The Physics of Information Technology

by Neil Gershenfeld

• ISBN13: 9780521210225
• ISBN10: 0521210224
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-23
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The Physics of Information Technology explores the familiar devices that we use to collect, transform, transmit, and interact with electronic information. Many such devices operate surprisingly close to very many fundamental physical limits. Understanding how such devices work, and how they can (and cannot) be improved, requires deep insight into the character of physical law as well as engineering practice. The book starts with an introduction to units, forces, and the probabilistic foundations of noise and signaling, then progresses through the electromagnetics of wired and wireless communications, and the quantum mechanics of electronic, optical, and magnetic materials, to discussions of mechanisms for computation, storage, sensing, and display. This self-contained volume will help both physical scientists and computer scientists see beyond the conventional division between hardware and software to understand the implications of physical theory for information manipulation.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Interactions, units, and magnitudes

Noise in physical systems

Information in physical systems

Electromagnetic fields and waves

Circuits, transmission lines, and wave guides

Multipoles and antennas

Optics

Lensless imaging and inverse problems

Semiconductor materials and devices

Generating, modulating, and detecting light

Magnetic storage

Measurement and coding

Transducers

Timekeeping and navigation

Quantum computing and communications

Problem solutions

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