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John Archibald Wheeler 1911 – 2008

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John Archibald Wheeler 1911 – 2008 John Archibald Wheeler 1911 – 2008 Peter Aufmuth Albert-Einstein-Institut Institut für Gravitationsphysik Leibniz Universität Hannover 9. Juli 2008 Kollegen über Wheeler Max Tegmark Die Geschichte wird JAW als einen Einige seiner Konzepte der überragenden sind so radikal, daß man Geister des 20. ihnen nicht gerecht wird, Jahrhunderts wenn man sie beurteilen. „revolutionär“ nennt. Für mich war er der letzte Titan, der einzige noch lebende Superheld der Physik. Paul C.W. Davies Anton Zeilinger Leben & Werk Jugend & Studium Geb. am 9. Juli 1911 in Jackson, FL als erstes von vier Kindern. Eltern: Joseph & Mabel Wheeler (Bibliothekar & Hausfrau). Häufige Umzüge: Florida, Kalifornien, Ohio, Washington, D.C., Maryland und Vermont. JAW beginnt das Studium an der Johns Hopkins University mit 16 und promoviert mit 21 Jahren bei Karl Ferdinand Herzfeld. „Dispersion and Absorption of He“ Dissertation 1932; Phys. Rev. (Jan. 1933) Mit 27 Jahren wird er als Professor nach Princeton berufen. Leben & Werk Akademische Karriere 1938 – 76 Prof. of Physics, Princeton University 1976 – 86 Center for Theoretical Physics University of Texas, Austin seit 1986 Joseph Henry Prof. of Physics Emeritus Princeton University Princeton Austin Leben & Werk Wissenschaftliche Karriere 1933 – 34 Arbeit mit Gegory Breit, NYU 1934 – 35 Arbeit mit Bohr, Kopenhagen 1935 – 38 Assistent Prof., UNC 1937 – 38 Arbeit mit Edward Teller 1938 – 39 Arbeit mit Willis Lamb 1945 Gründer & Direktor des Cosmic Ray Lab, Princeton 1952 – 55 Diskussionen mit Einstein Mitgliedschaften: American Physical Society (Präsident) American Philosophical Society Royal Academy Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei Royal Academy of Sciences Leben & Werk Auszeichnungen Enrico Fermi Award 1968 Franklin Medal 1969 National Medal of Science 1970 Niels Bohr Int. Gold Medal 1982 Oersted Medal 1983 Albert Einstein Medal 1988 Mateucci Medal 1993 Wolf Prize 1997 1991 John Archibald Wheeler/Batelle Professorship in Physics (Princeton University 2001) Leben & Werk Wheelers Familie JAW heiratete 1935 Janette Hegner. Sie starb im Oktober 2007 mit 99 Jahren. Sie haben drei Kinder, 8 Enkel und 16 Urenkel. John & Janette 1985 Janette 1936 Familie Wheeler 1985 Leben & Werk Letzte Meldungen D.E. Holz & JAW Retro-MACHOs: pi in the sky ? Astrophysical Journal 578 (2002) 330 – 334 M.A. Cirone, K. Rzazewski, W.P. Schleich, F. Straub & JAW Quantum anticentrifugal force Physical Review A 65 (2002) # 022101 Princeton Physics News, Winter 2006: JAW besucht immer noch zweimal die Woche sein Büro in Princeton (Jadwin Hall) JAW † 13. April 2008 Hightstown, N.J. Benson, Vt. 2006 Leben & Werk Wheeler als Lehrer Warum hat eine Universität Studenten ? Aber um von den Damit die Professoren Studenten zu lernen, etwas lernen ! muß man ihnen gute Fragen stellen. Leben & Werk Wheelers Schüler Richard P. Feynman Kip S. Thorne Charles W. Misner Hugh Everett III James B. Hartle Robert H. Dicke Jacob Bekenstein Robert M. Wald Ignazio Ciufolini Clifford M. Will Kent Harrison Kenneth Ford Dieter Brill John Klauder u.v.a. Masamit Wakano Joseph Weber Leben & Werk