Product Description

The traditional and ubiquitous digital computer has changed the world by processing series of binary ones and zeroes...very fast. Like the sideshow juggler spinning plates on billiard cues, the classical computer moves fast enough to keep the plates from falling off. As computers become faster and faster, more and more plates are being added to more and more cues.

Imagine, then, a computer in which speed is increased not because it runs faster, but because it has a limitless army of different jugglers, one for each billiard cue. Imagine the quantum computer.

Julian Brown's record of the quest for the Holy Grail of computing -- a computer that could, in theory, take seconds to perform calculations that would take today's fastest supercomputers longer than the age of the universe -- is an extraordinary tale, populated by a remarkable cast of characters, including David Deutsch of Oxford University, who first announced the possibility of computation in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of quantum mechanics; Ed Fredkin, who developed a new kind of logic gate as a true step toward universal computation; and the legendary Richard Feynman, who reasoned from the inability to model quantum mechanics on a classical computer the logical inevitability of quantum computing.

For, in the fuzzily indeterminate world of the quantum, new computing power is born. Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse details the remarkable uses for quantum computing in code breaking, for quantum computers will be able to crack many of the leading methods of protecting secret information, while offering new unbreakable codes. Quantum computers will also be able to model nuclear and subatomic reactions; offer insights into nanotechnology, teleportation, and time travel; and perhaps change the way chemists and biotechnologists design drugs and study the molecules of life. Farthest along the trail blazed by these pioneers is the ability to visualize the multiple realities of the quantum world not as a mathematical abstraction, but as a real map to a world of multiple universes...a multiverse where every possible event -- from a particular chess move to a comet striking the Earth -- not only can happen, but does.

Incorporating lively explanations of ion trap gates, nuclear magnetic resonance computers, quantum dots, quantum algorithms, Fourier transforms, and puzzles of quantum physics, and illustrated with dozens of vivid diagrams, Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse is a mind-stretching look at the still-unbuilt but fascinating machines that, in the words of physicist Stanley Williams, "will reshape the face of science" and offer a new window into the secrets of an infinite number of potential universes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #343647 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Amazon.com
Just how smart can computers get? Science journalist Julian Brown takes a hard look at the spooky world of quantum computation in Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse--and his report is optimistic. Based in large part on the groundbreaking work of David Deutsch, the book mostly sidesteps the shouting matches of the AI debate and instead explores the history of computation and quantum theory before turning to the exciting advances likely to come out of their merger. While some readers might cringe at the blithe dismissal of classical computing as a relic, Brown shows us why quantum computing is faster and more powerful, and is a good candidate for replacing its predecessor.

The author doesn't pull any mathematical punches, but injects enough humor and personalization into his writing to keep the book from crumbling to dust. Indeed, portraits of such luminaries as Deutsch and Feynman are more engaging than those found in some biographies and are enlightening on their own. But the real power and charm of Brown's prose lie in its straightforward explanation of the arcane details of the multiple-worlds theory, "qubits," and quantum logic in language any informed reader can understand. There are more questions than answers in Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse, but the questions are profoundly satisfying all by themselves. --Rob Lightner

From Publishers Weekly
Computers get faster as microprocessors get smaller and denser, requiring fewer subatomic particles to toggle between zero and one. When silicon chips rely on single electrons, will computing power have hit a wall? Or will the future's computers use quantum properties to acquire undreamt-of powers? In this intriguing, fast-moving book, Brown (a longtime writer for Britain's prestigious New Scientist) asks those questions, shuttling among the physics, mathematics and information theory that would enable quantum computing, and the practical, technical work required to make it happen. He considers the class of quantum computing roadblocks that involves heat disposal, introduces us to "complexity theory," something called "decoherence" and "ion traps" (the closest step yet to a quantum computer that works; research into it is currently taking place under the auspices of America's National Security Administration). Brown also profiles quantum-computer theorist David Deutsch--an engagingly eccentric Oxford physicist--as well as such famous scientists as Richard Feynman and IBM's Charles Bennett (who figured out how, "in theory," "one can compute using no energy at all"). The English-speaking world has plenty of books explaining computers, quantum theory and the attendant wacky philosophical implications, but Brown transcends these categories, showing how physics relates to computation and how their alliance affects the future of both. His enthusiastic, patient explanations of fairly difficult mathematics distinguishes his book. Illustrations. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
A quantum computer, unlike today's digital computers, does not process information one bit at a time but determines all possible solutions simultaneously. Although practical applications are still years away, such a machine theoretically can handle many of the major simulation and mathematical problems currently beyond the capability of even the largest current parallel processors. Brown, a writer for New Scientist, covers an immense variety of subjects in this book, most of which touch in some way on quantum physics, and he devotes a considerable amount of effort to making his exposition understandable. Some of the analogies he uses to simplify complex ideas work well, while others left this reader more confused than before--possibly reflecting a lack of strong background in physics but still a potential problem for other readers. Brown also throws in a substantial philosophical treatment of artificial intelligence. An interesting topic but not easy reading; for academic and larger public libraries.
-Hilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

nice rundown of quatum computing
This book is both a good introduction to quatum computing, and quantum mechanics in general. The only knock against this book, is that the author sometimes gets confused as to who his audience is. This book is on the one hand written in a 'popular' style (eg, "Brief History of Time"), but is also very challenging and techincal. I'd say the intended audience people have a strong background in computer science. Without any technical background, you'll get lost very early on, as your eyes glaze over reading his descriptions of public-key cryptography, and diagrams of quantum algorithms (complete with reversible controlled-NOT gates). A working knowledge of logic and discrete math will help a lot here. Not a simple book to digest, but because it's written in the 'popular' style, it is immensely enjoyable and satisfying, *if* you're interested in the topic, and have the proper background to absorb it.

The best overview of Quantum Computing I've seen...
In The Quest for the Quantum Computer, Julian Brown takes a look at the emerging field of Quantum Computing, a field that could potentially revolutionize many fields of computing and far-edge technology, such as cryptography, information theory, higher mathematics, and nanotechnology.

So what is a Quantum Computer, anyway?

A Quantum computer, in Brown's term (derived from the work of David Deutsch and Richard Feynman), is a computer based on an atom-scale architecture that, rather than using standard digital logic gates, uses logic gates based on "qubits", or quantum bits, that can carry a bit with a value of 1, 0, or any position that could theoretically exist in between. Such a computer could be used to process massive matrices of information in paralell, and solve mathematical problems previously thought impossible to answer.

Still following?

If not, the book isn't for you. It's quite dense, and filled with logical and mathematical jargon- it was clearly intended to be a "popular" book for a select audience- people with physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science backgrounds. But if you're interested in "the new physics", on-the-edge computing, or future technologies in general, pick this book up.

Almost perfect
This is the book I recommend to all my technical friends who are wondering what quantum computing is about. Brown writes with astonishing lucidity and an intense focus on what he's trying to communicate. If this book has a flaw, it's that I think it gives Deutsch and the many-universes interpretation of QM a bit too much airtime. Deutsch's views are well-presented in many other places and it dilutes this book somewhat to spend so much time on him when it really isn't necessary.

I don't understand the review that said this book wasn't technical enough. Yes, it's not a textbook for learning how to write quantum algorithms. But it does have detailed quantum circuit diagrams for a number of useful or interesting ones. When I read this book I finally saw enough of the details to "get it". I launched from this directly into the scientific literature without getting too terribly lost.

I would recommend this book over Milburn's "The Feynman Processor". Milburn knows his material but he tends to wander a lot. His book is OK and useful, but this one is better. I'd put it in the same class as Gleick's "Chaos".