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Quantum Theory, together with the principles of special and general relativity, constitute a scientific revolution that has profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is a definitive historical study of that scientific work and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning. Drawing upon such materials as the resources of the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics, the Niels Bohr Archives, and the archives and scientific correspondence of the principal quantum physicists, as well as Jagdish Mehra's personal discussions over many years with most of the architects of quantum theory, the authors have written a rigorous scientific history of quantum theory in a deeply human context. This multivolume work presents a rich account of an intellectual triumph: a unique analysis of the creative scientific process. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is science, history, and biography, all wrapped in the story of a great human enterprise. Its lessons will be an aid to those working in the sciences and humanities alike.
List of contents
I. Werner Heisenberg's Scientific Development.- I.1 Early Influences.- I.2 Escape from Mathematics and the Encounter with Sommerfeld.- I.3 Sommerfeld's Seminar.- I.4 Sommerfeld's Mathematical Approach.- I.5 Lectures and Courses.- I.6 Introduction to Research in Quantum Theory.- I.7 Success in a Problem of Classical Physics.- I.8 Life in Munich and a Near Failure in the Doctoral Examination.- II. Towards the Recognition of the Crisis.- II.1 A New Environment.- II.2 Born's Seminar and the Pursuit of New Subjects.- II.3 Concern with the Helium Problem.- II.4 Half-Integral Quantum Numbers and the Difficulties of Atomic Theory.- II.5 Return to the Anomalous Zeeman Effects.- III. The Penultimate Sharpening of the Correspondence Principle.- III.1 Getting to Know Niels Bohr.- III.2 Spring Visit to Copenhagen.- III.3 In the Footsteps of Niels Bohr.- III.4 Ad Majorem Correspondentiae Principii Gloriam.- III.5 The Kramers-Heisenberg Dispersion Theory.- III.6 Atomic Models and Complex Spectra.- IV. Sunrise in Helgoland.- IV.1 Return to Göttingen and the Hydrogen Problem.- IV.2 The Quantum-Theoretical Fourier Series and an Unexpected Difficulty.- IV.3 The Anharmonic Oscillator and a Letter to Kronig.- IV.4 The Determination of the Constants and a Severe Attack of Hay Fever.- IV.5 Energy Conservation and Stationary States.- V. The Discovery of Quantum Mechanics.- V.1 Pauli's Attitude Towards Attempts to Formulate a Quantum Mechanics.- V.2 A Guiding Philosophical Principle.- V.3 Quantum-Theoretical Kinematics and Mechanics.- V.4 Preliminary Tests and Applications of Quantum Mechanics.- V.5 A Farewell to 'Term Zoology and Zeeman Botany'.- References.- Author Index.
Summary
Offers a historical study of Quantum Theory, and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning.
Report
Comments by distinguished physicists on "The Historical Development of Quantum Theory":||"...the most definitive work undertaken by anyone on this vast and most important development in the history of physics. Jagdish Mehra, trained in theoretical physics under Pauli, Heisenberg, and Dirac, pursued the vision of his youth to write about the historical and conceptual development of quantum theory in the 20th century...This series of books on the HDQT has thus become the most authentic and permanent source of our knowledge of how quantum theory, its extensions and applications developed. My heartfelt congratulations."|-Hans A. Bethe, Nobel Laureate||"A thrilling and magnificent achievement!"|-Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS, Nobel Laureate||"...capture(s) precisely, accurately, and thoroughly the very essence and all the fundamental details of the theory, and that is a remarkable achievement...I have greatly enjoyed reading these books and learned so many new things from them. This series of books will remain a permanent source of knowledge about the creation and development of quantum theory. Congratulations!"|-Paul A. Dirac, FRS, Nobel Laureate||"The wealth and accuracy of detail in 'The Historical Development of Quantum Theory' are breathtaking."|-Richard P. Feynman, Nobel Laureate
