H. Dieter Zeh

eBook, PDF

The Physical Basis of The Direction of Time (eBook, PDF)

Beschreibung

This thoroughly revised 5th edition of Zeh's classic text investigates irreversible phenomena and their foundation in classical, quantum and cosmological settings. It includes new sections on the meaning of probabilities in a cosmological context, irreversible aspects of quantum computers, and various consequences of the expansion of the Universe. Many other sections have been rewritten. In particular, the book contains an analysis of the physical concept of time, a detailed treatment of radiation damping as well as extended sections on quantum entanglement and decoherence, arrows of time hidden in various interpretations of quantum theory, and the emergence of time in quantum gravity. Both physicists and philosophers of science will find in this book a magnificent survey and a concise, technically sophisticated, up-to-date discussion which shows fine sensitivity to crucial conceptual subtleties.

"The discussion is lucid and intuitive without glossing over the important details."

Max Tegmark, MIT

Technische Details

• Geräte: PC
• ohne Kopierschutz
• Größe: 1.81MB

Barrierefreiheit

• Text-to-Speech

Autor

H. Dieter Zeh studied physics in Brunswick and Heidelberg, where he began work on theoretical nuclear physics. After a year of research at the California Institute of Technology, he moved to the University of California in San Diego to work on the synthesis of the heavy elements, before returning to the University of Heidelberg, where he later became professor of theoretical physics. His studies of collective motion in nuclei led him to address the quantum-to-classical transition in general, and in particular the quantum measurement problem, which is in turn related to many aspects of irreversibility (arrows of time). During this work, Zeh recognized and formulated the universal and unavoidable role of uncontrollable quantum entanglement, thus becoming a founder of the area now known as decoherence.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• Seitenzahl: 233
• Erscheinungstermin: 13. August 2007
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783540680017
• Artikelnr.: 37367852

Rezensionen

From the reviews of the fifth edition:

"Why does one never see a broken cup on the floor, jump back on the table? A question that many will have heard during lectures on statistical physics ... . Dieter Zeh addresses this and similar phenomena expressing the asymmetric evolution of time. ... I would like to recommend this book to those who have a deep interest in the problems associated with the arrow of time, as it contains a enormous amount of information on the subject and explains the problems very well." (J. Dubbeldam, Kwantitatieve Methoden, 2008)

Aus den Rezensionen zur 5. Auflage: "... Das Standardwerk zu diesem Thema ... liegt nun in einer überarbeiteten und erweiterten Neuauflage vor ... Ein großartiges Buch, verknüpft es doch viele faszinierende Aspekte der modernen Physik! Neben Thermodynamik und Quantenphysik ... spielt auch die Kosmologie dabei eine wesentliche Rolle. ... Wer ... über den Stand der Dinge Bescheid wissen will, kommt an diesem Buch nicht vorbei." (in: The Science Fiction Jahr 2008, 2008, 783 f.)