Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science

1 primary work • 2 total works

Understanding Quantum Raffles

by Michael Janas, Michael E. Cuffaro, and Michel Janssen

Published 4 December 2021

This book offers a thorough technical elaboration and philosophical defense of an objectivist informational interpretation of quantum mechanics according to which its novel content is located in its kinematical framework, that is, in how the theory describes systems independently of the specifics of their dynamics.

It will be of interest to researchers and students in the philosophy of physics and in theoretical physics with an interest in the foundations of quantum mechanics. Additionally, parts of the book may be used as the basis for courses introducing non-physics majors to quantum mechanics, or for self-study by those outside of the university with an interest in quantum mechanics.

With a Foreword by Jeffrey Bub. 

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“Understanding Quantum Raffles is a wonderful book for both the specialists and those with curious minds. The elegance and the simplicity with which the 'three Mikes' explain some of the deepest aspects of quantum mechanics on the basis of probabilities and correlations are dazzling and delightful. The same elegance and simplicity also make the book ideal for any engaged reader who ever wondered what is so special about quantum mechanics. In our age of new quantum technologies, this is something anyone should read.” (Guido Bacciagaluppi, author of Quantum Theory at the Crossroads) 

“This book makes a sustained argument for an informational interpretation of quantum theory, blending an elegant mathematical characterisation of quantum correlations with incisive historical and philosophical analysis. A must-read for those interested in quantum foundations, and also a fertile source of teaching inspiration for quantum theory.” (Leah Henderson, Department of Theoretical Philosophy, University of Groningen)

“This is one of the most fascinating and accessible presentations of the informational approach to quantum mechanics. What has so far been mostly restrictedto the theoretical physics community is here masterfully explained for a broader audience even without a physics background. Scholars, students, and laypeople alike will appreciate the clear, vivid, and yet deep discussion of what raffle tickets and correlation elliptopes can tell us about the physics and philosophy of the quantum world.” (Markus Müller, Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Vienna)

General Relativity in the Making

by Michel Janssen, Jurgen Renn, John Norton, Sauer Tilmann, and John Stachel

Published 1 January 2006

This four-volume work represents the most comprehensive documentation and study of the creation of general relativity; one of the fundamental physical theories of the 20th century. It comprises key sources from Einstein and others who from the late 19th to the early 20th century contributed to this monumental development. Some of these sources are presented here in translation for the first time. Einstein's famous Zurich notebook, which documents the pivotal steps toward general relativity, is reproduced here for the first time and transcribed in its entirety. The volumes offer detailed commentaries and analyses of these sources that are based on a close reading of these documents supplemented by interpretations by the leading historians of relativity. All in all, the facets of this work, based on more than a decade of research, combine to constitute one of the most in-depth studies of a scientific revolution ever written.