Visions of Discovery
New Light on Physics, Cosmology, and Consciousness

World-leading researchers, including Nobel Laureates, explore the most basic questions of science, philosophy, and the nature of existence.

Raymond Y. Chiao (Edited by), Marvin L. Cohen (Edited by), Anthony J. Leggett (Edited by), William D. Phillips (Edited by), Charles L. Harper, Jr. (Edited by)

9781108928724, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 November 2020

826 pages, 185 b/w illus.
24.5 x 17 x 4.5 cm, 1.41 kg

'… if a young physicist in 2011 should ask what are the major intellectual questions facing scientists today, it would be difficult to better the range of insights offered by this book.' Contemporary Physics

World-leading researchers, including Nobel Laureates and rising young stars, examine some of the most important and fundamental questions at the forefronts of modern science, philosophy, and theology, taking into account recent discoveries from a range of fields. This fascinating book is ideal for anyone seeking answers to deep questions about the universe and human life. The remarkable career of Charles H. Townes, inventor of the maser and laser for which he shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics, has spanned seven decades. His interests have ranged from the origin of the Universe to the structure of molecules, always focusing on the nature of human life. Honouring his work, this book explores the most basic questions of science, philosophy, and the nature of existence: How did the Universe begin? Why do the fundamental constants of nature have the values they do? What is human consciousness, and do we have free will?

List of contributors
Foreword Charles H. Townes
Editors' preface
Preface Freeman J. Dyson
Laureates' preface: reflections from four physics Nobelists Roy J. Glauber, John L. Hall, Theodore W. Hänsch and Wolfgang Ketterle
Acknowledgments
Part I. Illumination: The History and Future of Physical Science and Technology: 1. A short history of light in the Western world John L. Heilbron
2. Tools and innovation Peter L. Galison
3. The future of science Freeman J. Dyson
4. The end of everything: will AI replace humans? Will everything die when the universe freezes over? Michio Kaku
Part II. Fundamental Physics and Quantum Mechanics: 5. Fundamental constants Frank Wilczek
6. New insights on time symmetry in quantum mechanics Yakir Aharonov and Jeffrey Tollaksen
7. The major unknowns in particle physics and cosmology David J. Gross
8. The major unknown in quantum mechanics: Is it the whole truth? Anthony J. Leggett
9. Precision cosmology and the landscape Raphael Bousso
10. Hairy black holes, phase transitions, and AdS/CFT Steven S. Gubser
Part III. Astrophysics and Astronomy: 11. The microwave background: a cosmic time machine Adrian T. Lee
12. Dark matter and dark energy Marc Kamionkowski
13. New directions and intersections for observational cosmology: the case of dark energy Saul Perlmutter
14. Inward bound: high-resolution astronomy and the quest for black holes and extrasolar planets Reinhard Genzel
15. Searching for signatures of life beyond the solar system: astrophysical interferometry and the 150 km Exo-Earth Imager Antoine Labeyrie
16. New directions for gravitational wave physics via 'Millikan oil drops' Raymond Y. Chiao
17. An 'ultrasonic' image of the embryonic universe: CMB polarization tests of the inflationary paradigm Brian G. Keating
Part IV. New Approaches in Technology and Science: 18. Visualizing complexity: development of 4D microscopy and diffraction for imaging in space and time Ahmed H. Zewail
19. Is life based on laws of physics? Steven Chu
20. Quantum information J. Ignacio Cirac
21. Emergence in condensed matter physics Marvin L. Cohen
22. Achieving the highest spectral resolution over the widest spectral bandwidth: precision measurement meets ultrafast science Jun Ye
23. Wireless non-radiative energy transfer Marin Solja?i?
Part V. Consciousness and Free Will: 24. The big picture: exploring questions on the boundaries of science – consciousness and free will George F. R. Ellis
25. Quantum entanglement: from fundamental questions to quantum communication and quantum computation and back Anton Zeilinger
26. Consciousness, body, and brain: the matter of the mind Gerald M. Edelman
27. The relation between quantum mechanics and higher brain functions: lessons from quantum computation and neurobiology Christof Koch and Klaus Hepp
28. Free will and the causal closure of physics Robert C. Bishop
29. Natural laws and the closure of physics Nancy L. Cartwright
30. Anti-Cartesianism and downward causation: reshaping the free-will debate Nancey Murphy
31. Can we understand free will? Charles H. Townes
Part VI. Reflections on the Big Questions: Mind, Matter. Mathematics, and Ultimate Reality: 32. The big picture: exploring questions on the boundaries of science – mind, matter, mathematics George F. R. Ellis
33. The mathematical universe Max Tegmark
34. Where do the laws of physics come from? Paul C. W. Davies
35. Science, energy, ethics, and civilization Vaclav Smil
36. Life of science, life of faith William T. Newsome
37. The science of light and the light of science: an appreciative theological reflection on the life and work of Charles Hard Townes Robert J. Russell
38. Two quibbles about 'ultimate' Gerald Gabrielse
Index.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX], Philosophy of science [PDA], Theology [HRLB]