Dance of the Photons: Einstein, Entanglement and Quantum Teleportation

(Paperback)

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A Nobel Laureate explains quantum entanglement and teleportation and why Einstein was wrong about the nature of reality Einstein refused to accept aspects of quantum theory, deriding the notion of instantaneous communication between faraway 'entangled' particles as 'spooky action at a distance'. Originally published in America in 2012, but with a brand new Afterword in the light of the author's 2022 Nobel Prize, bringing the story up to date and showing why Einstein was wrong about the existence of reality at a local level, this playful yet deep book takes readers through a series of ingenious experiments conducted in various locations. From a dank sewage tunnel under the River Danube to the balmy air between a pair of mountain peaks in the Canary Islands, with various time-travel paradoxes explained along the way, the author and his fictional physics students Alice and Bob demonstrate the true nature of quantum entanglement and teleportation using photons, or light quanta, created by laser beams. The ideas described have laid the foundations for a new era of quantum technology, including the development of quantum computers and much more.

Reviews

Using refined tools and long series of experiments, Anton Zeilinger ... has demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which makes it possible to move a quantum state from one particle to one at a distance ... A new kind of quantum technology is emerging -- The Nobel Prize Judges
Dance of the Photons is a delight. The explanations of some of the most subtle and unexpected effects of quantum physics are provided in terms of beautifully simple and charming everyday settings. The true flavour of quantum mechanics is here made accessible, without pain but with considerable good humour -- Sir Roger Penrose, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics
Anton Zeilinger has done more than anyone to unfold the quantum world by fashioning amazing experiments that have allowed nature to speak to us in her own native quantum language. In this clearly and elegantly written book he takes the reader on the journey he and his colleagues have travelled in their interrogations of the quantum world. Along the way he introduces us to the new concept of quantum information and explains its promise to revolutionize how we communicate and compute -- Lee Smolin, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
From the sewers under Vienna to a whirlwind tour of the great physicists of the twentieth century and their wild ideas, this is a marvellous introduction to the world of quantum physics by one of the most accomplished experimenters working in the field today. Zeilinger takes the reader on a very personal journey while providing a remarkably clear and cogent discussion of the mind-bending world of quantum mechanics and its potential to change the future of technology -- Lawrence M. Krauss, author of "Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science"
Those seeking an accessible popular account of this fascinating field will find their search over . . . Taking some of the most complex ideas from cutting-edge science, Zeilinger provides simple and clear explanations that in no way compromise the fundamental concepts -- Jeremy L. O'Brian * Science *
For more than eighty years the bizarre features of the description of nature at the atomic level given by quantum mechanics have puzzled and fascinated the physics community, but it is only in recent years that many of these features have been verified by experiment. This delightful little book, by one of the world's leading practitioners in this area, explains these recent advances in a way that should be accessible even to readers with no physics background -- Anthony J. Leggett, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics
An exciting new perspective. He is one of the leading investigators into the foundations and consequences of quantum theory. His long history of intense involvement in the concrete details of making quantum effects visible and measurable in fundamental experiments is reflected in the book, setting it apart from many other popularizations ... Zeilinger writes with wit and clarity, combining humorous dialogue with an admirably serious and thorough treatment of some of the most challenging and fundamental concepts in modern quantum physics. Dance of the Photons is a wonderful resource for general readers who want to delve more deeply into contemporary quantum experiments and their ramifications ... a tour de force of exposition -- Peter Pesic * American Scientist *
Anton Zeilinger's exposition of this puzzling subject is clear and vivid, and backed by a voice of authority that could come only from his being a leading experimenter in the field. -- A. Zee, author of "Fearful Symmetry", "Einstein's Universe", and "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell"
Light is the research focus of Zeilinger, a physicist in Austria who studies photons' ghostly quantum behaviour ... The faster-than-light talent of quantum particles bothered Einstein but excites Zeilinger, who describes the technologies that entanglement could in principle permit, such as quantum computers or quantum teleportation. An innovative presenter of a complicated topic, Zeilinger will appeal to the futurists of the science set -- Gilbert Taylor * Booklist *
A rewarding exploration of the weird world of quantum physics ... the author introduces two college freshmen, Bob and Alice, eager for a taste of quantum physics ... Zeilinger uses simple diagrams and cheerful dialogues between Bob and Alice to make a difficult concept somewhat less difficult ... readers who pay close attention will grasp a strange but fascinating scientific principle * Kirkus Reviews *

Author Bio

Anton Zeilinger won the 2022 Nobel Prize for Physics for conducting "groundbreaking experiments using entangled light particles, photons". He has been Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Vienna since 1999, and conducting research at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2004. But his fascination with science extends beyond the very smallest (quantum) level, to the very largest scales of astrophysics. You might even find him in a Viennese cafe or a Boston jazz club, pondering the meaning of life, the universe and everything, or on the sailboat he christened "42", which is part of the answer. For around a decade he served as President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, yet somehow he also finds time for Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and The Beatles, and much more besides. It remains a mystery how he jumps from one place to another so quickly to achieve all this, when the book claims human teleportation is impossible.