Descripción
First edition, very rare offprints. "In spite of his familiarity with quantum theory, which he successfully applied to the properties and processes of nuclei and stars, CarI Friedrich von Weizsäcker remained dissatisfied with the theory as it is commonly presented and understood. For him neither the closed mathematical framework nor the power of numerical calculation could become a substitute for inquiring into the understanding of quantum theory . . . Weizsäcker's program for a reconstruetion of quantum theory was inspired by Heisenberg's proposal to introduce a fundamental length of about 10^-13cm into quantum physics. Weizsäcker tried to incorporate this fundamental length into a modification of geometry at this scale, so that quantum theory should determine geometry in the microscopic world as General Relativity does in the macroscopic world. In winter 1953-54 in a seminar at the Max Planck Institute in Gottingen, the attempts to modify quantum theory were discussed. C.F. von Weizsäcker took part in this seminar together with Heisenberg, Peter Mittelstaedt, Erhard Scheibe und Georg Suessmann. The apparent failure of all attempts for a modification of quantum theory led to the task of a reconsideration of the success of the theory, which Weizsäcker then took up in his program for a reconstruction of quantum theory. He published the essential questions and the approach to his reconstruction program in Komplementarität und Logik, which is dedicated to Bohr's 70th birthday. Komplementarität und Logik II followed in 1958 together with Komplementarität und Logik III, which was published with E. Scheibe and G. Suessmann. In Komplementarität und Logik, a 'logic of complementarity' is abstracted from quantum theory whose core is Birckhoff and von Neumann's quantum logic. It is understood as the physical quantum theory, expressed as a logical formalism . . . Weizsäcker links the process of quantization to the passage from classical propositional calculus to the 'logic of complementarity' and second quantization to the passage to metalogic. Weizsäcker went on to design a 'temporal logic' which would be the common basis of logic, as the theory of time-bridging propositions and schematic proofs, and of physics, as the theory of predictions and empirical decisions . . . The papers on Komplementarität und Logic introduce the ur, the quantized binary alternative and quantum bit of information, as the basic concept in the reconstruction. The ur-hypothesis was formulated that particles and fields, as well as space can be built from urs. This means a construction of matter and fields out of quantum information. Binary alternatives were already introduced by von Neumann into the mathematics of quantum theory in the form of projection operators, from where they obtain a role for quantum logic, but only an indirect role for physics. Weizsäcker, however, gives binary alternatives a basic physical significance. Physical objects should be built from urs. The ur-hypothesis follows the rule that mathematical objects of physical theory should be representative of physical objects as much as possible" (Görnitz & Ischebeck, An Introduction to Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker's Program for a Reconstruction of Quantum Theory, 263-4). The basic idea of ur-theory is to characterize physical objects entirely by the information which can be gained from them. The further, novel feature is that even space or spacetime is reconstructed here as a mere device to represent information. When Weizsäcker proposed it, this was a revolutionary new perspective. Nowadays, in modern quantum gravity, there is a strikingly similar discussion about the deeper connections between space, time and information, which has its roots in the considerations of black hole entropy. Three offprints, large 8vo, pp. 521 529; 545-555; 705-721. Self-wrappers (first offprint browned, first two a bit creased). The third offprint INSCRIBED by von Weizsäcker 'Vielen Grussen CFW'. N° de ref. del artículo ABE-1677937150905
Contactar al vendedor
Denunciar este artículo
