The Quantum story

Jim Baggott of The Quantum Story: A History in 40 moments is now here and I have already starting to see it in the bookstore. I read most of it a year or two ago, when he sent me a draft of the manuscript questions if I had a look at it, and very much enjoyed getting the chance to see it than would take. If you are looking for an excellent popular level physics book to read, I recommend that you consider this one, that is accessible for just about everyone, no matter what their background.

The subject of the book is in General, the story of quantum physics told historical with a structure of 40 vignettes. The first three chapters deal with mainly dramatic events of the period of the mid-1980s to the early 1930s during which physicists the basic structures of the quantum theory discovered struggled to get some sense of them. The following two takes the late 40s to mid-70s during which a long sequence of discoveries about elementary particle physics reed theoretical progress in quantum field theory and measure theory, culminating in the standard model fall into place in 1973. The material that Baggott works here is the subject of many other books, but he did a wonderful job of bringing together in a quick but very clear and entertaining story. Along the way, the individual stories he often tells contain fascinating details I never heard before, although I thought this was a subject I already knew too well.

The next last chapter starts with the 1950s and David Bohm, picking up the thread of subsequent debates and discoveries in connection with the general problem of interpretation of quantum mechanics. It brings this story on the pitch, explain some of the current questions that are still being discussed. The last chapter gives an appropriate short discussion of speculative ideas in quantum gravity and string theory which theoretical research have dominated the last few decades, make clear that they still have a long ways from the solid science which is the main subject of the book.

The LHC and the search for the Higgs makeup a final epilogue or 41st vignette, accurately describing the high expectations and the drama surrounding the last period of the long wait for new data that finally put an end this year. The story of quantum theory is not ready, and we all hope that very soon we will have some clues about where the next will go.