DOCSLIB.ORG

Michael Eckert Statement and Readings

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Michael Eckert Statement and Readings Michael Eckert Statement and Readings Five decades of quantum physics: How Sommerfeld faced the quantum (r)evolution in the first half of the 20th century—a biographical perspective Michael Eckert Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany Abstract Sommerfeld's attitude towards foundational questions—in particular with regard to the quantum—will be described with respect to the changing context and content of his research at significant stages from the 1910s to the 1940s. In the early period (before 1913) Sommerfeld focused on his so-called "h-hypothesis" as a general scheme to account for processes like the photoelectric effect, the emission of x-ray bremsstrahlung and other non-periodic elementary processes. In the subsequent period of the "Bohr–Sommerfeld model" he perceived foundational questions from the vantage point of atomic spectra. With the advent of quantum mechanics and new discoveries like the Compton effect and electron diffraction in the 1920s Sommerfeld made wave mechanics the basis from which he perceived quantum riddles. This became a major effort during the 1930s when he transformed the Wavemechanical Supplementary Volume of Atomic Structure and Spectral Lines from 1929 into a new edition in 1939. Sommerfeld kept a vivid interest in the progress of quantum research until his death in 1951. I hope that this biographical approach illustrates how foundational questions in physics depend on time and on the broader context. Although I reach only a little beyond the formative period of quantum mechanics I hope the lessons drawn from this example are more generally of interest. Michael Eckert translated by Tom Artin Arnold Sommerfeld Science, Life and Turbulent Times 1868–1951 Michael Eckert Deutsches Museum Munich , Germany Translation of Arnold Sommerfeld: Atomphysiker und Kulturbote 1868–1951, originally published in German by Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen ISBN ---- ISBN ---- (eBook) DOI ./---- Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: © Springer Science+Business Media New York Th is work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifi cally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. Th e use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. Th e publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Acknowledgment In the case of such a source-dependent work, fi rst thanks are due Sommerfeld’s heirs for access to the private papers and for permission to make full use of their content. Sommerfeld’s granddaughter, Monika Baier, deserves particular thanks for ordering her grandfather’s private papers and for providing valuable information on the family background. Th e archivists of the various public institutions in which Sommerfeld correspondence resides, too, are gratefully acknowledged for their readiness to help. Th e bibliography reveals how much support the project has thereby received. Cited passages from letters and texts from other source materials have been adapted to modern notation for the sake of legibility. Numerous letters cited here only in excerpts are printed in full in editions of correspondence. In these cases, references are given indicating the respective volume of the published corre- spondence (e.g., ASWB I and ASWB II as abbreviations for the two volumes of Arnold Sommerfeld – Wissenschaftlicher Briefwechsel, Band I und II : since in those volumes the letters are printed in chronological order, there is no need to specify page or letter numbers). Th us the reader can study the respective letters in full and in the context of the other correspondence reproduced there. Since Sommerfeld’s private letters are not publicly accessible, they are identifi ed only by date, and no source is given. It is conventional for the published work of a scientist to take precedence over unpublished papers at the beginning of a biographical endeavor. Th is approach refl ects his life’s work as a scientist as it has been perceived by his contemporaries. Usually this kind of biographical work begins with the mile-stone birthdays mark- ing decades of a scientist’s life. 1 Th us, festschrifts were assembled to celebrate Sommerfeld’s 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays. In 1968, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, the physicists of the University of Munich, organized an “Arnold Sommerfeld Centennial Memorial Meeting,” and an “International Symposium on the Physics of the One- and Two-Electron Atoms.” On this occasion, his succes- sor at the Institute for Th eoretical Physics (Fritz Bopp) was commissioned by the Bavarian Academy of Sciences to arrange for Sommerfeld’s most important scien- tifi c papers to be published in the form of a four-volume edition. 