In The Age of Entanglement, Louisa Gilder brings to life one of the pivotal debates in twentieth century physics. In 1935, Albert Einstein famously showed that, according to the quantum theory, separated particles could act as if intimately connected–a phenomenon which he derisively described as “spooky action at a distance.” In that same year, Erwin Schrödinger christened this correlation “entanglement.” Yet its existence was mostly ignored until 1964, when the Irish physicist John Bell demonstrated just how strange this entanglement really was. Drawing on the papers, letters, and memoirs of the twentieth century’s greatest physicists, Gilder both humanizes and dramatizes the story by employing the scientists’ own words in imagined face-to-face dialogues. The result is a richly illuminating exploration of one of the most exciting concepts of quantum physics.
Age of Entanglement explores patterns of connection linking German and Indian intellectuals from the nineteenth century to the years after the Second World War. Kris Manjapra traces the intersecting ideas and careers of a diverse collection of individuals from South Asia and Central Europe who shared ideas, formed networks, and studied one another’s worlds. Moving beyond well-rehearsed critiques of colonialism towards a new critical approach, this study recasts modern intellectual history in terms of the knotted intellectual itineraries of seeming strangers. Collaborations in the sciences, arts, and humanities produced extraordinary meetings of German and Indian minds. Meghnad Saha met Albert Einstein, Stella Kramrisch brought the Bauhaus to Calcutta, and Girindrasekhar Bose began a correspondence with Sigmund Freud. Rabindranath Tagore traveled to Germany to recruit scholars for a new Indian university, and the actor Himanshu Rai hired director Franz Osten to help establish movie studios in Bombay. These interactions, Manjapra argues, evinced shared responses to the cultural and political hegemony of the British empire. Germans and Indians hoped to find in one another the tools needed to disrupt an Anglocentric world order. As Manjapra demonstrates, transnational intellectual encounters are not inherently progressive. From Orientalism and Aryanism to socialism and scientism, German–Indian entanglements were neither necessarily liberal nor conventionally cosmopolitan, often characterized as much by manipulation as by cooperation. Age of Entanglement underscores the connections between German and Indian intellectual history, revealing the characteristics of a global age when the distance separating Europe and Asia seemed, temporarily, to disappear.
The Nobel laureate in physics explains his experiments in quantum entanglement: “An accessible popular account of this fascinating field.” —Science Einstein’s steadfast refusal to accept certain aspects of quantum theory was rooted in his insistence that physics has to be about reality. Accordingly, he once derided as “spooky action at a distance” the notion that two elementary particles far removed from each other could nonetheless influence each other’s properties—a hypothetical phenomenon his fellow theorist Erwin Schrödinger termed “quantum entanglement.” In a series of ingenious experiments conducted in various locations—from a dank sewage tunnel under the Danube River to the balmy air between a pair of mountain peaks in the Canary Islands—the author and his colleagues have demonstrated the reality of such entanglement using photons, or light quanta, created by laser beams. In principle the lessons learned may be applicable in other areas, including the eventual development of quantum computers. In Dance of the Photons, Anton Zeilinger guides us on a “rewarding exploration of the weird world of quantum physics” (Kirkus Reviews). “This delightful little book, by one of the world’s leading practitioners in this area, explains these recent advances in a way that should be accessible even to readers with no physics background.” —Anthony J. Leggett, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics
SAMSON HAS LOST ALL HOPE. Three decades have passed since a mysterious illness brought on by quantum entanglement suddenly decimated the human population. By harnessing quantum entanglement mankind had tapped into a dangerous power able to alter the very matter of our existence. Samson long ago gave up searching for his family and now wanders the earth with no purpose and avoiding entanglement with other souls. But then he meets SeleneÑan orphaned, but strong and independent girl. She sees in him what he has forgotten. They journey together toward a utopian island only rumored to exist. Along the way they meet others also seeking to overcome the obstacles of the age, but in their own way. Will Samson help Selene to make her way in this dangerous world, and will she help him to find his lost humanity? Or is Samson already too far gone, a relic of the previous age?
