Between Quantum and Cosmos (eBook)

The forty papers collected here honor one of the great scientists of our time--John Archibald Wheeler. In this volume are gathered the six issues of the journal Foundations of Physics (February through July 1986) that celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday. Enlivened by Professor Wheeler's celebrated drawings, the book captures and illuminates his many contributions to physics, including his discovery of the scattering matrix and his elucidation, with Niels Bohr, of the mechanism of nuclear fission, his many contributions to Einstein's theory of gravity (for instance, the black hole), his deep insights into quantum theory and measurement (the elementary quantum phenomenon), and his efforts to explain the origins of the quantum postulate and quantum gravity (the meaning circuit and the Wheeler-DeWitt Equation). The majority of the papers reflect and build on Professor Wheeler's revolutionary ideas. Many scientists are convinced that his insights into the foundation of modern-day physics will induce a profound change in our perception of the universe. This book will appeal to scientists and philosophers who wish to look at one man's rendering of the "e;big picture"e; through the eyes of his colleagues. The work is prefaced by a compilation of quotes from Professor Wheeler, edited by Kip S. Thorne and Wojciech Zurek. The contributors to Between Quantum and Cosmos are M. Alexander, A. Anderson, H. H. Barschall, J. D. Bekenstein, C. H. Bennett, P. G. Bergmann, V. B. Braginsky, D. R. Brill, L. Brown, I. Ciufolini, L. Cohen, M. Demianski, D. Deutsch, B. DeWitt, C. DeWitt-Morette, R. H. Dicke, B. d'Espagnat, R. P. Feynman, J. Geheniau, U. H. Gerlach, R. Geroch, J. Glimm, J. B. Hartle, F. W. Hehl, M. Henneaux, P. A. Hogan, S. Hojman, J. Isenberg, F. Ya. Khalili, A. Kheyfets, K. V. Kuchar, R. Landauer, S. G. Low, V. N. Lukash, B. Mashhoon, R. A. Matzner, J. D. McCrea, A. Mezzacappa, W. A. Miller, Y. Ne'eman, I. D. Novikov, A. Peres, I. Prigogine, I. Robinson, L. S. Schulman, M. O. Scully, D. H. Sharp, L. C. Shepley, A. Y. Shiekh, C. Teitelboim, E. Teller, K. S. Thorne, W. G. Unruh, R. M. Wald, L. Wilets, W. K. Wootters, J. W. York, Jr., and W. H. Zurek.Originally published in 1988.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.