Decoherence and Quantum Darwinism
From Quantum Foundations to Classical Reality

In this book, decoherence theory and Quantum Darwinism describe how our 'classical' world emerges from the quantum mechanical universe.

Wojciech Hubert Zurek (Author)

9781009552899, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 March 2025

375 pages
25.5 x 17.5 x 2 cm, 0.686 kg

'Zurek, of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, has been working for decades to resolve the question of how the quantum rules that govern the behavior of atoms and subatomic particles switch to those of classical physics - Newton's laws of motion and so on - that operate at the scales of everyday life. his book brings together for the first time all the elements he has been developing into a grand synthesis. He argues that the old mysteries of quantum theory are starting to dissolve … the philosophy of Zurek's approach seems right to me. Instead of trying to concoct elaborate stories to resolve the measurement problem of quantum mechanics, why not patiently and carefully work through what standard quantum mechanics can say about how information regarding a quantum object gets out into the observable world? … Now we can at least hope to complete that task.' Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine

The measurement problem has been a central puzzle of quantum theory since its inception, and understanding how the classical world emerges from our fundamentally quantum universe is key to its resolution. While the 'Copenhagen' and 'Many Worlds' interpretations have dominated discussion of this philosophically charged question, Zurek builds on the physics of decoherence and introduces the theory of 'Quantum Darwinism' to provide a novel account of the emergence of classical reality. Opening with a modern view of quantum theory, the book reconsiders the customary textbook account of quantum foundations, showing how the controversial axioms (including Born's rule) follow from the consistent core postulates. Part II discusses decoherence and explores its role in the quantum-to-classical transition. Part III introduces Quantum Darwinism, explaining how an information-theoretic perspective complements, elucidates, and reconciles the 'Copenhagen' and 'Many Worlds' interpretations. This insightful book is essential reading for any student or researcher interested in quantum physics.

Preface
Part I. Foundations: 1. Introduction
2. Discrete events from repeatability: 'Quantum Jumps' and the wave packet collapse
3. Born's rule from the symmetries of entanglement
Part II. Decoherence: 4. Environment-induced decoherence
5. Decoherence, Einselection, and its consequences
6. Quantum and classical in phase space: decoherence and the second law
Part III. Quantum Darwinism: 7. Quantum Darwinism: environment as a witness
8. Quantum Darwinism in action
9. Quantum Darwinism and the existential interpretation.

Subject Areas: Quantum physics [quantum mechanics & quantum field theory PHQ]