world is too small to observe directly, so it can be explored only through the experimental observation of its effects, and through theory and mathematics. The experimental and mathematical verification of basic quantum theory is staggeringly convincing. But nobody, absolutely nobody, knows what reality it describes, or how it works. The famous and brilliant physicist Richard Feynman once said "I think that it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics". All this might seem a little discouraging to the potential reader. But if you have an interest in the subject, however slight, I recommend this book highly. Nick Herbert has produced a fine work which treats the subject in a non-sensationalist and comprehensible manner - inasmuch as quantum physics can ever be comprehensible. You don't have to have any math to enjoy it, just an open and inquiring mind. The book can be an introduction to the subject or, for those who have been there before, a valuable alternative approach. As another famous scientist once said (his name escapes me) "The world is not only stranger than we think it is; it's stranger than we CAN think it is". All very intriguing, stimulating and enjoyable stuff.

J‘Ai beaucoup aimé ce livre de très bonne vulgarisation qui prend le lecteur par la main pour le faire pénétrer dans la complexité et la variété des interpretations de la théorie quantique bien au delà de l’interprétation dominante de Copenhagen.