This book is designed to make accessible to nonspecialists the still evolving concepts of quantum mechanics and the terminology in which these are expressed. The opening chapters summarize elementary concepts of twentieth century quantum mechanics and describe the mathematical methods employed in the field, with clear explanation of, for example, Hilbert space, complex variables, complex vector spaces and Dirac notation, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. After detailed discussion of the Schrödinger equation, subsequent chapters focus on isotropic vectors, used to construct spinors, and on conceptual problems associated with measurement, superposition, and decoherence in quantum systems. Here, due attention is paid to Bell’s inequality and the possible existence of hidden variables. Finally, progression toward quantum computation is examined in detail: if quantum computers can be made practicable, enormous enhancements in computing power, artificial intelligence, and secure communication will result. This book will be of interest to a wide readership seeking to understand modern quantum mechanics and its potential applications.

本书旨在使非专业人士能够了解仍在发展中的量子力学概念和表达这些概念的术语。开头几章总结了二十世纪量子力学的基本概念，并描述了该领域所采用的数学方法，例如，对希尔伯特空间、复变量、复矢量空间和狄拉克符号以及海森堡不确定性原理进行了清晰的解释。在详细讨论了薛定谔方程之后，随后的几章集中讨论了用于构造自旋体的各向异性向量，以及与量子系统中的测量、叠加和退相干有关的概念问题。这里，对贝尔不等式和隐藏变量的可能存在给予了应有的关注。最后，详细研究了量子计算的进展情况：如果量子计算机能够切实可行，计算能力、人工智能和安全通信将得到巨大提升。本书将引起寻求了解现代量子力学及其潜在应用的广大读者的