The Quantum Divide

Reviews / Votes

... the agreeable style and exceptional clarity of the writing makes this book a great pleasure to read ... the value of the book is above all in its comprehensible accounts of some very important and subtle experimental work, accompanied by excellent diagrammatic illustrations of the relevant apparatus. I have not encountered a better exposition of these, and can heartily recommend the book on this basis. * Peter J. Bussey, Contemporary Physics * An instructive and entertaining read - an excellent example of what 'popular science for scientists' should be. [...] It gives a balanced and up-to-date account of fascinating quantum phenomena well beyond the double-slit experiment and Schroedinger's cat paradox. It also advocates a more relaxed approach. Quantum mechanics is weird, but not that weird. * Nature Physics * The burgeoning fields of quantum computing, information processing and simulation develop rapidly as a consequence of theoretical insight and technological developments. The latter have enabled us to take single atoms or ions and count single photons, and many of the thought experiments discussed in earlier treatments of quantum physics have now been conducted in laboratories. This lucid account by Gerry and Bruno presents a mature discussion of the link between the microscopic quantum and the macroscopic classical worlds and will be useful for professional physicists, students and the educated layman. * Ifan Hughes, Durham University * Gerry and Bruno succeed in introducing the quantum world in a readable but not oversimplified way. Their engaging and original account will particularly satisfy those who find popular texts on quantum mechanics lacking in technical detail. The Quantum Divide will leave readers understanding Feynman's quote with its original intent - not as an admission of defeat but as an invitation to the fascinating world of quantum physics. * Dan Browne, Science * Highly recommended. * M. Dickinson, CHOICE * To understand quantum information is to understand the mathematics describing it; without the mathematics you can have only the haziest picture of what the field is all about. In The Quantum Divide, Christopher Gerry, a theoretical physicist, and Kimberley Bruno, a school teacher and vice principal, have done an impressive job in cutting the necessary mathematics down to the absolute minimum, below what I previously thought was possible... An unusual feature of The Quantum Divide is that the authors do not content themselves with theory but always describe relatively simple experiments that demonstrate the expected behaviour. * Jonathan Jones, Physics World *