Einfluß S-Matrix auf die Physik Stellarator Schwarzes Loch Leben & Werk Wheelers Sprüche Wheelers 1. moralisches Prinzip: Wheelers Ratschlag für Autoren: Führe nie eine Berechnung durch, Vereinfache! Vereinfache! bevor Du nicht die Antwort weißt. Vereinfache! Ein Tag ohne neue Wahrheit ist erst dann Wahrheit, Erkenntnis ist ein wenn sie bekannt wird. verlorener Tag. Wir werden erst dann verstehen, Wenn man etwas wie einfach das Neues macht, ist man Universum ist, notwendigerweise wenn wir ein Amateur. erkennen, wie seltsam es ist. Leben & Werk Wheelers Poesie Law without law Mass without mass Charge without charge Order from disorder Oh Gravitationswelle, Kein Suchender hat Dich je erblickt, Goldenes Vlies unserer Tage. Wagemutige Abenteurer suchen Dich Mit all dem Scharfsinn eines Jason, Mit der Hexenkraft von Lasern und Elektronik. Leben & Werk Wheeler als Autor Dez. 1963: Dallas International Symposium on Gravitational Collapse and Relativistic Astrophysics. JAWs Report erscheint nicht in den „Proceedings“, sondern als eigenes Buch: Gravitation Theory and Gravitational Collapse by B.K. Harrison, K.S. Thorne, M. Wakano, JAW 177 S. Großformat und Kleindruck Das Schreiben langer Artikel wurde zum Charles W. Misner, Dauerleiden und brachte Kip S. Thorne, JAW mir manchen Ärger mit Gravitation (1973) Herausgebern ein. 1279 S. (Zettels Traum der Physik) Leben & Werk Wheelers Bücher 1962 Geometrodynamics (Aufsätze) 1964 Gravitation Theory and Gravitational Collapse 1966 Spacetime Physics 1966 Einstein’s Vision (dt. Einsteins Vision) 1973 Gravitation 1974 Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Cosmology 1990 A Journey into Gravity and Spacetime (dt. Gravitation und Raumzeit) 1994 At Home in the Universe (Aufsätze) 1995 Gravitation and Inertia 1998 Geons, Black Holes and Quantum Foam (Autobiographie) 2000 Exploring Black Holes DAS ZIEL: Edwin F. Taylor Alle Macht dem Leser ! J.A.W. Leben & Werk Wheeler als Forscher Grundfrage: 1934 – 1954: Elementarteilchen (Elektron, Photon) 1954 – 1974: Was ist der fundamentale Felder – Geometrie (Raumzeit) Baustoff des Universums ? Seit 1974: Information (Quantenphänomene) Wheelers Prinzipien: Alles bis zur letzten Konsequenz durchdenken. Einfachheit als Kriterium der Wahrheit. Teilchen- physik Bohr & Wheeler JAW 1934 an Bord eines Edward Teller, Gregory Breit, Dampfers nach Kopenhagen Fritz Kalckar, JAW, George Gamow, Hans Bethe, I.I. Rabi, Niels Bohr 1934 – 36: Tröpfchenmodell des Atomkerns (w/ Bohr) 1936 – 37: Streumatrix für Kernprozesse 1937: Rotationsniveaus (w/ Teller) 1940: Spin-Bahn-Kopplung (w/ Barschall) Teilchen- physik Polyelektronen Positronium und JAWs Notizbuch 1935 Myonen-Atom Eine Welt nur aus Elektronen = Elektron/Positron- Paare 1946 Teilchen- physik Wheeler & Feynman Doktorand 1939 – 1942 (Nächtlicher Anruf von Alle Elektronen und alle JAW) Positronen habe die gleiche Ladung und die gleiche Masse, weil es sich um das gleiche Teilchen handelt ! Richard P. Feynman (1918 – 1988) Ein Positron ist ein Elektron, das in der Zeit rückwärts läuft. → Feynman-Diagramme Teilchen- physik Strahlungsdämpfung Problem: Feldstärke unendlich Man muß sowohl die in der Nähe einer Punktladung retardierten als auch die avancierten Lösungen der Läßt sich die Maxwell-Gleichungen elektromagnetische berücksichtigen ! Wechselwirkung als Fernwirkung Feynman & Wheeler darstellen ? 