| Preface |
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ix | |
| Prologue |
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xiii | |
| Route map |
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xv | |
| 1 Waves versus particles |
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1 | (16) |
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1 | (4) |
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Light and quantum mechanics |
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5 | (2) |
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The double-slit experiment |
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7 | (10) |
| 2 Heisenberg and uncertainty |
|
17 | (18) |
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17 | (4) |
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Heisenbergs uncertainty principle |
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21 | (3) |
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Uncertainty and photography |
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24 | (4) |
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28 | (3) |
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Fractals: a mathematical curiosity |
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31 | (4) |
| 3 Schrödinger and matter waves |
|
35 | (12) |
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De Broglie's matter waves |
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35 | (1) |
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36 | (4) |
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Electron and neutron optics |
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|
40 | (7) |
| 4 Atoms and nuclei |
|
47 | (26) |
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Rutherford's nuclear atom |
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47 | (7) |
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54 | (6) |
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60 | (6) |
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Wavefunctions and quantum numbers |
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66 | (3) |
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69 | (4) |
| 5 Quantum tunnelling |
|
73 | (34) |
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73 | (2) |
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75 | (1) |
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Applications of quantum tunnelling |
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76 | (8) |
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Nuclear physics and alpha decay |
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84 | (8) |
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Nuclear reactions and Einstein's mass-energy relation |
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92 | (3) |
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Radioactivity, nuclear fission and the atom bomb |
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95 | (12) |
| 6 Pauli and the elements |
|
107 | (24) |
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Electron spin and Pauli's exclusion principle |
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107 | (4) |
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111 | (5) |
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Metals, insulators and semiconductors |
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116 | (6) |
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Transistors and microelectronics |
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122 | (9) |
| 7 Quantum co-operation and superfluids |
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131 | (26) |
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131 | (8) |
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Bose condensation and superfluid helium |
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139 | (5) |
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144 | (3) |
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147 | (8) |
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155 | (2) |
| 8 Quantum jumps |
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157 | (24) |
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Max Born and quantum probabilities |
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157 | (3) |
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Photons and polarized light |
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160 | (6) |
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John Bell and the EPR Paradox |
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166 | (6) |
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172 | (2) |
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The many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics |
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174 | (3) |
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177 | (4) |
| 9 Quantum engineering |
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181 | (26) |
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Richard Feynman and nanotechnology |
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181 | (4) |
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From Moore's Law to quantum dots |
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185 | (8) |
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193 | (4) |
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197 | (7) |
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Quantum teleportation and all that |
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204 | (3) |
| 10 Death of a star |
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207 | (20) |
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207 | (2) |
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209 | (5) |
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Red giants and white dwarfs |
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214 | (5) |
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Neutron stars and black holes |
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219 | (8) |
| 11 Feynman rules |
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227 | (18) |
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227 | (6) |
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Feynman diagrams and virtual particles |
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233 | (4) |
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Zero-point motion and vacuum fluctuations |
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237 | (1) |
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Hawking radiation and black holes |
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238 | (7) |
| 12 Weak photons and strong glue |
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245 | (40) |
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The double-slit experiment revisited |
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245 | (6) |
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The birth of particle physics |
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251 | (9) |
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Weak photons and the Higgs vacuum |
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260 | (6) |
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266 | (2) |
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Superconductors, magnetic monopoles and quark confinement |
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268 | (6) |
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Beyond the Standard Model |
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274 | (11) |
| 13 Afterword - quantum physics and science fiction |
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285 | (28) |
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Prelude: the atom and the nucleus |
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285 | (3) |
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Nuclear energy and the 'Golden Age' of science fiction |
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288 | (6) |
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Jonbar Points, multiple universes and Schrödinger's Cat |
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294 | (5) |
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Nanotechnology and quantum computers |
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299 | (10) |
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309 | (4) |
| Epilogue |
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313 | (2) |
| Appendix 1 The size of things |
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315 | (5) |
| Appendix 2 Solving the Schrodinger equation |
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320 | (3) |
| Glossary |
|
323 | (12) |
| Quotations and sources |
|
335 | (8) |
| Suggestions for further reading |
|
343 | (2) |
| Photo-credits |
|
345 | (7) |
| Name index |
|
352 | (3) |
| Subject index |
|
355 | |