Crucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy.

This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity.

This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing.

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Olival Freire Jr is Professor of Physics and History of Science at the Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. He is the author of The Quantum Dissidents (2015) and David Bohm: A Life Dedicated to Understanding the Quantum World (2019). In 2011 he co-edited Teoria quântica: estudos históricos e implicações culturais with Osvaldo Pessoa Jr. and Joan Lisa Bromberg and was awarded the Jabuti Prize in Science and Technology, the most important literary prize in Brazil.