The Quantum Divide: Why Schrodinger's Cat is Either Dead or Alive

About this book

Using a selection of key experiments performed over the past 30 years or so we present a discussion of the strikingly counter-intuitive phenomena of the quantum world that defy explanation in terms of everyday "common sense" reasoning and we provide the corresponding quantum mechanical explanations with a very elementary use of associated formalism. Most but certainly not all of the experiments we describe are optical experiments involving a very small number of photons (particles of light). We begin with experiments on the wave-particle duality of electrons proceed to experiments on the particle nature of light and single photon interference delayed choice experiments and interaction-free detection then go on to experiments involving the interference of two photons quantum entanglement and Bells Theorem quantum teleportation large-scale quantum effects and the divide between the classical and quantum worlds addressing the question as to whether or not there is such a divide.