2 Th e biographer is gratefully obliged to all those involved in this preliminary work. Th e editors of the scientifi c correspondence (the author and Karl Märker) had the support of the Munich Physics Department (especially Harald Fritzsch and Herbert Wagner), and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (in the person of Past President Arnulf Schlüter). Special thanks are also due the Dean of the Faculty of Physics (Axel Schenzle) of Munich University for the fi nancial support that has enabled the translation of the German original of this biography into English. 1 See chapter 14. 2 Sauter, Sommerfeld , 1969. v acknowledgment Th e biographer owes thanks and acknowledgment also to his colleagues in the history of science who have concerned themselves from a historical perspective with Sommerfeld and his fi elds of research. Atop the list are John L. Heilbron, and Paul Forman, who as participants in the SHQP project actually fi rst set Sommerfeld research in motion. Subsequently, above all Armin Hermann, Ulrich Walter Benz, and Karl von Meyenn have helped cause this spark to jump over to Germany. In recent years, a new project on the history of quantum physics 3 at the Max Planck Institute for History of Science in Berlin brought further impetus to analyze Sommerfeld’s work within the network of modern atomic and quantum theory. For this biography, it was a piece of good fortune to participate in this project. It would lead too far afi eld to list all the names of colleagues and friends who in this and in previous decades have researched the history of quantum physics—and thus also important aspects of the fi eld of Sommerfeld biography. Even if, in retrospect, quantum physics be deemed Sommerfeld’s most signifi - cant area of research, the less spectacular mathematical, physical, and technical work to which he devoted himself in the course of his long scientifi c career deserves inclusion in his biography. Th e gratitude of the historian of science and biographer is therefore directed to all those who have devoted their scholarly attention to these aspects of Sommerfeld’s work, and thus in diverse ways have advanced the work of this biography. Th eir names and contributions are to be found in the bibliography. Special thanks to our colleagues at the Research Institute of the Deutsches Museum, which constitutes a particularly sympathetic setting for the work of history of sci- ence. Last but not least, thanks to the German Research Foundation, without whose fi nancial support this project would not have been possible. 3 http://quantum-history.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/main/ (28 January 2013) vi Contents Prologue. xi Königsberg Roots . . Childhood. . School Years . . University Study. . A Competition . . Th e Dissertation. . A Mechanical Basis of Electrodynamics . Setting the Course. . Missed Opportunities . . Military Service . . Mineralogical Interlude . . Stick It Out, or Resign? . . Approach to Felix Klein . . Physics or Mathematics?. Klein’s Assistant . . Physical Mathematics . . Th en I’ll Grow into the Lectureship . . Reading Room and Model Collection . . Habilitation . . Lecturer . . Th e Engagement. Clausthal . . An Off er from America . . Th e Appointment at the Clausthal School of Mining . . Th e School of Mining . . Th e Wedding . . Gyroscope Matters and Electrodynamic Problems. . Encyclopedia Travels. . Gyroscope + Encyclopedia = Aachen-Recommendation . vii contents Aachen . . Backgrounds of an Appointment . . Rapprochement with Engineering. . Technological Expert . . Family Life . . Duties and Inclinations . . Th e “Super-Mechanics” of Electrons. . “In Truth I Am No Engineering Professor; I Am a Physicist” . Munich . . Academic Traditions. . Quarrel over Electron Th eory . . Th e Origins of the Sommerfeld School . . Th e Mathematical Attack . . Th e “h-Discovery” . . Th e First Solvay Congress . . X-Rays and Crystals . Physics in War and Peace . . “For Me, the Political Future Lies in Utter Darkness” .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Arnold Sommerfeld in Einigen Zitaten Von Ihm Und Über Ihn1
