Quantum Theory at the Crossroads: Reconsidering the 1927 Solvay Conference

The 1927 Solvay conference was perhaps the most important in the history of quantum theory. Contrary to popular belief, questions of interpretation were not settled at this conference. Instead, a range of sharply conflicting views were extensively discussed, including de Broglie's pilot-wave theory (which de Broglie presented for a many-body system), Born and Heisenberg's 'quantum mechanics' (which apparently lacked wave function collapse or fundamental time evolution), and Schr dinger's wave mechanics. Today, there is no longer a dominant interpretation of quantum theory, so it is important to re-evaluate the historical sources and keep the debate open. This book contains a complete translation of the original proceedings, with essays on the three main interpretations presented, and a detailed analysis of the lectures and discussions in the light of current research. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in physics and in the history and philosophy of quantum theory.

Author: Guido Bacciagaluppi, Antony Valentini
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 12/01/2009
Pages: 558
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.75lbs
Size: 9.70h x 7.00w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780521814218

About the Author
Bacciagaluppi, Guido: - Guido Bacciagaluppi is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Time, University of Sydney. His research interests lie mainly in the philosophy of physics. He has contributed significantly to the development and critique of modal interpretations of quantum mechanics, and he has since worked widely in various approaches to the foundations of quantum theory, as well as in the philosophy of probability and time and in the history of quantum mechanics.Valentini, Antony: - Antony Valentini is a Research Associate in the Theoretical Physics Group, Imperial College London. He proposed that the universe began with a non-quantum distribution of hidden variables, which later relaxed to the quantum equilibrium state we see today. He has pioneered the development of new physics of quantum nonequilibrium, de Broglie-Bohm theory, and hidden-variables theories generally, and has explored its possible role in cosmology, black holes, and information theory. He also works in the history and philosophy of modern physics.