Through Two Doors at Once

The Elegant Experiment That Captures the Enigma of Our Quantum Reality

By: Anil Ananthaswamy

Narrated by: René Ruiz

One of Smithsonian's Favorite Books of 2018
One of Forbes's 2018 Best Books About Astronomy, Physics and Mathematics
One of Kirkus's Best Books of 2018

The intellectual adventure story of the "double-slit" experiment, showing how a sunbeam split into two paths first challenged our understanding of light and then the nature of reality itself--and continues to almost 200 years later.

Many of science's greatest minds have grappled with the simple yet elusive "double-slit" experiment. Thomas Young devised it in the early 1800s to show that light behaves like a wave, and in doing so opposed Isaac Newton. Nearly a century later, Albert Einstein showed that light comes in quanta, or particles, and the experiment became key to a fierce debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr over the nature of reality. Richard Feynman held that the double slit embodies the central mystery of the quantum world. Decade after decade, hypothesis after hypothesis, scientists have returned to this ingenious experiment to help them answer deeper and deeper questions about the fabric of the universe.

How can a single particle behave both like a particle and a wave? Does a particle exist before we look at it, or does the very act of looking create reality? Are there hidden aspects to reality missing from the orthodox view of quantum physics? Is there a place where the quantum world ends and the familiar classical world of our daily lives begins, and if so, can we find it? And if there's no such place, then does the universe split into two each time a particle goes through the double slit?

With his extraordinarily gifted eloquence, Anil Ananthaswamy travels around the world and through history, down to the smallest scales of physical reality we have yet fathomed. Through Two Doors at Once is the most fantastic voyage you can take.

LIFE'S MEANING

Anil Ananthaswarmy makes a valiant effort to explain the "...Enigma of Quantum Reality" with "Through Two Doors at Once". What is amazing about Anathaswary's history is how inventive scientists have been in proving quantum mechanics is real. That amazing accomplishment leads to proof that physics reactions are not only local but exhibit spooky action at a distance (entanglement). At a microscopic level, quantum mechanics implies reality is a matter of chance, not cause and effect. Quantum mechanics denies predictability unless, as Einstein insisted throughout his life, we live in a world that has a natural law that explains all life's consequences are based on defined actions.

With as much of the universe's energy and matter not observable, it seems Einstein had a point in suggesting quantum mechanics would be drawn back into a "cause and effect" world. As recent as this week, the activity of muons in dark energy suggests there is more to the story of the predictability of life.

Worth more than one listen!

This is THE most comprehensive and engaging dive you'll ever find dedicated this #1 most central mystery in all of physics. Expertly researched and all of it done impressively without a single eqation!! Thru a partially historical lense, it explains wave/particle duality from its early hints before the first double slit experiments...to delayed choice quantum eraser and beyond. Featuring in person interviews with some of today's foremost physicists, it covers all the most popular interpretations and theories without choosing sides. No career legacy or agenda to push on you here...just the facts. To me the most valuable insights came directly from the words and musings of all the great scientific minds both past and present. Because who better to help shape your understanding on the matter?
At the end I'm left even more convinced that this is the "holiest" holy grail in all of science(even more so than any t.o.e)...the bedrock principle of the universe, and the ultimate nut to crack.

Great history

This was a good overview of the history of quantum theory and helped explain the gist of the experiments and theories and their evolution over time

Great explanations, far exceeded my expectations..

Though it touches on only a small subset of physical phenomena, this book has surprising depth and breadth, and can be used both as an experimental lab manual for each of the experiments explained, as well as a book on the philosophy of physics.

The author refers to the same basic experimental setup for each new story (interference of wave-particle paths), and makes it into somewhat of a joke for repeating the same thing for each new story; but really this book has much more breadth than its title suggests. He gives great explanations for just about all types of interference relevant to quantum mechanics, and weaves into each story a lot of great background info on the philosophy of the physics and the physicists involved.

I was literally in tears by the end of this audible (not literally), that's how good it was!

Wonderful performance

Complicated subject matter gently unfolded. You might not remember everything, but you’ll have a terrific time listening.