* Hugh Everett III - The Many Worlds of Quantum Mechanics (3 books)

HUGH EVERETT III (1930 – 1982) was an American physicist and mathematician who, in his 1957 PhD thesis, proposed what is now known as the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics.  In danger of losing his draft deferment, Everett took a research job with the Pentagon the year before completing the oral exam for his PhD and did not continue research in theoretical physics after his graduation.

"The Theory of the Universal Wave Function" (1955) was Everett's original and most comprehensive paper on the subject of MWI, arguing that the universal wavefunction is objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse.  This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in some "world" or universe, and that there are most likely an uncountable number of universes.  Although largely disregarded until near the end of Everett's lifetime, the MWI received more credibility with the discovery of quantum decoherence in the 1970s and has received increased attention in recent decades, becoming one of the mainstream interpretations of quantum mechanics alongside Copenhagen, pilot wave theories, and consistent histories.

In addition to his famous interpretation of quantum mechanics, Everett wrote a classic paper in game theory; created computer algorithms that revolutionized military operations research; and performed pioneering work in artificial intelligence for top secret government projects.  He wrote the original software for targeting cities in a nuclear hot war; and he was one of the first scientists to recognize the danger of nuclear winter.

Peter Byrne's biography, THE MANY WORLDS OF HUGH EVERETT III (2010), is an excellent source of primary information about Everett's life and work.  Using Everett's unpublished papers and dozens of interviews with his friends, colleagues, and surviving family members, Byrne unveils a detailed portrait of a radiant intelligence extinguished all too soon by personal demons.


The following books are in PDF and/or ePUB format as indicated:

* The Everett Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Collected Works, 1955-1980, with Commentary [ed. Barrett & Byrne] (Princeton, 2012) – PDF

* The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics [ed. DeWitt & Graham] (Princeton, 1973) – PDF

== BIOGRAPHY ==

* Peter Byrne - The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III: Multiple Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a Nuclear Family (Oxford, 2010) – ePUB + PDF


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