“A marvelously clear and engaging account of . . . the deepest mysteries of the quantum world and [converting] them into a useful technology.” —Gregory Chaitin, author of Meta Math! The Quest for Omega What is entanglement? It’s a connection between quantum particles, the building blocks of the universe. Once two particles are entangled, a change to one of them is reflected—instantly—in the other, be they in the same lab or light-years apart. So counterintuitive is this phenomenon and its implications that Einstein himself called it “spooky” and thought that it would lead to the downfall of quantum theory. Yet scientists have since discovered that quantum entanglement, the “God Effect,” was one of Einstein’s few mistakes. What does it mean? The possibilities offered by a fuller understanding of the nature of entanglement read like something out of science fiction: communications devices that could span the stars, codes that cannot be broken, computers that dwarf today’s machines in speed and power, teleportation, and more. In The God Effect, veteran science writer Brian Clegg has written an exceptionally readable (and equation-free) account of entanglement, its history, and its application. Those interested in the marvelous possibilities coming down the quantum road will find much to marvel, illuminate, and delight. “Clegg does an excellent job of explaining this complex situation in nontechnical terms . . . implications for future technological advances are huge, and Clegg is at his finest as he embeds potential advances in a broad historical context.” —Publishers Weekly “Well organized and succinct. . . . will fascinate [students].” —School Library Journal “Delightful. . . . The author does a superb job of presenting the story of a remarkable concept . . . in a relaxed and entertaining style.” —Professor Artur Ekert, Leigh Trapnell Professor of Quantum Physics, Cambridge University
A powerful and innovative argument that explores the complexity of the human relationship with material things, demonstrating how humans and societies are entrapped into the maintenance and sustaining of material worlds Argues that the interrelationship of humans and things is a defining characteristic of human history and culture Offers a nuanced argument that values the physical processes of things without succumbing to materialism Discusses historical and modern examples, using evolutionary theory to show how long-standing entanglements are irreversible and increase in scale and complexity over time Integrates aspects of a diverse array of contemporary theories in archaeology and related natural and biological sciences Provides a critical review of many of the key contemporary perspectives from materiality, material culture studies and phenomenology to evolutionary theory, behavioral archaeology, cognitive archaeology, human behavioral ecology, Actor Network Theory and complexity theory
An explosive collision between a pickup truck and a Volvo erases two momentous scientific discoveries. Quantum probability results in complex emotional entanglements. Voices return from the dead. A blood-stained piano becomes an heirloom. Although a picture-perfect family, Beth Sturgess divulges an ignominious past to her loving husband--who has deadly secrets. Mistakes are fatal. With deeply flawed, relatable characters, Entanglement--Quantum and Otherwise is an intricate literary crime story that unravels the generational impact on reality after a loved one's death.
How can two individuals connect when they are separated by worlds? Hala's father disappeared when she was eight years old. Nine years later, she sets a plan in motion to die. The one thing she needs to complete first, however, is complete her compositional memoir. Her compositions are written from the deepest parts of her, but little does she know that they are found in another world and played, bringing the two worlds and individuals together. Through a connection that can only come once in a lifetime, time and space become nothing. As the two meet, strange things begin occurring. Most of all, however, they find where Hala's father has been trapped this whole time. As Hala finds herself trapped between worlds, she must travel within the darkest parts of herself in order to be freed.
Alone was the note Cade knew best. It was the root of all her chords. Seventeen-year-old Cade is a fierce survivor, solo in the universe with her cherry-red guitar. Or so she thought. Her world shakes apart when a hologram named Mr. Niven tells her she was created in a lab in the year 3112, then entangled at a subatomic level with a boy named Xan. Cade’s quest to locate Xan joins her with an array of outlaws—her first friends—on a galaxy-spanning adventure. And once Cade discovers the wild joy of real connection, there’s no turning back.
What if your thoughts really do determine your reality and true love is stronger than death? Kara Riordan was fifteen when she met her soulmate. Unfortunately, he was already dead. Convinced their relationship was a product of her imagination, she moved on. Twenty years later, she is still haunted by the memories of a love she cannot forget. Determined to find peace of mind and uncover the reason a dead man was her destiny, Kara embarks on a journey which will require her to confront her past, her inner demons, and the gods themselves.
