Schrodingers Kittens and the Search
for Reality: Solving the Quantum
Mysteries Tag: Author of In Search of
Schrod. Cat by John Gribbin
My Head Spun Afterwards...But It Was A Good Spin!
Astrophysicist John Gribbin first introduced the general public to the world
of quantum physics in 1984 with his book In Search of Schrödingers Cat.
A dizzying, counterintuitive domain, the quantum world is so strange that
Richard Feynman, the greatest physicist of his time, admitted, nobody
understands quantum physics. Science has not stood still in the years
since In Search of Schrödingers Cat was written, and in this new book,
Gribbin brings us up to speed on the latest developments. New
interpretive models have been put forth about the nature of particles and
light; experimental evidence has turned over many of the basic precepts
of the Copenhagen interpretation, which says that until it is observed, the
subatomic world exists only as a probability wave, lacking any objective

reality independent of observation. The new models offer not only a
paradigm independent of an observer, but also begin to unite quantum
phenomena with relativity and Newtonian mechanics. This is not to say
that the quantum realm has become more comprehensible. With particles
existing simultaneously as particles and waves, feedback loops, and
waves that move forward and backward in time, the quantum world is still
a strange, strange place; its just a little less solipsistic. As in his
previous books, Gribbin deftly translates the abstruse mathematics of
these new theories into a highly readable narrative that informs as it
entertains. Schrödingers Kittens and the Search for Reality is a book that
can be enjoyed by expert and layman alike.
Personal Review: Schrodingers Kittens and the Search for
Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries Tag: Author of In Search
of Schrod. Cat by John Gribbin
This is one of the best books I have read that reviews both classical and
quantum physics to explain the nature of physical reality. Although
somewhat outdated, it describes all major schools of thoughts
(interpretations) of quantum reality in layman's terms with comparisons and
numerous references to the work of other authors. Although this is written
for a general reader; it requires some knowledge of undergraduate level
physics.
The physics of reality revealed by the quantum physics centers on two
facts; wave - particle duality of matter, and the results of Thomas Young's
double slit experiments. Several schools of thought originated to interpret
reality based on this observation; most notable is the Copenhagen
interpretation. According to this interpretation, the particle wave spreads
throughout the universe, and it could appear anywhere in the universe until
it is observed. The very act of observing the wave make wave functions to
collapse as a particle at the point of observation (detection), and it will be
observed at that location with certainty. But as soon as we stop looking at
the wave, then probability wave leaks from that location and spreads to the
universe, hence we are unable to predict the path of the wave from one
point of detection to the next moment in time. The particles know more
about the world than just the immediate locality, which is strange in terms
of human perception of day-to-day reality dictated by classical laws of
physics. The main contention is the human observer determines if the
particle behaves like wave or particle and it is impossible to determine the
physical state (wave or particle) prior to the measurements. In essence,
matter at the most fundamental level is unreal until it is observed by a
human being. The Copenhagen school of thought offers a holistic view of
quantum world. Another feature of the quantum world is that wave and
particle states are complimentary properties; that is both states can not
exist at the same time but matter could be either in one or the other state.
This is due to the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle which states that the
momentum of a quantum object and its position can not be measured at
the same time. This is not measurement problem but due to quantum
uncertainty because the position refers to the particle nature as it will have

a definite existence, but the momentum is a measure of wave nature of the
object moving in a certain direction at a definite speed. Thus
complementarities results directly from this principle.
John Gribbin explores the absurdity of Copenhagen interpretation to
explain the outcome of a thought (Schrodinger's kittens) experiment to
explain quantum entanglement, and whether a human observer is
essential to crystallize quantum reality. Bell's inequality and Aspect's
experiment show that entangled quantum entities behave as one system
no matter which interpretation is used. The instantaneous nature of
feedback in the entanglement of quantum particles is explained by
Wheeler - Feynman model of electromagnetic radiation, which has two
sets of solutions to Maxwell's equations. One set of solutions, the common
sense solution describes waves moving outward from an accelerated
charged particle and forward in time. The second set of waves describes
waves travelling backwards in time and converging on to the charged
particle. When proper allowance is made for both sets of waves interacting
with all charged particles in the universe most of the complexity cancels
out leaving only the familiar common sense (retarded) waves to carry
electromagnetic influences from one particle to another. As a result of
these interactions each individual charged particle is instantaneously
aware of its position in relation to all other charged particles in the
universe. The waves must also move backwards in time (advanced waves)
so that they provide feedback at the source of wave production so that
every particle in the universe is an integral part of the whole
electromagnetic web. Wheeler - Feynman theory provides for particle here
and now to know about the past and future states of the universe. John
Cramer extended these equations to Schrodinger's wave equations. John
Cramer's transactional interpretation states this; when an electron vibrates
it attempts to radiate by producing a field which is a time-symmetric
mixture of retarded wave propagating into the future, and advanced wave
going into the past atemporally. In Cramer's words the emitter can be
considered to produce an offer wave travelling to the absorber, this in turn
returns a confirmation wave backwards to the emitter and the transaction
is compete with a handshake. In reality this sequence of events is
atemporal it all happens at once. In this, there is no need to assign a
special status to the observer. The dramatic success in resolving the
puzzles of quantum physics is at the expense of accepting just one idea
that the quantum wave can travel backwards through time. On the positive
note that it doesn't violate cause-effect reality because cause can not exist
if there is no effect in the transactional interpretation. In addition, the
freedom of will prevails in physical reality without being bogged down
technicality of quantum laws.
1. In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
2. The Origins of the Future: Ten Questions for the Next Ten Years
3. The Matter Myth: Dramatic Discoveries that Challenge Our
Understanding of Physical Reality
4. Quantum Reality: Beyond the New Physics

5. Quantum Physics: Illusion or Reality? (Canto)
6. Quantum Physics: A Beginner's Guide
7. Quantum Physics: A First Encounter: Interference, Entanglement, and
Reality
8. Science and Ultimate Reality: Quantum Theory, Cosmology, and
Complexity
9. The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes and Its
Implications
10. Timeless Reality : Symmetry, Simplicity, and Multiple Universes
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