BOOK REVIEW: Wonders of the Quantum World

Danni Holmes makes the mind-bending mysteries of quantum physics accessible, entertaining and surprisingly down-to-earth in a fascinating journey through life, the universe and everything, writes George Lopez.

SOME TIME IN THE LATE 19th and early 20th centuries, scientists identified the existence of cells and their component parts, all the way down past atoms, to subatomic and elementary particles.

It didn’t take them long to realise that the particles they were observing in their labs weren’t behaving in accordance with the established laws of nature, which was very rude of them. Out of this realisation was born quantum physics, an area some of the smartest people who have ever lived have been struggling with ever since.

Luckily for us, Danni Holmes, one of those super-smart people, has written Wonders of the Quantum World: Uncovering the Secrets of our Universe, Life on Earth and the Future of Technology to help the more scientifically challenged amongst us.

If you’ve made it this far, or if you’ve ever wondered what Albert Einstein meant when he referred to “spooky action at a distance”, then this is probably the book for you. Danni takes us on a step-by-step journey starting with a Fantastic Voyage-style tour of our own bodies and ending in the hearts of stars and beyond. The book is divided into four main sections, each focusing on different aspects of the quantum world.

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‘Spotting Quantum in the Wild’ explores and explains just what the fuss is all about. The reader goes on an inward journey, shrinking progressively while examining the constituent parts of their body along the way. Eventually, the threshold into the quantum world within us all is passed; the place where classical physics bids us farewell and wishes us the best of luck.

Here we learn the history of the development of quantum physics, born out of the mind-mangling contradictions struggled with by scientists as they were able to observe phenomena on an increasingly microscopic scale. People like Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger, to name just a few.

We are left with the knowledge, if not the actual understanding, that somehow, the quantum world is a place where the impossible is done immediately; miracles take a little longer.

By now, we know that quantum particles, the extraordinarily minuscule things that can only be observed with the most advanced technology known to humans, refuse to follow the laws of classical physics, but “So what?” you may ask.

Well, dear reader, move on to Part II, ‘Our Quantum Universe’, where you will find the answer. Here, we learn how quantum effects on the subatomic level influence the behaviour of larger objects. From how the magnetic field shielding our Earth from harmful radiation is formed, to the reason stars emit light and far, far beyond. Danni dives deep into the life cycles of stars, black holes and other astronomical phenomena and finds quantum particles lurking there.

For Part III ‘Quantum Life on Earth’, Danni draws our attention from the somewhat remote mysteries of space and directs it far closer to home. In Parts I and II, we learnt that our bodies are made up of cells and that in turn, cells are made up of atoms, which in turn are made up of subatomic particles, all the way down to elementary particles. We saw how quantum particles influence the behaviour of even the largest objects known to human beings and we will now learn about the implications for living things.

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Danni introduces us to quantum biology, an emerging and largely theoretical field of science at this point, or as Danni puts it, ‘the slightly crazy uncle who rocks up out of the blue at a family gathering. He is not quite at the level of wearing a tinfoil hat... but he certainly turns heads’.

While biology generally obeys the laws of classical physics, there are still some interesting questions to be answered. From photosynthesis, to migratory birds, to how we smell things and even how and why we experience consciousness, biology lacks complete answers for the mechanisms at work. Take this section with a grain of salt; a liberal one, perhaps.

Finally, we arrive at Part IV, ‘Future Quantum Technology’. This is where the rubber will hit the road for many of us. As a lecturer and researcher into quantum computing, this is obviously a subject Danni is passionate about — and it shows.

If you are like me, vaguely understanding that quantum particles could be used to build super-fast and powerful computers, but not really understanding how, you will be fascinated by this section as Danni looks not only at quantum computers, but other quantum technologies, like quantum sensors.

Overall, I found this to be a wonderful resource for those interested in, as the late, great Douglas Adams put it, ‘Life, the universe, and everything’. Quantum physics is a realm that has challenged some of the greatest human minds of all time; by its nature, it is complex and difficult to understand, yet this work presents the topic in an accessible and engaging way.

Wonders of the Quantum World: Uncovering the Secrets of our Universe, Life on Earth and the Future of Technology by Danni Holmes is available from Melbourne University Publishing.

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