The Everett Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Collected Works 1955-1980 with Commentary

Book Details

• Author: Jeffrey A. Barrett, Peter Byrne

• Brand: Princeton University Press

• Binding: Hardcover

• ISBN: 9780691145075

• Number of Pages: 392

• Release Date: 20-05-2012

• Languages: English

• Package Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches

About the Book

"Hugh Everett III and the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics" by Jeffrey A. Barrett and Peter Byrne provides a deep and fascinating look into the life and revolutionary ideas of Hugh Everett III, the physicist best known for his many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. This theory, which emerged from his groundbreaking PhD thesis at Princeton University in 1957, has become one of the most controversial yet influential interpretations of quantum mechanics.

Everett’s many-worlds interpretation proposes that every quantum measurement leads to a branching of the universe, where each possible outcome of a measurement exists in a parallel, equally real, universe. This theory offers a solution to the quantum measurement problem — how the singular, everyday world we experience emerges from the multiplicity of possibilities in the quantum realm.

Despite facing strong opposition from prominent physicists like Niels Bohr, Everett’s theory laid the foundation for one of the most promising frameworks for understanding quantum mechanics. Although Everett abandoned academia and pursued a career in military operations research, his theory was rediscovered and has since gained substantial recognition.

In this book, Barrett and Byrne present both the long and short versions of Everett’s PhD thesis, along with a collection of his previously unpublished writings and correspondence. These primary source documents provide insight into the evolution of Everett’s thinking from his time as a graduate student to his untimely death in 1982. The book also includes Barrett and Byrne’s comprehensive essays and commentary, which contextualize Everett’s ideas within the broader historical and scientific landscape and address the unresolved questions in the theory.

This volume is an essential resource for anyone interested in the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the life of Hugh Everett III, or the history of quantum theory.