THE DEMON AND THE QUANTUM - FROM THE PYTHAGOREAN MYSTICS TO MAXWELL'S DEMON AND QUANTUM MYSTERY

This book explains the connection between Maxwell's Demon and the role of the observer and quantum eraser, showing that information science, thermodynamics and quantum physics are closely related. By focusing on entropy, information, and observation, the authors bring a unique perspective to this subject, providing an insight into the strange ways of the quantum that will fascinate scientists and lay readers alike.

Marlan O. Scully holds joint appointments at Texas A&M and Princeton Universities. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. During the course of his life work on the foundations and applications of quantum mechanics, he has come to know many of the pioneers in the field and has collected biographical material on them, which R. Scully has woven into this book. Robert J. Scully is a heavy equipment diesel mechanic living and working in Irving, Texas, where he is employed by the Caterpillar Corporation. His academic connections include the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas at Dallas. He was a tank diesel mechanic in the marine corps from 1988 to 1993. Robert Scully writes biographies for the National Academy of Sciences, including one on William Hewlett of the Hewlett Packard Corporation and one on quantum physicist Leonard Mandel.

Introduction.
1. Mathematics, Mysticism, and More.
From Pythagoras and Plato to Pauli.
2. Mass in Motion.
Kepler, Newton and Kelvin lay the Foundations.
3. From Engines to Entropy.
Carnot and Clausius develop the yardstick of engine efficiency.
4. From Statistical Entropy to Statistical Time.
Thermodynamics evolves from being an engineer's coal pit to becoming a philosopher's gold mine.
5. Maxwells's Demon and Szilard's One Atom Engine.
A heady mixture of entropy, information and consciousness.
6. Quantum Mechanics I.
From magnets to masers.
7. Using Quantum Mechanics to resolve the Maxwell Demon Paradox.
Solving the demon problem with quantum mechanics but without information science, sweat or tears.
8. Quantum Mechanics II.
The Wave side of particles and the particle side of waves.
9. From Wigner's Friend to Quantum Eraser.
Of Wigner's friends and their amnesia.
10. On Quantum Mechanics and the Big Questions.
From quantum controversy to Pauli's spiritual complementarily.
Endnotes.
Acknowledgements.
Glossary.
Citations, Comments and Further Readings.
Index.