    K.-P. Dostal, Arnold Sommerfeld in einigen Zitaten von ihm und über ihn Seite 1 Karl-Peter Dostal, Arnold Sommerfeld in einigen Zitaten von ihm und über ihn1 Kurze biographische Bemerkungen Arnold Sommerfeld [* 5. Dezember 1868 in Königsberg, † 26. April 1951 in München] zählt neben Max Planck, Albert Einstein und Niels Bohr zu den Begründern der modernen theoretischen Physik. Durch die Ausarbeitung der Bohrschen Atomtheorie, als Lehrbuchautor (Atombau und Spektrallinien, Vorlesungen über theoretische Physik) und durch seine „Schule“ (zu der etwa die Nobelpreisträger Peter Debye, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg und Hans Bethe gehören) sorgte Sommerfeld wie kein anderer für die Verbreitung der modernen Physik.2 Je nach Auswahl könnte Sommerfeld [aber] nicht nur als theoretischer Physiker, sondern auch als Mathematiker, Techniker oder Wissenschaftsjournalist porträtiert werden.3 Als Schüler der Mathematiker Ferdinand von Lindemann, Adolf Hurwitz, David Hilbert und Felix Klein hatte sich Sommerfeld zunächst vor allem der Mathematik zugewandt (seine erste Professur: 1897 - 1900 für Mathematik an der Bergakademie Clausthal). Als Professor an der TH Aachen von 1900 - 1906 gewann er zunehmendes Interesse an der Technik. 1906 erhielt er den seit Jahren verwaisten Lehrstuhl für theoretische Physik in München, an dem er mit wenigen Unterbrechungen noch bis 1940 (und dann wieder ab 19464) unterrichtete. Im Gegensatz zur etablierten Experimen- talphysik war die theoretische Physik anfangs des 20. Jh. noch eine junge Disziplin. Sie wurde nun zu
    [Show full text]
  • Patronage and Science: Roger Revelle, the US Navy, And
    PATRONAGE AND SCIENCE: ROGER REVELLE, THE NAVY, AND OCEANOGRAPHY AT THE SCRIPPS INSTITUTION RONALD RAINGER Department of History, Texas Tech University,Lubbock, TX 79409-1013, [email protected] Originally published as: Rainger, Ronald. "Patronage and Science: Roger Revelle, the U.S. Navy, and Oceanography at the Scripps Institution." Earth sciences history : journal of the History of the Earth Sciences Society 19(1):58-89, 2000. This article is reprinted courtesy of the History of the Sciences Society from Earth Sciences History, 2000, 19:58-89. ABSTRACT In the years between 1940 and 1955, American oceanography experienced considerable change. Nowhere was that more true than at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. There Roger Revelle (1909-1991) played a major role in transforming a small, seaside laboratory into one of the leading oceanographic centers in the world. This paper explores the impact that World War II had on oceanography and his career. Through an analysis of his activities as a naval officer responsible for promoting oceanography in the navy and wartime civilian laboratories, this article examines his understanding of the relationship between military patronage and scientific research and the impact that this relationship had on disciplinary and institutional developments at Scripps. In 1947 Harald Sverdrup (1888-1957) and Roger Revelle, two of the leading oceanographers in the United States, made plans for Revelle's return to the Scripps 2 Institution of Oceanography (SIO). After six years of coordinating and promoting oceanography within the U.S. Navy, Revelle was returning to the center where he had earned his Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Albert Einstein
    THE COLLECTED PAPERS OF Albert Einstein VOLUME 15 THE BERLIN YEARS: WRITINGS & CORRESPONDENCE JUNE 1925–MAY 1927 Diana Kormos Buchwald, József Illy, A. J. Kox, Dennis Lehmkuhl, Ze’ev Rosenkranz, and Jennifer Nollar James EDITORS Anthony Duncan, Marco Giovanelli, Michel Janssen, Daniel J. Kennefick, and Issachar Unna ASSOCIATE & CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Emily de Araújo, Rudy Hirschmann, Nurit Lifshitz, and Barbara Wolff ASSISTANT EDITORS Princeton University Press 2018 Copyright © 2018 by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW press.princeton.edu All Rights Reserved LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA (Revised for volume 15) Einstein, Albert, 1879–1955. The collected papers of Albert Einstein. German, English, and French. Includes bibliographies and indexes. Contents: v. 1. The early years, 1879–1902 / John Stachel, editor — v. 2. The Swiss years, writings, 1900–1909 — — v. 15. The Berlin years, writings and correspondence, June 1925–May 1927 / Diana Kormos Buchwald... [et al.], editors. QC16.E5A2 1987 530 86-43132 ISBN 0-691-08407-6 (v.1) ISBN 978-0-691-17881-3 (v. 15) This book has been composed in Times. The publisher would like to acknowledge the editors of this volume for providing the camera-ready copy from which this book was printed. Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Printed in the United States of America 13579108642 INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME 15 The present volume covers a thrilling two-year period in twentieth-century physics, for during this time matrix mechanics—developed by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and Pascual Jordan—and wave mechanics, developed by Erwin Schrödinger, supplanted the earlier quantum theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophia Scientiæ, 13-2 | 2009 [En Ligne], Mis En Ligne Le 01 Octobre 2009, Consulté Le 15 Janvier 2021
    Philosophia Scientiæ Travaux d'histoire et de philosophie des sciences 13-2 | 2009 Varia Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/philosophiascientiae/224 DOI : 10.4000/philosophiascientiae.224 ISSN : 1775-4283 Éditeur Éditions Kimé Édition imprimée Date de publication : 1 octobre 2009 ISBN : 978-2-84174-504-3 ISSN : 1281-2463 Référence électronique Philosophia Scientiæ, 13-2 | 2009 [En ligne], mis en ligne le 01 octobre 2009, consulté le 15 janvier 2021. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/philosophiascientiae/224 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/ philosophiascientiae.224 Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 15 janvier 2021. Tous droits réservés 1 SOMMAIRE Actes de la 17e Novembertagung d'histoire des mathématiques (2006) 3-5 novembre 2006 (University of Edinburgh, Royaume-Uni) An Examination of Counterexamples in Proofs and Refutations Samet Bağçe et Can Başkent Formalizability and Knowledge Ascriptions in Mathematical Practice Eva Müller-Hill Conceptions of Continuity: William Kingdon Clifford’s Empirical Conception of Continuity in Mathematics (1868-1879) Josipa Gordana Petrunić Husserlian and Fichtean Leanings: Weyl on Logicism, Intuitionism, and Formalism Norman Sieroka Les journaux de mathématiques dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle en Europe Norbert Verdier Varia Le concept d’espace chez Veronese Une comparaison avec la conception de Helmholtz et Poincaré Paola Cantù Sur le statut des diagrammes de Feynman en théorie quantique des champs Alexis Rosenbaum Why Quarks Are Unobservable Tobias Fox Philosophia Scientiæ, 13-2 | 2009 2 Actes de la 17e Novembertagung d'histoire des mathématiques (2006) 3-5 novembre 2006 (University of Edinburgh, Royaume-Uni) Philosophia Scientiæ, 13-2 | 2009 3 An Examination of Counterexamples in Proofs and Refutations Samet Bağçe and Can Başkent Acknowledgements Partially based on a talk given in 17th Novembertagung in Edinburgh, Scotland in November 2006 by the second author.
    [Show full text]
  • Ewald's Sphere/Problem
    Ewald's Sphere/Problem 3.7 Studentproject/Molecular and Solid-State Physics Lisa Marx 0831292 15.01.2011, Graz Ewald's Sphere/Problem 3.7 Lisa Marx 0831292 Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 General Information 3 1.1 Ewald Sphere of Diffraction . 3 1.2 Ewald Construction . 4 2 Problem 3.7 / Ewald's sphere 5 2.1 Problem declaration . 5 2.2 Solution of Problem 3.7 . 5 2.3 Ewald Construction . 6 3 C++-Anhang 8 3.1 Quellcode . 8 3.2 Output-window . 9 Seite 2 Ewald's Sphere/Problem 3.7 Lisa Marx 0831292 1 General Information 1.1 Ewald Sphere of Diffraction Diffraction, which mathematically corresponds to a Fourier transform, results in spots (reflections) at well-defined positions. Each set of parallel lattice planes is represented by spots which have a distance of 1/d (d: interplanar spacing) from the origin and which are perpendicular to the reflecting set of lattice plane. The two basic lattice planes (blue lines) of the two-dimensional rectangular lattice shown below are transformed into two sets of spots (blue). The diagonals of the basic lattice (green lines) have a smaller interplanar distance and therefore cause spots that are farther away from the origin than those of the basic lattice. The complete set of all possible reflections of a crystal constitutes its reciprocal lattice. The diffraction event can be described in reciprocal space by the Ewald sphere construction (figure 1 below). A sphere with radius λ is drawn through the origin of the reciprocal lattice. Now, for each reciprocal lattice point that is located on the Ewald sphere of reflection, the Bragg condition is satisfied and diffraction arises.