1945, 1949 Elektrodynamik Zukunft ↓ ohne Felder ? • ↑ Vergangenheit Teilchen- physik WW Absorber – Emitter Mathematisch konsistente komplementäre Darstellung ! - Kein elektromagnetisches Feld - Keine Selbst-WW der Ladung → ← - Symmetrie zwischen Vergangenheit und Zukunft S • • A Viele Teilchen (~ 1078): Die Einbahnstraße der Zeit Ohne Absorber kein Strahler ist ein statistischer Effekt Gäbe es nur ganz wenig Materie im Universum, würde die Zukunft die Vergangenheit beeinflussen. Teilchen- physik Kommentar Einige Leute glauben, Wheeler sei im späteren Leben übergeschnappt – aber das war er schon immer. Feynman Typisch für Wheelers Denken: Fernwirkungstheorie Aufgabe der Kausalität Zukunft → Vergangenheit Teilchen- physik Kernspaltung Dezember 1938: Otto Hahn & Fritz Strassmann beschießen Uran mit Neutronen n → 92U → 56Ba + 36Kr Otto Frisch & Lise Meitner: Kernspaltung ! Theorie von Bohr & Wheeler im Frühjahr 1939 großes p gerade Z²/A n ungerade SEPTEMBER 1, 1939 PHYSICAL REVIEW VOLUME 56 235U 238U Beginn The Mechanism of Nuclear Fission 239Pu WW II NIELS BOHR AND JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELER Teilchen- physik Kettenreaktion Einsicht: Kettenreaktion möglich (Zeldovich 1939) → Reaktor oder Bombe Brennstoff: 235U oder 239 Pu 235U – muß von 238U getrennt werden (Zentrifuge) 239Pu – muß in einem Reaktor hergestellt werden Brief an Roosevelt 2. 8. 1939 Nach Pearl Harbour (Dez. 1941): Beschluß zum Bau einer Atombombe J. Robert Oppenheimer, Gregory Breit, Hans Bethe, John Van Vleck, Edward Teller, Felix Bloch, JAW, ... Teilchen- physik Das „Manhattan“-Projekt Wheelers Aufgabe: Entwurf eines Reaktors zur Herstellung von Plutonium Ab Jan. 1942 in Chicago, ab Sept. 1944 in Hanford „Vergiftung“ des Reaktors 135 durch Xe(T½ 9,2 h) (großer Wirkungsquerschnitt für Neutroneneinfang) Lösung: gesteuertes Brennen Hanford 1945 Juli 1945: Test der Pu-Bombe August 1945: Abwurf einer Pu-Bombe („Fat Man“) auf Nagasaki Teilchen- physik Wheelers Motiv Den Krieg beenden, um Soldaten Hätten wir die Bombe ein und Zivilisten zu retten. Jahr eher gehabt, so hätten wir 15 Millionen Wheelers erstes Buch Menschen retten können, „Geometrodynamics“ darunter meinen Bruder trägt die Widmung: Joe. To the memory of my brother JOSEPH TOWNE WHEELER Born Glendale, California, 10 August 1914 Killed in action between Florence and Bologna 25 October 1944 Der Tod seines Bruders Joe hat JAW Zeit seines Lebens belastet. Teilchen- physik Quantenelektrodynamik Shelter Island Conference 1947 = Geburtsstunde der QED Willis Lamb, JAW, Abraham Pais, Richard Feynman, Hermann Feshbach, Julian Schwinger Teilchen- physik „Matterhorn B“ Seit 1949 Entwicklung der H-Bombe in der UdSSR JAW und Ed. Teller beteiligen sich an der Entwicklung einer amerikanischen Bombe („Mike“) Test: 1. Nov. 1952 in Eniwetok Erhaltung des Loyalität zum strategischen Staat – nationale Gleichgewichts Aufgabe Enrico Fermi Award 1968 JAW mit Vater, Präsident, Sohn & Enkel Geometro- dynamik Nach der Bombe Am 6. Mai 1952 nahm ich ein neues gebundenes Notizbuch aus dem Regal, gab ihm den Namen “Relativity I” und schrieb auf Seite 1: “1755. Erhielt vor einer ½ Stunde von Shenstone die
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