Entanglement: The Greatest Mystery in Physics.AMIR D. ACZEL Entanglement is one of science's most provocative ideas. It stems from the realm of quantum mechanics quantum mechanics: see quantum theory. quantum mechanics Branch of mathematical physics that deals with atomic and subatomic systems. It is concerned with phenomena that are so small-scale that they cannot be described in classical terms, and it is and holds that two particles may be very far apart--conceivably millions of miles away from each other--yet may be inexorably in·ex·o·ra·ble adj. Not capable of being persuaded by entreaty; relentless: an inexorable opponent; a feeling of inexorable doom. See Synonyms at inflexible. linked. If so, whatever happens to one particle immediately causes a change in the other. Albert Einstein was deeply troubled by entanglement, feeling that it was an incomplete and "spooky spook·y adj. spook·i·er, spook·i·est Informal 1. Suggestive of ghosts or a ghost; eerie. 2. Easily startled; skittish. " idea. After all, if entanglement were a property of the universe and could be harnessed, then teleportation tel·e·por·ta·tion n. A hypothetical method of transportation in which matter or information is dematerialized, usually instantaneously, at one point and recreated at another. and other seemingly impossible processes could become realities. Aczel explains how entanglement came of age and was proved through physical experiments once considered undoable. He summons the work and words of physicists at the forefront of this field who aim both to understand how entanglement operates and to manipulate it to advance fields such as cryptography and computing. FWEW, 2002, 284 p., b&w plates, hardcover, $25.00. |
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