    [Show full text]
  • Sterns Lebensdaten Und Chronologie Seines Wirkens
    Sterns Lebensdaten und Chronologie seines Wirkens Diese Chronologie von Otto Sterns Wirken basiert auf folgenden Quellen: 1. Otto Sterns selbst verfassten Lebensläufen, 2. Sterns Briefen und Sterns Publikationen, 3. Sterns Reisepässen 4. Sterns Züricher Interview 1961 5. Dokumenten der Hochschularchive (17.2.1888 bis 17.8.1969) 1888 Geb. 17.2.1888 als Otto Stern in Sohrau/Oberschlesien In allen Lebensläufen und Dokumenten findet man immer nur den VornamenOt- to. Im polizeilichen Führungszeugnis ausgestellt am 12.7.1912 vom königlichen Polizeipräsidium Abt. IV in Breslau wird bei Stern ebenfalls nur der Vorname Otto erwähnt. Nur im Emeritierungsdokument des Carnegie Institutes of Tech- nology wird ein zweiter Vorname Otto M. Stern erwähnt. Vater: Mühlenbesitzer Oskar Stern (*1850–1919) und Mutter Eugenie Stern geb. Rosenthal (*1863–1907) Nach Angabe von Diana Templeton-Killan, der Enkeltochter von Berta Kamm und somit Großnichte von Otto Stern (E-Mail vom 3.12.2015 an Horst Schmidt- Böcking) war Ottos Großvater Abraham Stern. Abraham hatte 5 Kinder mit seiner ersten Frau Nanni Freund. Nanni starb kurz nach der Geburt des fünften Kindes. Bald danach heiratete Abraham Berta Ben- der, mit der er 6 weitere Kinder hatte. Ottos Vater Oskar war das dritte Kind von Berta. Abraham und Nannis erstes Kind war Heinrich Stern (1833–1908). Heinrich hatte 4 Kinder. Das erste Kind war Richard Stern (1865–1911), der Toni Asch © Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland 2018 325 H. Schmidt-Böcking, A. Templeton, W. Trageser (Hrsg.), Otto Sterns gesammelte Briefe – Band 1, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55735-8 326 Sterns Lebensdaten und Chronologie seines Wirkens heiratete.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 WKB Wavefunctions for Simple Harmonics Masatsugu
    WKB wavefunctions for simple harmonics Masatsugu Sei Suzuki Department of Physics, SUNY at Binmghamton (Date: November 19, 2011) _________________________________________________________________________ Gregor Wentzel (February 17, 1898, in Düsseldorf, Germany – August 12, 1978, in Ascona, Switzerland) was a German physicist known for development of quantum mechanics. Wentzel, Hendrik Kramers, and Léon Brillouin developed the Wentzel– Kramers–Brillouin approximation in 1926. In his early years, he contributed to X-ray spectroscopy, but then broadened out to make contributions to quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and meson theory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Wentzel _________________________________________________________________________ Hendrik Anthony "Hans" Kramers (Rotterdam, February 2, 1894 – Oegstgeest, April 24, 1952) was a Dutch physicist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Anthony_Kramers _________________________________________________________________________ Léon Nicolas Brillouin (August 7, 1889 – October 4, 1969) was a French physicist. He made contributions to quantum mechanics, radio wave propagation in the atmosphere, solid state physics, and information theory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Brillouin _______________________________________________________________________ 1. Determination of wave functions using the WKB Approximation 1 In order to determine the eave function of the simple harmonics, we use the connection formula of the WKB approximation. V x E III II I x b O a The potential energy is expressed by 1 V (x) m 2 x 2 . 2 0 The x-coordinates a and b (the classical turning points) are obtained as 2 2 a 2 , b 2 , m0 m0 from the equation 1 V (x) m 2 x2 , 2 0 or 1 1 m 2a 2 m 2b2 , 2 0 2 0 where is the constant total energy. Here we apply the connection formula (I, upward) at x = a.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 6 Free Electron Fermi Gas
