Ever since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The 25th edition held in October 2011 in Brussels and chaired by David Gross continued this tradition and celebrated the first centennial of this illustrious series of conferences. The development and applications of quantum mechanics have always been the main threads in the history of the Solvay Conferences, hence the 25th Solvay conference gathered many of the leading figures working on a wide variety of profound problems in physics where quantum mechanical effects play a central role. The conference addressed some of the most pressing open questions in the field of physics.The proceedings contain the “rapporteur talks” which give a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished and renowned scientists. These lectures cover the seven sessions: “History and Reflections”, “Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computation”, “Control of Quantum Systems”, “Quantum Condensed Matter”, “Particles and Fields”, “Quantum Gravity and String Theory” and it ended with a general discussion attempting to arrive at a synthesis.In the Solvay tradition, the proceedings also include the prepared comments to the rapporteur talks. The discussions among the participants — some of which quite lively and involving dramatically divergent points of view — have been carefully edited and are reproduced in full.

Ever since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The 25th edition held in October 2011 in Brussels and chaired by David Gross continued this tradition and celebrated the first centennial of this illustrious series of conferences. These proceedings contain the ʹrapporteur talksʹ which give a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished and renowned scientists.

Crucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy. This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity. This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing.

Scientists have always attempted to explain the world in terms of a few unifying principles. In the fifth century B.C. Democritus boldly claimed that reality is simply a collection of indivisible and eternal parts or atoms. Over the centuries his doctrine has remained a landmark, and much progress in physics is due to its distinction between subjective perception and objective reality. This book discusses theory reduction in physics, which states that the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts: the properties of things are directly determined by their constituent parts. Reductionism deals with the relation between different theories that address different levels of reality, and uses extrapolations to apply that relation in different sciences. Reality shows a complex structure of connections, and the dream of a unified interpretation of all phenomena in several simple laws continues to attract anyone with genuine philosophical and scientific interests. If the most radical reductionist point of view is correct, the relationship between disciplines is strictly inclusive: chemistry becomes physics, biology becomes chemistry, and so on. Eventually, only one science, indeed just a single theory, would survive, with all others merging in the Theory of Everything. Is the current coexistence of different sciences a mere historical venture which will end when the Theory of Everything has been established? Can there be a unified description of nature? Rather than an analysis of full reductionism, this book focuses on aspects of theory reduction in physics and stimulates reflection on related questions: is there any evidence of actual reduction? Are the examples used in the philosophy of science too simplistic? What has been endangered by the search for (the) ultimate truth? Has the dream of reductionist reason created any monsters? Is big science one such monster? What is the point of embedding science Y within science X, if predictions cannot be made on that basis?

Ever since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The format is quite different from other conferences as the emphasis is placed on discussion. The 28th edition held in May 2022 in Brussels and chaired by David Gross and Peter Zoller continued this tradition and addressed some of the most pressing open questions in the fields of quantum information, gathering many of the leading figures working on a wide variety of profound problems.The proceedings contain the 'rapporteur talks' giving a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished renowned scientists. These lectures cover the five sessions: The Physics of Quantum Information, Many-Body Entanglement, Quantum Information and Spacetime, Quantum Platforms, Quantum Algorithms.In the Solvay tradition, the proceedings also include the prepared comments to the rapporteur talks. The discussions among the participants — expert, yet lively and sometimes contentious — have been edited to retain their flavor and are reproduced in full. The reader is taken on a breathtaking ride through a fascinating field which is expanding rapidly.

This book is indexed in Chemical Abstracts ServiceEver since 1911, the Solvay Conferences have shaped modern physics. The format is quite different from other conferences as the emphasis is placed on discussion. The 27th edition held in October 2017 in Brussels and chaired by Boris Shraiman continued this tradition and addressed some of the most pressing open questions in the fields of biophysics, gathering many of the leading figures working on a wide variety of profound problems.The proceedings contain the 'rapporteur talks' giving a broad overview with unique insights by distinguished renowned scientists. These lectures cover the five sessions: 'Intra-cellular Structure and Dynamics', 'Cell Behavior and Control', 'Inter-cellular Interactions and Patterns', 'Morphogenesis', 'Evolutionary dynamics'.In the Solvay tradition, the proceedings also include the prepared comments to the rapporteur talks. The discussions among the participants — expert, yet lively and sometimes contentious — have been edited to retain their flavor and are reproduced in full. The reader is taken on a breathtaking ride through a fascinating field which is expanding rapidly and which was for the first time the subject of a Solvay Conference on Physics.

A comprehensive overview of holographic methods in quantum matter, written by pioneers in the field. This book, written by pioneers in the field, offers a comprehensive overview of holographic methods in quantum matter. It covers influential developments in theoretical physics, making the key concepts accessible to researchers and students in both high energy and condensed matter physics. The book provides a unique combination of theoretical and historical context, technical results, extensive references to the literature, and exercises. It will give readers the ability to understand the important problems in the field, both those that have been solved and those that remain unsolved, and will enable them to engage directly with the current literature. The book describes a particular interface between condensed matter physics, gravitational physics, and string and quantum field theory made possible by holographic duality. The chapters cover such topics as the essential workings of the holographic correspondence; strongly interacting quantum matter at a fixed commensurate density; compressible quantum matter with a variable density; transport in quantum matter; the holographic description of symmetry broken phases; and the relevance of the topics covered to experimental challenges in specific quantum materials. Holographic Quantum Matter promises to be the definitive presentation of this material.