The principal intent of this monograph is to present in a systematic and self-con tained fashion the basic tenets, ideas and results of a framework for the consistent unification of relativity and quantum theory based on a quantum concept of spacetime, and incorporating the basic principles of the theory of stochastic spaces in combination with those of Born's reciprocity theory. In this context, by the physicial consistency of the present framework we mean that the advocated approach to relativistic quantum theory relies on a consistent probabilistic interpretation, which is proven to be a direct extrapolation of the conventional interpretation of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. The central issue here is that we can derive conserved and relativistically convariant probability currents, which are shown to merge into their nonrelativistic counterparts in the nonrelativistic limit, and which at the same time explain the physical and mathe matical reasons behind the basic fact that no probability currents that consistently describe pointlike particle localizability exist in conventional relativistic quantum mechanics. Thus, it is not that we dispense with the concept oflocality, but rather the advanced central thesis is that the classical concept of locality based on point like localizability is inconsistent in the realm of relativistic quantum theory, and should be replaced by a concept of quantum locality based on stochastically formulated systems of covariance and related to the aforementioned currents.

The principal intent of this monograph is to present in a systematic and self-con tained fashion the basic tenets, ideas and results of a framework for the consistent unification of relativity and quantum theory based on a quantum concept of spacetime, and incorporating the basic principles of the theory of stochastic spaces in combination with those of Born's reciprocity theory. In this context, by the physicial consistency of the present framework we mean that the advocated approach to relativistic quantum theory relies on a consistent probabilistic interpretation, which is proven to be a direct extrapolation of the conventional interpretation of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. The central issue here is that we can derive conserved and relativistically convariant probability currents, which are shown to merge into their nonrelativistic counterparts in the nonrelativistic limit, and which at the same time explain the physical and mathe matical reasons behind the basic fact that no probability currents that consistently describe pointlike particle localizability exist in conventional relativistic quantum mechanics. Thus, it is not that we dispense with the concept oflocality, but rather the advanced central thesis is that the classical concept of locality based on point like localizability is inconsistent in the realm of relativistic quantum theory, and should be replaced by a concept of quantum locality based on stochastically formulated systems of covariance and related to the aforementioned currents.

For many physicists quantum theory contains strong conceptual difficulties, while for others the apparent conclusions about the reality of our physical world and the ways in which we discover that reality remain philosophically unacceptable. This book focuses on recent theoretical and experimental developments in the foundations of quantum physics, including topics such as the puzzles and paradoxes which appear when general relativity and quantum mechanics are combined; the emergence of classical properties from quantum mechanics; stochastic electrodynamics; EPR experiments and Bell's Theorem; the consistent histories approach and the problem of datum uniqueness in quantum mechanics; non-local measurements and teleportation of quantum states; quantum non-demolition measurements in optics and matter wave properties observed by neutron, electron and atomic interferometry. Audience: This volume is intended for graduate students of physics and those interested in the foundations of quantum theory.

Quantum theory is one of the most fascinating and successful constructs in the intellectual history of mankind. Nonetheless, the theory has very shaky philosophical foundations. This book contains thoughtful discussions by eminent researchers of a spate of experimental techniques newly developed to test some of the stranger predictions of quantum physics. The advances considered include recent experiments in quantum optics, electron and ion interferometry, photon down conversion in nonlinear crystals, single trapped ions interacting with laser beams, atom-field coupling in micromaser cavities, quantum computation, quantum cryptography, decoherence and macroscopic quantum effects, the quantum state diffusion model, quantum gravity, the quantum mechanics of cosmology and quantum non-locality along with the continuing debate surrounding the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Audience: The book is intended for physicists, philosophers of science, mathematicians, graduate students and those interested in the foundations of quantum theory.

There are many excellent books on quantum theory from which one can learn to compute energy levels, transition rates, cross sections, etc. The theoretical rules given in these books are routinely used by physicists to compute observable quantities. Their predictions can then be compared with experimental data. There is no fundamental disagreement among physicists on how to use the theory for these practical purposes. However, there are profound differences in their opinions on the ontological meaning of quantum theory. The purpose of this book is to clarify the conceptual meaning of quantum theory, and to explain some of the mathematical methods which it utilizes. This text is not concerned with specialized topics such as atomic structure, or strong or weak interactions, but with the very foundations of the theory. This is not, however, a book on the philosophy of science. The approach is pragmatic and strictly instrumentalist. This attitude will undoubtedly antagonize some readers, but it has its own logic: quantum phenomena do not occur in a Hilbert space, they occur in a laboratory.

Proceedings of the August 1995 symposium, held in honor of Professor Jean-Pierre Vigier. Fifty papers address ideas about the nature of light and photons, electrodynamics, the formulation and interpretation of quantum mechanics, and aspects of relativity theory. Some deal with alternative interpretations of quantum phenomena in the tradition of Vigier and Bohm. As stressed by Vigier at the symposium, the current experimental situation now allows for individual quantum events to be studied using parametric down converters, meaning that experimental challenges to the orthodox interpretation may actually be realized. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book is a sequel to The Enigmatic Photon. Volume 1: The Field IX(3)/SUP /EM(Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994), which presented the first systematic development of the fundamental magnetizing field of electromagnetic radiation: the field £Ii£(3). Its 12 chapters collectively describe the properties of Ii(3) in a vacuum and in the interaction of light with matter. The present volume deals with the development of the theory of the Evans--Vigier field Ii(3). It opens with the derivation of the novel field Ii(3) from the Dirac equation of relativistic quantum field theory. The existence of Ii(3) in the vacuum means that the gauge group of electromagnetism becomes 0(3), the group of rotations. This is non-Abelian, and so requires a self-consistent development of the vacuum Maxwell equations themselves. The role of Ii(3) is discussed in unified field theory and quantum electrodynamics. The classical vacuum field Ii(3) is a novel, fundamentally important feature of electrodynamics which indicates that the particulate photon carries mass, thus settling a longstanding debate in favour of protagonists of photon mass. For researchers and graduate students interested in the theory of electromagnetic radiation.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Fifteenth International Workshop on Maximum Entropy and Bayesian Methods, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A., from July 31-August 4, 1995. Maximum entropy and Bayesian methods are widely applied to statistical data analysis and scientific inference in the natural and social sciences, engineering and medicine. Practical applications include, among others, parametric model fitting and model selection, ill-posed inverse problems, image reconstruction signal processing, decision making, and spectrum estimation. Fundamental applications include the common foundations for statistical inference, statistical physics and information theory. Specific sessions during the workshop focused on time series analysis, machine learning, deformable geometric models, and data analysis of Monte Carlo simulations, as well as reviewing the relation between maximum entropy and information theory. Audience: This book should be of interest to scientists, engineers, medical professionals, and others engaged in such topics as data analysis, statistical inference, image processing, and signal processing.