Overview

This is the second of two volumes on the genesis of quantum mechanics in the first quarter of the 20th century. It covers the period 1923-1927. After covering some of the difficulties the old quantum theory had run into by the early 1920s as well as the discovery of the exclusion principle and electron spin, it traces the emergence of two forms of the new quantum mechanics, matrix mechanics and wave mechanics, in the years 1923-27. It then shows how the new theory took care of some of the failures of the old theory and put its successes on a more solid basis. Finally, it shows how in 1927 the two forms of the new theory were unified, first through statistical transformation theory, then through the Hilbert space formalism. This volume provides a detailed analysis of the classic papers by Heisenberg, Born, Jordan, Dirac, De Broglie, Einstein, Schrödinger, von Neumann and other authors. Drawing on the correspondence of these and other physicists, their later reminiscences and the extensive secondary literature on the

Full Product Details

9780198883906

Table of Contents

Reviews

Review from previous edition An excellent work which innovatively combines conceptual clarity with penetrating analysis of relevant theory. * Helge Kragh, Annals of Science * Engineers and scientists from across the board will get a kick out of being able to read about the origins of their everyday toolkits - this is lucid historical reasoning about one of the great accomplishments of modern science. After seeing the author's track the launch of the old quantum theory, I'm looking forward to their account of full-blown quantum mechanics to come in volume 2! * Peter Galison, Harvard University * Clearly written, by highly competent authors, giving full reasoning and calculations for all important developments. * Olivier Darrigol, CNRS, France * This will be a widely read book and used in many physics and history of physics courses at the undergraduate college-university level. It will be greeted most enthusiastically by scholars and teachers alike. * Roger H. Stuewer, University of Minnesota * Indeed a very important and valuable contribution to the history of quantum mechanics. * Michael Eckert, Deutsches Museum, Muenchen * What seemed a good piece of work at the start is magisterial. This is the book I have been waiting to see for a long time. * Steven N. Shore, University of Pisa * This book will very likely become a new point of reference for everyone working on the history of quantum physics. * Christian Joas, Niels Bohr Archive *

Author Information

Michel Janssen studied physics and philosophy at the University of Amsterdam and history and philosophy of science at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his PhD in 1995. He was an editor at the Einstein Papers Project before joining the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota as a historian of science in 2000. He has also been a regular visitor at the Max Planck Institute for History of Science in Berlin. His research focuses on the genesis of relativity and quantum theory. Anthony Duncan received his PhD in theoretical elementary particle physics in 1975 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the supervision of Steven Weinberg. Following postdoctoral and junior faculty positions at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and Columbia University in New York, he joined the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981 as Associate Professor of Physics. He has taught a wide range of courses, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, including courses on the history of modern physics. He is now (since 2015) Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Pittsburgh.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available