What do you think?
Rate this book
Between Quantum and Cosmos: Studies and Essays in Honor of John Archibald Wheeler
The forty papers collected here honor one of the great scientists of our time--John Archibald Wheeler. In this volume are gathered the six issues of the journal Foundations of Physics (February through July 1986) that celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. Enlivened by Professor Wheeler's celebrated drawings, the book captures and illuminates his many contributions to physics, including his discovery of the scattering matrix and his elucidation, with Niels Bohr, of the mechanism of nuclear fission, his many contributions to Einstein's theory of gravity (for instance, the black hole), his deep insights into quantum theory and measurement (the elementary quantum phenomenon), and his efforts to explain the origins of the quantum postulate and quantum gravity (the meaning circuit and the Wheeler-DeWitt Equation).
The majority of the papers reflect and build on Professor Wheeler's revolutionary ideas. Many scientists are convinced that his insights into the foundation of modern-day physics will induce a profound change in our perception of the universe. This book will appeal to scientists and philosophers who wish to look at one man's rendering of the "big picture" through the eyes of his colleagues. The work is prefaced by a compilation of quotes from Professor Wheeler, edited by Kip S. Thorne and Wojciech Zurek.
Contents:
John Archibald Wheeler : a few highlights of his contributions to physics / Kip S. Thorne, Wojciech H. Zurek --
Early estimates of the strength of the nuclear spin-orbit force / H.H. Barschall, Louis Brown --
Momentum projection of solitons including quantum corrections / Lawrence Wilets --
An S matrix theory for classical nonlinear physics / J. Glimm, D.H. Sharp --
Some generalizations of the virial theorem / Edward Teller --
Does the topology of space fluctuate? / Arlen Anderson, Bryce DeWitt --
Barrier penetration and initial values in Kaluza-Klein theories / Dieter R. Brill --
Demianski --
The geometrodynamic content of the Regge equations as illuminated by the boundary of a boundary principle / Warner Allen Miller --
Canonical geometrodynamics and general covariance / Karel V. Kuchar --
Boundary terms in the action principles of general relativity / James W. York, Jr. --
Bianchi identities and the automatic conservation of energy-momentum and angular momentum in general-relativistic field theories / Friedrich W. Hehl, J. Dermont McCrea --
The boundary of a boundary principle : a unified approach / Arkady Kheyfets --
The gravitational field at spatial infinity / Matthew Alexander, Peter G. Bergmann --
Gravitational radiation reaction on the motion of particles in general relativity / P.A. Hogan, I. Robinson --
Equivalent Lagrangians in classical field theory / Sergio Hojman, L.C. Shepley --
p-form electrodynamics / Marc Henneaux, Claudio Teitelboim --
General covariance and quantum theory / Bahram Mashhoon --
Steering the universe / James Isenberg --
On observing the absence of an atom / R.H. Dickie --
How to evade the confrontation with the uncertainty relations / V.B. Braginsky and F. Ya. Khalili --
Are the quantum rules exact? : the case of the imperfect measurements / Bernard d'Espagnat --
The problems in quantum foundations in the light of gauge theories / Yuval Neeman --
Joint Wigner distribution for spin-1/2 particles / Leon Cohen, Marlan O. Scully --
Wedges I / Cecile DeWitt-Morette [and others] --
The measurement of quantum noise reduction in squeezed states / W.G. Unruh --
Quantum mechanics without probability amplitudes / William K. Wootters --
Quantum mechanical computers / Richard P. Feynman --
Computability and physical theories / Robert Geroch, James B. Hartle --
Computation and physics : Wheeler's meaning Deutsch-Existence of "free will" as a problem of physics / Asher Peres --
On the nature and origin of complexity in discrete, homogeneous, locally-interacting systems / Charles H. Bennett.
The majority of the papers reflect and build on Professor Wheeler's revolutionary ideas. Many scientists are convinced that his insights into the foundation of modern-day physics will induce a profound change in our perception of the universe. This book will appeal to scientists and philosophers who wish to look at one man's rendering of the "big picture" through the eyes of his colleagues. The work is prefaced by a compilation of quotes from Professor Wheeler, edited by Kip S. Thorne and Wojciech Zurek.
Contents:
John Archibald Wheeler : a few highlights of his contributions to physics / Kip S. Thorne, Wojciech H. Zurek --
Early estimates of the strength of the nuclear spin-orbit force / H.H. Barschall, Louis Brown --
Momentum projection of solitons including quantum corrections / Lawrence Wilets --
An S matrix theory for classical nonlinear physics / J. Glimm, D.H. Sharp --
Some generalizations of the virial theorem / Edward Teller --
Does the topology of space fluctuate? / Arlen Anderson, Bryce DeWitt --
Barrier penetration and initial values in Kaluza-Klein theories / Dieter R. Brill --
Demianski --
The geometrodynamic content of the Regge equations as illuminated by the boundary of a boundary principle / Warner Allen Miller --
Canonical geometrodynamics and general covariance / Karel V. Kuchar --
Boundary terms in the action principles of general relativity / James W. York, Jr. --
Bianchi identities and the automatic conservation of energy-momentum and angular momentum in general-relativistic field theories / Friedrich W. Hehl, J. Dermont McCrea --
The boundary of a boundary principle : a unified approach / Arkady Kheyfets --
The gravitational field at spatial infinity / Matthew Alexander, Peter G. Bergmann --
Gravitational radiation reaction on the motion of particles in general relativity / P.A. Hogan, I. Robinson --
Equivalent Lagrangians in classical field theory / Sergio Hojman, L.C. Shepley --
p-form electrodynamics / Marc Henneaux, Claudio Teitelboim --
General covariance and quantum theory / Bahram Mashhoon --
Steering the universe / James Isenberg --
On observing the absence of an atom / R.H. Dickie --
How to evade the confrontation with the uncertainty relations / V.B. Braginsky and F. Ya. Khalili --
Are the quantum rules exact? : the case of the imperfect measurements / Bernard d'Espagnat --
The problems in quantum foundations in the light of gauge theories / Yuval Neeman --
Joint Wigner distribution for spin-1/2 particles / Leon Cohen, Marlan O. Scully --
Wedges I / Cecile DeWitt-Morette [and others] --
The measurement of quantum noise reduction in squeezed states / W.G. Unruh --
Quantum mechanics without probability amplitudes / William K. Wootters --
Quantum mechanical computers / Richard P. Feynman --
Computability and physical theories / Robert Geroch, James B. Hartle --
Computation and physics : Wheeler's meaning Deutsch-Existence of "free will" as a problem of physics / Asher Peres --
On the nature and origin of complexity in discrete, homogeneous, locally-interacting systems / Charles H. Bennett.
640 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1988
40 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.