Nick Herbert (physicist)
Nick Herbert ( born 1937 ) is an American physicist and esoteric author.
Biography
Herbert studied physics engineering at Ohio State University and received his doctorate in 1967 at Stanford University in experimental nuclear physics. In the 1970s he worked as an industrial physicist, including the typewriter manufacturer Smith Corona ( SCM) in Palo Alto (including through modeling of inkjet printing and xerography ) and the storage media manufacturers Memorex in Santa Clara. At times, he also taught as an Assistant Professor of Physics at Monmouth College.
He became famous especially in the early 1980s by a ersonnenes he thought experiment, which made it possible to transmit information contrary to the teachings of the theory of relativity faster than light. His proposal then sparked a lively discussion, since his argument seemed to be conclusive. He has since published in a physical journal. Herbert used in his thought experiment entangled states and a quantum copier which should allow for the perfect reproduction of a quantum state. If observer A make a measurement on the entangled state, observers could ( with copier ) take B to measurements on the copies of statements about the experimental arrangement of A and so transmit information faster than light. Wojciech Zurek and William Wootters finally solved the problem with the no -cloning theorem, which showed the impossibility of such perfect quantum copier.
According to information derived from him also the shortest proof of Bell 's theorem ( three lines).
Herbert 's since the 1970s, part of the California Esoteric culture and lives in Boulder Creek near Big Sur. At that time, had already found regular workshops on the relationship of psychic phenomena and quantum mechanics instead of, among other things, Jack Sarfatti, Saul -Paul Sirag, Fred Alan Wolf, Fritjof Capra, and for example, in " Fundamental Physics Group" ( with physicists from Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory originated had ) and in workshops at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, which over 10 years ran and had great influence in esoteric circles. The result was a wave of popular books on these subjects, starting with Capra ( Tao of Physics 1975) and also with contributions by Herbert (Quantum Reality, 1985). Herbert later organized their own discussion groups. He also published books of poetry ( Physics on all fours ) and a quantum version of Alice in Wonderland.
Writings
- Quantum Reality Beyond the New Physics, Birkhauser, 1987, Goldmann 1990 ( English: Quantum Reality - Beyond the new physics, Doubleday 1985)
- Faster than light - superluminal loopholes in physics, Dutton 1988
- Elemental Mind -human consciousness and the new physics, Dutton 1993
- With Bill Shanley: Alice between the worlds, DVA 1999