Quantum Entanglement

with

Harsh Mathur, PhD

Professor of Physics, Case Western Reserve University

"Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it" - Niels Bohr, early pioneer of quantum mechanics.

April 8, 2019

The following resources and titles provide an additional look at the topics of this month's talk for you to explore further. Additionally, there are more titles on order in the area of physics and quantum entanglement. Check out our catalog! Enjoy!

Know This : Today's Most Interesting And Important Scientific Ideas, Discoveries, And Developments by John Brockman (2017)
- [F]uturist Bill Joy and artist James Croak each discuss improvement in batteries; engineer Carl Page outlines the potential of harnessing low energy nuclear reactions; and Leonard Susskind, Andrei Linde, and Stephon Alexander giddily share news from the edges of theoretical physics. To broaden perspectives, Brockman smartly includes psychologists, economists, sociologists, and linguists along with artists, poets, musicians, and philosophers. Brockman's array of contributors and subject matter makes for an often lively collection, but with nearly 200 essays, the book could use an organizing principle. (Publishers Weekly review, excerpt. Work includes a chapter entitled "Quantum entanglement is independent of space and time")
Surfing the Quantum World by Frank S. Levin (2017)
- What makes Levin's offering an excellent primer for aspiring physics majors is the way Levin transitions from such simple examples as a particle in a one-dimensional box to more complex concepts, such as the hydrogen atom, spin-½ particles, and the singlet spin state, making maximum use of Dirac notation and allowing readers to approach in later chapters topics such as quantum entanglement, the EPR paradox, Bell's inequality, and Schrödinger's cat in ways more sophisticated than those typically seen in comparable expositions. (Choice review, excerpt)
Quantum Entanglement For Babies by Chris Ferrie (2017)
- Written by an expert, Quantum Entanglement for Babies is a colorfully simple introduction to one of nature's weirdest phenomenons. Babies (and grownups!) will learn about the wild world of quantum particles. With a tongue-in-cheek approach that adults will love, this installment of the Baby University board book series is the perfect way to introduce basic concepts to even the youngest scientists. After all, it's never too early to become a quantum physicist! (Book summary, excerpt)
Quantum Weirdness by William Mullin (2017)
- [T]he work under review is ideal for advanced lay readers ready for some intermediate (non-calculus) math and an introductory use of wave functions, Dirac Bra-ket notation, spin, and Feynman diagrams. Like a good teacher, Mullin (emer., Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst) carefully builds the complexity of his topic gradually, all the while introducing the concepts and tools needed for each succeeding stage. Although the "teaser," so to speak, is the weird aspects of quantum mechanics, the contrivances employed nonetheless use ideas basic to understanding the discipline. However, readers will be pleasantly surprised at how much clarity the author brings to rather complex, weird applications (such as entanglement, bomb/dud detection, the proof of Bell's theorem, and virtual particles) using these same concepts and tools. (Choice review, excerpt)
The Quantum Age : How The Physics Of The Very Small Has Transformed Our Lives by Brian Clegg (2014)
- The Quantum Age is nominally about the impact of applications of quantum physics on our everyday lives. However, it also contains material on the fundamentals and history of quantum physics, as well as some underlying conceptual and philosophical issues. It is aimed squarely at the lay public who enjoy reading about science. Familiar applications of quantum physics discussed include transistors and integrated circuits, lasers, and superconductors. The author also describes current research in areas such as particle physics and quantum computing. This would be a good first book on quantum physics for someone without much scientific background... [t]his is an entertaining introduction to the quantum world. (Choice review, excerpt)
Quantum Chance : Nonlocality, Teleportation And Other Quantum Marvels by Nicolas Gisin (2014)
- This delightful and concise exposition does not avoid the deep logical difficulties of quantum physics, but gives the reader the insights needed to appreciate them. From 'Bell's Theorem' to experiments in quantum entanglement, the reader will gain a solid understanding of one of the most fascinating areas of contemporary physics. (Book summary, excerpt)
How To Build A Time Machine : The Real Science Of Time Travel by Brian Clegg (2011)
- No, readers will not find step-by-step instructions for creating their own TARDIS, but via Clegg's fantastic overview of the history of our study of the science and nature of time, they can better appreciate the obstacles to sending humans back and forth through a chronology. These problems notwithstanding, Clegg reminds us of how much humans have accomplished in the science so far and of the many things once thought unimaginable that are now part of everyday life. VERDICT An engaging read, highly recommended for the armchair physicist of the Michio Kaku school of popular science. Clegg excels at making science accessible. (Library Journal review, excerpt)
Dance Of The Photons : From Einstein To Quantum Teleportation by Anton Zeilinger (2010)
- Here Zeilinger introduces the fictional Dr. Quantinger, who assigns two students to experiment on an apparatus that sends photons to separate detectors that they observe. Alice and Bob periodically report their findings, proffer theories to account for the results, listen raptly to Dr. Quantinger's hints about quantum states of light, such as entanglement and polarity, then repair to their detectors to watch more photons. Sometimes Zeilinger suspends this fictional device to address readers directly about the quality of entanglement--the property of pairs of particles, no matter how far separated, whether by the Danube in Alice and Bob's case or by light-years of space, to know the quantum state of its partner. This faster-than-light talent of quantum particles bothered Einstein but excites Zeilinger, who describes the technologies that entanglement could in principle permit, such as quantum computers or quantum teleportation. (Booklist review, excerpt)
The God Effect : Quantum Entanglement, Science's Strangest Phenomenon by Brian Clegg (2006)
- Science writer Clegg, discussing the field of quantum mechanics, asserts that "[e]very experiment takes us a step closer to realizing just how strange the world is at the quantum level." Quantum entanglement is the oddest of them all. As Clegg explains it, entanglement occurs when two particles (photons, atoms, electrons, etc.) become so intensely linked together that for all intents and purposes they become part of one unit. The mystifying thing is that this link continues even if the two particles are in different parts of the universe. The implications for future technological advances are huge, and Clegg is at his finest as he embeds potential advances in a broad historical context. Data could be encrypted in unbreakable codes; computers could become thousands of times more powerful than today; objects, and maybe even living organisms, could be instantaneously transported. While highly speculative, these possibilities could change our notion of reality. (Publishers Weekly review, excerpt)

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