(Drivebycuriosity) - Books about quantum mechanics are entertaining because they describe - but not explain - the bizarre, and sometimes spooky, behavior of the smallest parts of our universe. Recently the book "Quantum Phenomena And Human Civilization: Exploring the Intersection of Quantum Physics and Its Impact on Technology, Society, and Culture" (published May 23, 2025 amazon ) appeared on my radar.
Konstantinos P. Tsiantis, born in 1961 in Khartoum, Sudan, presents an immense amount of material. The book is apparently based on a long row of magazine articles, lectures and speeches by the Greek author. Unfortunately there is no editing, many parts are sheer endlessly repeated, which makes the book hard to digest. The more than 800 pages could have been easily condensed into 200 pages. But anyway I found a lot informative nuggets. Many of them I have read in other books, others were new for me:
Spooky Action At A Distance
The German physicist Max Planck introduced the quantum hypothesis in the year 1900, proposing that energy is emitted in discrete units called "quanta".
Scientists also discovered that particles like electrons and photons exhibit wave-like and particle like properties. Light for instance can travels in waves (similar to sound) or a stream of particles. The phenomena is called wave-particle duality.
Einstein got his first Nobel Prize in Physics because in the year 1905 he proposed that light consists of discrete packets of energy and explained so the photoelectric effect. When a photon strikes an electron it transfers its power to the electron. The electron is ejected if the photon`s energy exceeds the material`s work function.
The German physicist Werner Heisenberg formulated the uncertainty principle. It asserts that specific physical properties, such as position and momentum cannot be simultaneously known to arbitrary precision. This phenomena might be caused by the observer effect, it suggests that the mere act of observation can alter the state of a quantum system. When particles are not observed, they exhibit wave-like behavior. However, when measurements are made to determine the path of the particles, this pattern disappears, and the wave function collapses and particles behave like classical objects. During a conference in Copenhagen some suggest that the act of measurement causes the wave to collpase (Copenhagen interpretation).
The observer effect - the wave function collapses during observation - leads to the idea that reality is not fixed until measured. It also suggests that the act of measurement influences the system being observed. The measurement in quantum mechanics is not merely passive; it actively determines the system`s state. Some believe that consciousness itself may be a necessary component in the act of measurement, suggesting that the observer does not merely record outcomes but actively participates in the creation of results.
Experiments also proved a phenomena called entanglement: A situation where the states of two or more particles become interdependent. The measure of one particle instantaneously determines the state of the other, regardless of the distance separating them. Einstein called entanglement a "spooky action at a distance".
Experiments also proved the existence of tunneling: A pivotal mechanism that enables particles to pass through potential barriers, defying classical constrains. The Soviet-American physicist and cosmologist George Gamow demonstrated in the 1920s that alpha particles could escape from atomic nuclei despite the energy barriers that would classically prevent such an escape.
The collection of spooky phenomena contains also superposition, that enables particles to exist in multiple states simultaneously. "This feature allows particles to behave paradoxically such as being in two places at once". According to Tsiantis the wave function represents a superposition of all possible states of a quantum system, encapsulating probabilities rather than certainties. When a measurement occurs, the wave function collapses realizing a single outcome.
Entanglement and superposition are used today in quantum computers, that can process vastly more complex calculations than traditional computers. In classical computing bits are either zero or one. In quantum computingbit or qubit can embody both states simultanously.
Exotic Implications
The author tries to extend quantum mechanics to almost everything and offers a lot exotic implications. For instance:
According to Tsiantis a certain species of birds, like the European robin, utilize the Earth´s magnetic field for navigation. Tsiantis beliefs that these birds may posses a cryptochrome protein in their eyes that might be sensitive to quantum entanglement, allowing them to perceive magnetic fields. He claims that this quantum effect enables bird to navigate vast distances accurately.
Tsiantis also writes about quantum biology and sees implications for medical science. He claims that enzyme catalysis, a fundamental biological process that accelerates chemical reactions within cells, "has been shown to exhibit quantum tunneling effects. This phenomena allows particles to pass through energy barriers leading to faster reaction rates than would be feasible under classical circumstances".
According to Tsiantis one of the most promising applications of quantum tunneling in oncology is the development of advanced nanoparticles designed for drug delivery. By encapsulating chemotherapeutic agents within these nanoparticles, scientists can ensure that drugs are released only near cancer cells, maximizing efficacy while reducing systemic toxity.
Tsiantis presents a theory called Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) that claims that "the fabric of the universe is composed of discrete units, or "loops", that form a network".
Resume:
The book allows me to refresh my meager quantum knowledge and inspires me to think in new directions, even though I don´t follow the author to most of his exotic implications. I cannot recommend it because it lacks structure & shape and is almost unreadable.
