"Because atomic behavior is so unlike ordinary experience," wrote Richard Feynman, "it is very difficult to get used to, and it appears strange and mysterious to everyone - both to the novice and to the experienced physicist." At the core of the strange behavior lies quantum interference: "In reality," Feynman wrote, "it contains the only mystery." To author Mark Silverman, however, the puzzling nature of quantum behavior is multifaceted. By examining a few conceptually simple models, such as the two-level atom and the two-slit interferometer, Silverman probes the perplexing consequences of the "ghostly" long-range effects that correlated particles exert on each other, the deep connection between spin and the statistics of identical particles, and the fundamental role of topology in the interactions of charged particles and electromagnetic fields. Silverman - whose experimental and theoretical work on electron interferometry, atomic spectroscopy, and the optics of chiral media is internationally recognized - concludes authoritatively: There is more than one mystery in the intriguing world of quantum mechanics.

More Than One Mystery: Explorations in Quantum Interference

Mark P. Silverman

Computers & Technology

Springer

jThis thoroughly updated and revised text contains a selection of well-written essays based on Silvermans work on a wide range of topics, including: quantum mechanics, including atomic and nuclear physics, electromagnetism and optics, gravity, thermodynamics, and the physics of fluids. Presenting a personal odyssey in physics, Silverman investigates processes for which no visualizable mechanism can be given, or that seem to violate fundamental physical laws (but do not). The discussions use little mathematics, and anyone with a little college physics will be able to read the book with pleasure. -Engagingly written -Easily understandable by both the general reader and the seasoned physicist -Covers a diversity of subjects from "hot" topics in contemporary physics to less widely known but subtle and intriguing issues in physics -Discusses real physical systems whose behavior provokes, surprises and challenges the imagination -This second edition is newly revised and updated

A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe

Certain Uncertainty

Cambridge University Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mark P. Silverman. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mark P. Silverman

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mark P. Silverman. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

More Than One Mystery: Explorations in Quantum Interference

A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe

Certain Uncertainty