The quantum ten: a story of passion, tragedy, ambition and science PDF
Preview The quantum ten: a story of passion, tragedy, ambition and science
Books of Merit This page intentionally left blank The Quantum Ten This page intentionally left blank Q U A N T U M T E N A STORY PASSION TRAGEDY, AMBITION AND SCIENCE SHEILLA JONES thomas allen publishers toronto Copyright © 2008by Sheilla Jones All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without the prior written permission of the publisher, or in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Jones, Sheilla, 1954– The quantum ten : a story of passion, tragedy, ambition and science / Sheilla Jones. Includes bibliographical references. isbn978-0-88762-331-8 1.Physicists—Biography. 2.Physics—History. 3.Quantum theory—History. 4.Solvay Conference on Physics (5th : 1927:Brussels). I. Title. qc15.j65 2008 530.092'2 c2008-900270-9 Editor: Janice Zawerbny Jacket and text design: Gordon Robertson Jacket image: Emilio Segre Archives Author photograph: Fred Elcheshen Published by Thomas Allen Publishers, adivision of Thomas Allen & Son Limited, 145Front Street East, Suite 209, Toronto, Ontario m5a 1e3Canada www.thomas-allen.com The publisher gratefully acknowledges the supportof the Ontario Arts Council for its publishing program. Weacknowledge the supportof the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $2o.1million in writing and publishing throughout Canada. We acknowledge the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’sOntario Book Initiative. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing IndustryDevelopment Program (bpidp)for our publishing activities. 12 11 10 09 08 1 2 3 4 5 Printed and bound in Canada To Dr. James Burns This narrative is filled with fascinating characters whose per- sonal stories have been brought to life by their biographers, in particular: David C. Cassidy, Paul Carter, Charles P. Enz, Philipp Frank, Roger Highfield, Banesh Hoffman, Martin J. Klein, Helge Kragh, Thomas Levenson, David Lindley,Walter Moore, Abraham Pais and Nancy Thorndike Greenspan. My interpretation of the tumultuous development of quantum physics is greatly enriched by their earlier efforts. In particular, I’d like to thank Martin J. Klein for his invaluable insights and critique of much of the manuscript during the writ- ing of this book, as well as for sharing some of his unpublished research on the distressing final hours before Paul Ehrenfest’s suicide. Paul Halpernand Frans van Lunteren were also most helpful in tracking down additional details on Ehrenfest’s last years. This book is verymuch a product of the enthusiasm of my agent Rick Broadhead, editor Janice Zawerbny, and my biggest fan and resident grammarian, Jim Burns. Thank you, all. contents The Quantum Ten x 1 The Regression of Science 1 2 The Quantum Showdown 17 3 The Birth of the Quantum 33 4 APlace to Belong 53 5 Building a Foundation 67 6 The Cost of Compromise 85 7 Taking a New Path 105 8 Only What the Eye Can See 119 9 The Emergence of the Boys’ Club 131 10 TheGöttingen Gospel 151 11 AMeeting of Minds 167 12 Shock Waves 183 13 Drawing the Battle Lines 201 14 Dark Night of the Scientific Soul 221 15 Solvay Prelude 235 16 Coming Undone 251 17 Picking Up the Pieces 269 18 Quantum Confusion 289 Epilogue 293 297 Notes 312 Bibliography 317 Index
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