    理学院 物理系 沈嵘 Chapter 6 Free Electron Fermi Gas 6.1 Electron Gas Model and its Ground State 6.2 Thermal Properties of Electron Gas 6.3 Free Electrons in Electric Fields 6.4 Hall Effect 6.5 Thermal Conductivity of Metals 6.6 Failures of the free electron gas model 1 6.1 Electron Gas Model and its Ground State 6.1 Electron Gas Model and its Ground State I. Basic Assumptions of Electron Gas Model Metal: valence electrons → conduction electrons (moving freely) ü The simplest metals are the alkali metals—lithium, sodium, 2 potassium, cesium, and rubidium. 6.1 Electron Gas Model and its Ground State density of electrons: Zr n = N m A A where Z is # of conduction electrons per atom, A is relative atomic mass, rm is the density of mass in the metal. The spherical volume of each electron is, 1 3 1 V 4 3 æ 3 ö = = p rs rs = ç ÷ n N 3 è 4p nø Free electron gas model: Suppose, except the confining potential near surfaces of metals, conduction electrons are completely free. The conduction electrons thus behave just like gas atoms in an ideal gas --- free electron gas. 3 6.1 Electron Gas Model and its Ground State Basic Properties： ü Ignore interactions of electron-ion type (free electron approx.) ü And electron-eletron type (independent electron approx). Total energy are of kinetic type, ignore potential energy contribution. ü The classical theory had several conspicuous successes 4 6.1 Electron Gas Model and its Ground State Long Mean Free Path: ü From many types of experiments it is clear that a conduction electron in a metal can move freely in a straight path over many atomic distances.
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography Physics and Human Rights Michele Irwin and Juan C Gallardo August 18, 2017
    Bibliography Physics and Human Rights Michele Irwin and Juan C Gallardo August 18, 2017 Physicists have been actively involved in the defense of Human Rights of colleague physicists, and scientists in general, around the world for a long time. What follows is a list of talks, articles and informed remembrances on Physics and Human Rights by physicist-activists that are available online. The selection is not exhaustive, on the contrary it just reflects our personal knowledge of recent publications; nevertheless, they are in our view representative of the indefatigable work of a large number of scientists affirming Human Rights and in defense of persecuted, in prison or at risk colleagues throughout the world. • “Ideas and Opinions” Albert Einstein Crown Publishers, 1954, 1982 The most definitive collection of Albert Einstein's writings, gathered under the supervision of Einstein himself. The selections range from his earliest days as a theoretical physicist to his death in 1955; from such subjects as relativity, nuclear war or peace, and religion and science, to human rights, economics, and government. • “Physics and Human Rights: Reflections on the past and the present” Joel L. Lebowitz Physikalische Blatter, Vol 56, issue 7-8, pages 51-54, July/August 2000 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/phbl.20000560712/pdf Based loosely on the Max von Laue lecture given at the German Physical Society's annual meeting in Dresden, 03/2000. This article focus on the moral and social responsibilities of scientists then -Nazi period in Germany- and now. Max von Laue's principled moral response at the time, distinguished him from many of his contemporary scientists.
