Through Two Doors at Once

The Elegant Experiment That Captures the Enigma of Our Quantum Reality

By: Anil Ananthaswamy

Narrated by: René Ruiz

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

One of Smithsonian's favorite books of 2018.

One of Forbes' 2018 best books about astronomy, physics, and mathematics.

One of Kirkus' 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.

©2018 Anil Ananthaswamy (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Through Two Doors at Once is a challenging and rewarding survey of how scientists…are grappling with nature’s deepest, strangest secrets.” (Wall Street Journal)

“A fascinating tour through the cutting-edge physics the experiment keeps on spawning.” (Scientific American)

"Through Two Doors at Once offers beginners the tools they need to seriously engage with the philosophical questions that likely drew them to quantum mechanics." (Science)

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.

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.

Compelling and beautiful

One of the most beautiful books ever written! I see this as an investigation into the fine work of Jesus’ creative power!

Approachable, excellent overview!

Fantastic book. I've been through it 3 times, will definitely listen to it again.

It's a strong historical overview and lays out the various theories and interpretations without speaking to correctness of any given viable theories.

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.

History of quantum physics with a thought provoking ending

There a few other books like this one; books that take you through a brief tour of physics from Newtonian to quantum and the in between. That said, if you hang in there to the end, the author does a good job of tying everything together and catching us up to where QP is presently,

Excellent exposition of the conundrum

It helps if you've had some (OK a lot) of quantum mechanics background. You might start with Jim Al-Khalili's guide. This book gives credence to the possibility that Copenhagen is mainstream more by force of personality than objective assessment. No final judgment is made but the idea that determinism can be retained is not outright dismissed in principle - which is welcoming. We're back to "If I don't look is something still there" is answered satisfactorily - "Yes it is" whilst still embracing quantum weirdness most specifically non-locality. It's worth the debate. Reviews of weak measurements were interesting.

I'm in admiration of Anil's writing. He does not have to be the originator of all the ideas discussed to be applauded - his communication of state of play is brilliantly clear. I'm not buying the smart idea that "the interpretation doesn't matter". Saying that measurement brings reality in to being has uncomfortably little to say about what is there when you're not looking.

This is an entertaining and informative book.

Excellent overview of interpreting QM

This was my favorite book on interpretations of QM I have read. I really enjoyed it. I really appreciated that unlike some books on the topic which are overwhelmingly theoretical, this book grounds its math and philosophy in real, tangible experiments. It returns to experiments again and again, reminding us why physicists have been forced by the results of these experiments to question some of our most basic ideas about the world... realism, locality, even the idea that the world has a single past, present and future.

Fantastic read, I commend this book most highly

Beautifully written, very well narrated.

If you don't understand the many world's theory this book will knock your socks off.

Love this book.