The Oxford Handbook of the History of Quantum Interpretations

by Olival Freire Jr, Guido Bacciagaluppi (Editor), Olivier Darrigol (Editor), Thiago Hartz (Editor), Christian Joas (Editor)

Overview

Crucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy.

This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity.

This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198844495
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Series:	Oxford Handbooks in Physics
Pages:	1312
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 7.00(h) x 2.30(d)

About the Author

Guido Bacciagaluppi, Associate Professor, University of Utrecht,Olivier Darrigol, OHST Research Fellow, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique,Thiago Hartz, Assistant Professor of History of Mathematics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,Christian Joas, Director, Niels Bohr Archive, University of Copenhagen, Alexei Kojevnikov, Professor, University of British Columbia,Osvaldo Pessoa Jr, Professor of Philosophy of Science, FFLCH, University of São Paulo

Olival Freire Jr is Professor of Physics and History of Science at the Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. He is the author of The Quantum Dissidents (2015) and David Bohm: A Life Dedicated to Understanding the Quantum World (2019). In 2011 he co-edited Teoria quântica: estudos históricos e implicações culturais with Osvaldo Pessoa Jr. and Joan Lisa Bromberg and was awarded the Jabuti Prize in Science & Technology, the most important literary prize in Brazil.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Olival Freire Jr, Guido Bacciagaluppi, Olivier Darrigol, Thiago Hartz, Christian Joas, Alexei Kojevnikov, and Osvaldo Pessoa Jr.Part I - Quantum physics: scientific and philosophical issues under debate1. Quantum mechanics is routinely used in laboratories with great success, but no consensus on its interpretation has emerged, Franck Laloë2. Philosophical issues raised by quantum theory and its interpretations, Wayne MyrvoldPart II - Historical landmarks of the interpretations and foundations of quantum physics3. Quantization conditions, 1900-1925, Anthony Duncan and Michel Janssen4. Of weighting and counting: statistics and ontology in the old quantum theory, Massimiliano Badino5. Dead as a doornail? Zero-point energy and Low-temperature physics in early quantum theory, Helge Kragh6. The early debates about the interpretation of quantum mechanics, Martin Jähnert and Christoph Lehner7. Foundations and applications: the creative tension in the early development of quantum mechanics, Christian Joas8. The statistical interpretation: Born, Heisenberg and von Neumann, 1926-27, Guido Bacciagaluppi9. A perennially grinning Cheshire cat? Over a century of experiments on light quanta and their perplexing interpretations, Klaus Hentschel10. The evolving understanding of quantum statistics, Daniela Monaldi11 The measurement problem, Osvaldo Pessoa Jr.12. Einstein's criticisms of quantum mechanics, Michel Paty13. Tackling loopholes in experimental tests of Bell's inequality, David Kaiser14. The measuring process in quantum field theory, Thiago Hartz15. The interpretation debate and quantum gravity, Alexander Blum and Bernadette Lessel16. Quantum information and the quest for reconstruction of quantum theory, Alexei Grinbaum17. Natural reconstructions of quantum mechanics, Olivier Darrigol18. The axiomatization of quantum theory through functional analysis: Hilbert, von Neumann, and beyond, Klaas Landsman19. Tony Leggett's challenge to quantum mechanics and its path to decoherence, Fabio FreitasPart III - Places and contexts relevant for the interpretations of quantum theory20. The Copenhagen interpretation, Don Howard21. Copenhagen and Niels Bohr, Anja Skaar Jacobsen22. Grete Hermann's Interpretation of quantum mechanics, Elise Crull23. Instrumentation and the foundations of quantum mechanics, Climério Paulo da Silva Neto24. Early Solvay councils: rhetorical lenses for quantum convergence and divergence, José G. Perillán25. The foundations of quantum mechanics in post-war Italy's cultural context, Flavio Del Santo26. Foundations of quantum physics in the Soviet Union, Jean-Philippe Martinez27. Early Japanese reactions to the interpretation of quantum mechanics, 1927-1943, Kenji Ito28. Form and meaning: textbooks, pedagogy, and the canonical genres of quantum mechanics, Josep Simon29. Chien-Shiung Wu's contributions to experimental philosophy, Indianara Silva30. On how Epistemological Letters changed the foundations of quantum mechanics, Sebastián Murgueitio Ramírez31. Quantum interpretations and 20th century philosophy of science, Thomas RyckmanPart IV - Historical and philosophical theses32. Bohr and the epistemological lesson of quantum mechanics, Stefano Osnaghi33. Making sense of the century-old scientific controversy over the quanta, Olival Freire Jr34. Orthodoxy and heterodoxy in the postwar era, Kristian Camilleri35. The reception of the Forman thesis in modernity and postmodernity, Paul Forman36. Quantum historiography and cultural history: revisiting the Forman thesis, Alexei Kojevnikov37. The co-creation of classical and modern physics and the foundations of quantum mechanics, Richard Staley38. Interpretation in electrodynamics, atomic theory, and quantum mechanics, Giora Hon and Bernard R. GoldsteinPart V - The proliferation of interpretations39. Hidden variables, Jeffrey Bub40. Pure wave mechanics, relative states, and many worlds, Jeffrey Barrett41. Is QBism a possible solution to the conceptual problems of quantum mechanics?, Hervé Zwirn42. Agential realism: a relation ontology interpretation, Karen Barad43. Relational interpretation, Carlo Rovelli44. Philosophy of wholeness and the general and new concept of order: Bohm's and Penrose's points of view, Jean-Jacques Szczeciniarz and Joseph Kouneiher45. Spontaneous localization theories, Valia Allori46. The non-individuals interpretation of quantum mechanics, Decio Krause, Jonas Arenhart, and Otavio Bueno47. Modal interpretations of quantum mechanics, Dennis Dieks48. A brief historical perspective on the consistent histories interpretation of quantum mechanics, Gustavo Rocha, Dean Rickles, and Florian Boge49. Einstein, Bohm and Bell: a comedy of errors, Jean Bricmont50. The statistical (ensemble) interpretation of quantum mechanics, Alexander Pechenkin51. Stochastic interpretations of quantum mechanics, Emilio Santos

Editorial Reviews

"It emphasizes the strange nature of quantum theory, which is remarkably productive despite seeming unstable and fractured. Its mysteries are clearly not going to be resolved in the near future, which makes this handbook a launching point for future work rather than a summary of past efforts." — Matthew Stanley, Physics Today

"One of the many interesting themes that emerge across the volume is how it prompts the reader not only to question the orthodox understanding of quantum mechanics— namely, the Copenhagen interpretation— but to question the very idea that there ever was such a quantum orthodoxy." — Matthew Stanley, New York University in Physics Today

"Quantum mechanics is the basis for contemporary physics and our guide to technologies from the transistor to quantum computing, yet a century after its codification in 1926, debates rage over its physical meaning. The editors of this grand volume have assembled remarkable essays about the history and state of this theory like no other. Bravo! Physicists, historians and philosophers will plumb the riches here for decades." — Peter Galison, Director, Black Hole Initiative, Harvard University

From the Publisher