    [Show full text]
  • Chronological List of Correspondence, 1895–1920
    CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF CORRESPONDENCE, 1895–1920 In this chronological list of correspondence, the volume and document numbers follow each name. Documents abstracted in the calendars are listed in the Alphabetical List of Texts in this volume. 1895 13 or 20 Mar To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 45 29 Apr To Rosa Winteler, 1, 46 Summer To Caesar Koch, 1, 6 18 May To Rosa Winteler, 1, 47 28 Jul To Julia Niggli, 1, 48 Aug To Rosa Winteler, 5: Vol. 1, 48a 1896 early Aug To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 50 6? Aug To Julia Niggli, 1, 51 21 Apr To Marie Winteler, with a 10? Aug To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 52 postscript by Pauline Einstein, after 10 Aug–before 10 Sep 1,18 From Mileva Maric;;, 1, 53 7 Sep To the Department of Education, 10 Sep To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 54 Canton of Aargau, 1, 20 11 Sep To Julia Niggli, 1, 55 4–25 Nov From Marie Winteler, 1, 29 11 Sep To Pauline Winteler, 1, 56 30 Nov From Marie Winteler, 1, 30 28? Sep To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 57 10 Oct To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 58 1897 19 Oct To the Swiss Federal Council, 1, 60 May? To Pauline Winteler, 1, 34 1900 21 May To Pauline Winteler, 5: Vol. 1, 34a 7 Jun To Pauline Winteler, 1, 35 ? From Mileva Maric;;, 1, 61 after 20 Oct From Mileva Maric;;, 1, 36 28 Feb To the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs, 1, 62 1898 26 Jun To the Zurich City Council, 1, 65 29? Jul To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 68 ? To Maja Einstein, 1, 38 1 Aug To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 69 2 Jan To Mileva Maric;; [envelope only], 1 6 Aug To Mileva Maric;;, 1, 70 13 Jan To Maja Einstein, 8: Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Seeking Signals in The
    $: t j ! Ij ~ ,l IOJ I ~ , I I I! 1I I 1 " Edited by Elizabeth N. Shor Layout by jo p. griffith June 1997 Published by: Marine Physical Laboratory ofthe Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California, San Diego We gratefully acknowledge the following for use of their photographs in this publication: Christine Baldwin W. Robert Cherry Defense Nuclear Agency Fritz Goro William S. Hodgkiss Alan C. Jones MPL Photo Archives SIO Archives (UCSD) Eric T. Slater SIO Reference Series 97-5 ii Contents Introduction: How MPL Came To Be Betty Shor 1 Carl Eckart and the Marine Physical Laboratory Leonard Liebermann 6 Close Encounter of the Worst Kind Fred Fisher and Christine Baldwin 9 Early Days of Seismic and Magnetic Programs at MPL Arthur D. Raft 10 Recollections of Work at the Marine Physical Laboratory: A Non-Academic Point of View Dan Gibson 23 Capricorn Expedition, 1952 Alan C. Jones 39 Que Sera Sera R. J. Smith 42 A Beginning in Undersea Research Fred Noel Spiess ....... 46 The Value of MPL to the Navy Charles B. Bishop 51 The Outhouse Fred Fisher ....... 54 Exploring the Gulf of Alaska and Beyond George G. Shor, Jr 55 Chinook Expedition, 1956 Alan C. Jones 59 Operation HARDTACK I W. Robert Cherry 62 DELTIC and DIMUS, Two Siblings Victor C. Anderson 65 MPL and ARTEMIS Victor C. Anderson 71 Early Days of MPL Christine Baldwin 78 There's Always a Way Around the Rules George G. Shor, Jr 82 iii A Saga from Graduate Student to FLIP Fred Fisher 85 Anchoring FLIP in Deep Water Earl Bronson 95 Then There was SLIP Fred Fisher ......
    [Show full text]
  • On the Planck-Einstein Relation Peter L
    On the Planck-Einstein Relation Peter L. Ward US Geological Survey retired Science Is Never Settled PO Box 4875, Jackson, WY 83001 [email protected] Abstract The Planck-Einstein relation (E=hν), a formula integral to quantum mechanics, says that a quantum of energy (E), commonly thought of as a photon, is equal to the Planck constant (h) times a frequency of oscillation of an atomic oscillator (ν, the Greek letter nu). Yet frequency is not quantized—frequency of electromagnetic radiation is well known in Nature to be a continuum extending over at least 18 orders of magnitude from extremely low frequency (low-energy) radio signals to extremely high-frequency (high-energy) gamma rays. Therefore, electromagnetic energy (E), which simply equals a scaling constant times a continuum, must also be a continuum. We must conclude, therefore, that electromagnetic energy is not quantized at the microscopic level as widely assumed. Secondly, it makes no physical sense in Nature to add frequencies of electromagnetic radiation together in air or space—red light plus blue light does not equal ultraviolet light. Therefore, if E=hν, then it makes no physical sense to add together electromagnetic energies that are commonly thought of as photons. The purpose of this paper is to look at the history of E=hν and to examine the implications of accepting E=hν as a valid description of physical reality. Recognizing the role of E=hν makes the fundamental physics studied by quantum mechanics both physically intuitive and deterministic. Introduction On Sunday, October 7, 1900, Heinrich Rubens and wife visited Max Planck and wife for afternoon tea (Hoffmann, 2001).
    [Show full text]