Schrodinger's Machines: The Quantum Technology Reshaping Everyday Life - Hardcover

Milburn, Gerard J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0716731061 ISBN 13: 9780716731061

Publisher: W. H. Freeman, 1997

Synopsis

In his foreword to Schrödinger's Machines, Paul Davies writes, "The nineteenth century was known as the machine age, the twentieth century will go down in history as the information age. I believe the twenty-first century will be the quantum age."

Perhaps the most successful scientific theory in history, quantum mechanics has already ushered in the information age with inventions like the transistor and the laser. In Schrödinger's Machines, renowned quantum physicist Gerard Milburn explores how our ever-increasing ability to manipulate atomic and subatomic processes is turning purely hypothetical situations and concepts (of a truly weird nature) into concrete, practical devices-- resulting in a complete transformation of our world view.

Imagine the creation of machines the size of molecules, detectors sensitive enough to pick up the sound of a pin dropping on the other side of the earth, the fabrication of new and exotic materials, and extraordinarily powerful computers that can process information in many alternative realities simultaneously, creating a whole new type of mathematics. This isn't science fiction, but just some of the breathtaking possibilities offered by quantum technology over the next fifty years.

Leaving the common sense of Newtonian machines far behind, Schrödinger's Machines is an advance preview of the strange new world ahead. Clearly presented, and with an acute awareness of recent advances in the field, it's indispensable reading for anyone interested in the future.

About this title

Review:

Many books focus on the theories of quantum mechanics and how they differ from those of classical physics and everyday experience, but few manage to offer as many intriguing possibilities for actual applications of quantum mechanics as Schrodinger's Machines. Author Gerard J. Milburn explains quantum electronic devices that may someday replace transistors as the central switching component of digital computers, the potential for unbreakable quantum cryptographic schemes, and the capabilities of quantum computers. Along the way he highlights the key tenets of quantum theory that make these applications possible, but without resorting at all to dense physics (although the prose itself is occasionally dense and sometimes requires close reading).

From the Inside Flap:

Schrödinger's Machines
The Quantum Technology Reshaping Everyday Life
Gerard J. Milburn

In his foreword to Schrödinger's Machines, Paul Davies writes, "The nineteenth century was known as the machine age, the twentieth century will go down in history as the information age. I believe the twenty-first century will be the quantum age."

Perhaps the most successful scientific theory in history, quantum mechanics has already ushered in the information age with inventions like the transistor and the laser. In Schrödinger's Machines, renowned quantum physicist Gerard Milburn explores how our ever-increasing ability to manipulate atomic and subatomic processes is turning purely hypothetical situations and concepts (of a truly weird nature) into concrete, practical devices-- resulting in a complete transformation of our world view.

Imagine the creation of machines the size of molecules, detectors sensitive enough to pick up the sound of a pin dropping on the other side of the earth, the fabrication of new and exotic materials, and extraordinarily powerful computers that can process information in many alternative realities simultaneously, creating a whole new type of mathematics. This isn't science fiction, but just some of the breathtaking possibilities offered by quantum technology over the next fifty years.

Leaving the common sense of Newtonian machines far behind, Schrödinger's Machines is an advance preview of the strange new world ahead. Clearly presented, and with an acute awareness of recent advances in the field, it's indispensable reading for anyone interested in the future.

Gerard J. Milburn is currently Professor in Theoretical Physics at the University of Queensland and has worked as a Royal Society Research Fellow at Imperial College, London and as a lecturer at the Australian National University, Canberra. The co-author of Quantum Optics (1994), he has written over 100 scientific publications in laser physics, quantum optics, and quantum chaos.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. H. Freeman
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0716731061
• ISBN 13: 9780716731061
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208