Decoding Reality

Decoding Reality by Vlatko Vedral

For a physicist, all the world's information. The Universe and its workings are the ebb and flow of information. We are all transient patterns of information, passing on the recipe for our basic forms to future generations using a four-letter digital code called DNA. In this engaging and mind-stretching account, Vlatko Vedral considers some of the deepest questions about the Universe and considers the implications of interpreting it in terms of information. He explains the nature of information, the idea of entropy, and the roots of this thinking in thermodynamics. He describes the bizarre effects of quantum behaviour - effects such as 'entanglement', which Einstein called 'spooky action at a distance' and explores cutting edge work on the harnessing quantum effects in hyperfast quantum computers, and how recent evidence suggests that the weirdness of the quantum world, once thought limited to the tiniest scales, may reach into the macro world. Vedral finishes by considering the answer to the ultimate question: where did all of the information in the Universe come from? The answers he considers are exhilarating, drawing upon the work of distinguished physicist John Wheeler. The ideas challenge our concept of the nature of particles, of time, of determinism, and of reality itself.

Well written and engaging, the book provides a constant flow of new ideasScience The author evinces great enthusiasm and curiosity throughout. Steven Poole, The Guardian By turns irreverent, erudite and funny, 'Decoding Reality' is...a ripping good read. Seth Lloyd, New Scientist A wide-ranging and intriguing picture of how quantum mechanics constructs the world. Seth Lloyd, New Scientist Excellent, thought-provoking book. BBC Focus Magazine, Marcus Chown ADVANCE PRAISE: An engaging, non-technical exploration of what the new theory of quantum information and computation tells us about life, the universe, and everything. David Deutsch, author of The Fabric of Reality ADVANCE PRAISE: Let Vedral guide you skilfully through the wonderland of modern physics - where nothing is as it seems. This is the finest treatment I have read of the weird interplay of quantum reality, information and probability. Paul Davies, author of The Eerie Silence and The Goldilocks Enigma

Vlatko Vedral studied his undergraduate degree and PhD at Imperial College (1992-1998). After graduating from his PhD in 1998, he took up a junior research fellowship at Merton College in Oxford where he stayed for two years (1998-2000). He returned to Imperial College in 2000 as a governors'
lecturer and was promoted to reader in 2003. In October 2004 he moved to Leeds University as the centenary professor of Quantum Information Science. He has taught at many different universities and held visiting professorships at Oxford, Vienna, Singapore and Perimeter Institute in Canada.

Vlatko Vedral is an active researcher in quantum information and quantum mechanics, having published over 100 papers in these fields. He enjoys explaining science to the media and has been interviewed on a number of occasions regarding his work and the state of the field. He has contributed to
several introductory books on quantum computing as well as written a textbook on Quantum Optics.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780199237692
ISBN 10	0199237697
Title	Decoding Reality
Author	Vlatko Vedral
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2010-02-25
Number of pages	240
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable