DOCSLIB.ORG

Structuring American Solid State Physics, 1939–1993 A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Structuring American Solid State Physics, 1939–1993 A Solid Foundations: Structuring American Solid State Physics, 1939–1993 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Joseph Daniel Martin IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Michel Janssen, Co-Advisor Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Co-Advisor May 2013 © Joseph Daniel Martin 2013 Acknowledgements A dissertation is ostensibly an exercise in independent research. I nevertheless struggle to imagine completing one without incurring a litany of debts—intellectual, professional, and personal—similar to those described below. This might be a single-author project, but authorship is just one of many elements that brought it into being. Regrettably, this space is too small to convey full appreciation for all of them, but I offer my best attempt. I am foremost indebted to my advisors, Michel Janssen and Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, for consistent encouragement and keen commentary. Michel is one of the most incisive critics it has been my pleasure to know. If the arguments herein exhibit any subtlety, clarity, or grace it is in no small part because they steeped in Michel’s witty and weighty marginalia. I am grateful to Sally for the priceless gift of perspective. She has never let my highs carry me too high, or my lows lay me too low, and her selfless largess, bestowed in time and wisdom, has challenged me to become a humbler learner and a more conscientious colleague. My committee has enriched my scholarly life in ways that will shape my thinking for the rest of my career. Bill Wimsatt, a true intellectual force multiplier, lent me his peerless ability to distill insight from scholarship in any field. Bill seeks the value in others’ work before ferreting out the flaws and his capacity to see potential in my halting early efforts gave me the energy and resolve to make this project better. To Ken Waters and Alan Love I own an enduring appreciation for interdisciplinary discourse. Their interest in my work has prompted me to explore novel and fruitful connections, and I hope I have imbibed some of their spirit of liberal engagement that makes the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science (MCPS) an invigorating place to work. Bob Seidel has introduced me to a wider scholarly community and his unflagging good humor has buoyed my spirits time and time again. I must also recognize the influence of my undergraduate mentor Jon Roberts, whose inspiring teaching provided my first glimpses of the possibilities history of science offers. Catherine Westfall has been my most ardent advocate beyond the University of Minnesota (UMN). Her guidance has given my research purpose and focus by challenging me to articulate it broadly. I must also express my gratitude to Bob Crease, Greg Good, Don Howard, and Peter Pesic for opportunities to become active within the history of physical sciences community. I can strive for no better than to reward their confidence. In the enterprises Greg in particular made possible, it has been a distinct joy to collaborate with Amy Fisher, whose clear vision and scrupulous diligence I aspire to emulate. This project reflects the generosity of several funders. A grant from the UMN Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (HSTM) gave it its start. A Grant-in-Aid from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics, sn American Institute of Physics, an American Philosophical Society Library Resident Research Fellowship, a Chemical Heritage Foundation Research Travel Grant, and a UMN Thesis Research Grant gave it i depth. I benefited from a Dissertation Writing Fellowship at the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science, where the bulk of this work was drafted, and an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship at the MCPS, which afforded the time and resources to make it whole. Financial assistance means little without the people who back it up. Exemplary archivists and library staff too numerous to name smoothed my journey trued its course. That she might represent them all, I would like to salute Lois Hendrickson, who orientated me to archival research. I am proud to join a long and ever-growing list of researchers in debt to Lois’s exemplary skill, patience, and breadth of knowledge. This project has also profited from the thoughtful comments of Babak Ashrafi, Will Bausman, Joan Bromberg, Clayton Gearhart, Lillian Hoddeson, Maggie Hofius, Christian Joas, Leo Kadanoff, Bill Leslie, Charles Midwinter, Michael Riordan, Ann Robinson, and Aimee Slaughter, and from input by members of PIG at UMN and CALCIUM at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Several energizing communities have enlivened my graduate experience. The HSTM faculty and graduate students renew my enthusiasm for the history of science daily. The program would not be the same without Barbara Eastwold, who regularly transcends the call of duty to make our lives easier, or Mary Thomas, who, along with Susie Steinbach of Hamline University, most influenced my teaching. Barbara Louis has been a steadfast confidant, wherever either of us might be in the world. Victor Boantza, while we briefly overlapped, gave his time and council generously. In the Department of Philosophy and at the MCPS I grew immeasurably through conversations with students and faculty, and by presenting my work at the always-lively lunch seminars. In Philadelphia I had the serendipity to fall in with the Itinerants’ Junto. I am beholden to Augustin Cerveaux, Ben Gross, Catherine Jackson, Kurt MacMillan, Lisa Messeri, and Jessica Mozersky for the laughs, the libations, and for prompting me to explore unfamiliar corners of the scholarly world; what I learned from our all too fleeting congress continues to make itself useful in unexpected ways. I am, of course, sorely in hock to my family and friends. My mother, Betta LoSardo, gave me the most enduring lesson of my intellectual life when I was a callow, inquisitive three- year-old. Whenever I would blurt out “why?” she would say, “Joe, before you ask ‘why?,’ think of what the answer might be.” I hope my why questions are more sophisticated these days, but I still draw on that simple directive. The international outlook and sensitivity to new viewpoints I gained from my father, Kevin, continues to ground me as a scholar and citizen. My brother Anthony reminds me to take a breath, look out the window, and keep the perspective requisite for a balanced life. Anthony joins the rest of Maxwell’s Demons— Tom Denault, Kory DeKoevend, and Coleman Donaldson, Aaron Forburger, and Ryan Vlcko—who traveled to Minnesota to brave, at one time or another, -30° mornings, gale- force winds, and three inches of standing water on Lake Nokomis to skate with me in the US Pond Hockey Championships. This ritual was the best catharsis I could wish for, and I owe you. My final and deepest note of thanks is reserved for my wife, Margaret Charleroy, whose love, support, and sense of humor have sustained me throughout this enterprise. ii Dedication To Annette LoSardo, and to the memories of Joseph P. LoSardo, Daniel E. Martin, and Marianne Martin iii Abstract When solid state physics formed in 1940s America, it was unusual. It violated the longstanding convention that physics should only be subdivided according to natural classes of research problems or consistent sets of techniques. Instead, solid state incorporated a wide range of concepts and methodological approaches that had only the most superficial similarities. The unifying force behind the field was the explicit professional goal of bringing academic and industrial researchers into closer dialogue. The non-traditional manner in which solid state formed was symptomatic of a sea change in the American physics community as some physicists in the 1940s began thinking about professional and institutional structures as tools with which they could actively define and maintain the scope and mission of physics. This shift had consequences both for solid state, and for American physics as a whole. Solid state was initially defined in terms of 1940s professional challenges, and so was forced to continually reimagine itself as the context changed around it. Eventually, it fractured into subgroups with divergent perspectives about the field’s goals and how best to address them. One of these, condensed matter physics, has typically been understood as a simple renaming of solid state physics. A close examination of the process by which condensed matter emerged, however, indicates that it represented an intentional return to defining a sub-disciplinary on the basis of natural phenomena and investigatory techniques. Condensed matter physics grew from pointed reactions against the segment of solid state that was closely aligned with industry. It crafted an identity that emphasized the intellectual puzzles physical studies of complex systems could address. As broadly conceived fields like solid state physics established themselves and grew, both in population and in influence, physics as a whole became a broader enterprise. Research areas that might otherwise have branched off into engineering or become independent specialties were offered a place in sub-disciplines like solid state physics. Additionally, other elements of the physics community adopted solid state’s mode of discipline formation, making the definition of “physics” more fluid and responsive to contemporary professional pressures. The evolution of solid state physics was guided throughout by a philosophical debate over the nature of fundamental knowledge. The disagreement persisted mostly between solid state physicists, who advocated the stance that fundamental knowledge could be found at any level of complexity, and high energy physicists, who restricted fundamental knowledge to the theories and concepts that governed the smallest constituents of matter and energy. The progress of this debate was driven by professional concerns about funding and intellectual prestige, and the philosophical positions physicists developed helped, in turn, to shape the field’s professional infrastructure.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Invention of the Transistor
    The invention of the transistor Michael Riordan Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 Lillian Hoddeson Department of History, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801 Conyers Herring Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 [S0034-6861(99)00302-5] Arguably the most important invention of the past standing of solid-state physics. We conclude with an century, the transistor is often cited as the exemplar of analysis of the impact of this breakthrough upon the how scientific research can lead to useful commercial discipline itself. products. Emerging in 1947 from a Bell Telephone Laboratories program of basic research on the physics I. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS of solids, it began to replace vacuum tubes in the 1950s and eventually spawned the integrated circuit and The quantum theory of solids was fairly well estab- microprocessor—the heart of a semiconductor industry lished by the mid-1930s, when semiconductors began to now generating annual sales of more than $150 billion. be of interest to industrial scientists seeking solid-state These solid-state electronic devices are what have put alternatives to vacuum-tube amplifiers and electrome- computers in our laps and on desktops and permitted chanical relays. Based on the work of Felix Bloch, Ru- them to communicate with each other over telephone dolf Peierls, and Alan Wilson, there was an established networks around the globe. The transistor has aptly understanding of the band structure of electron energies been called the ‘‘nerve cell’’ of the Information Age. in ideal crystals (Hoddeson, Baym, and Eckert, 1987; Actually the history of this invention is far more in- Hoddeson et al., 1992).
    [Show full text]
  • 2000 HSS/PSA Program 1
    HISTORY OF SCIENCE SOCIETY 2000 ANNUAL MEETING PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE ASSOCIATION 2000 BIANNUAL MEETING 2-5 November 2000 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Hyatt Regency Vancouver CONTENTS Acknowledgments 3 HSS Officers, Program Chairs, and Council 4 PSA Officers and Program Committee 5 General Information 6 HSS / PSA 2000 Annual Meeting Book Exhibit Layout 7 Floor Plans: Hyatt Regency Vancouver 8-9 Vancouver Points of Interest 10-13 Committees and Interest Groups 14-15 HSS Full Program Schedule 16-20 HSS 2000 Program 21-43 HSS Distinguished Lecture 40 HSS Abstracts 44-187 PSA Full Program Schedule 188-190 PSA 2000 Program 191-202 PSA President’s Address 197 PSA Abstracts 203-245 HSS/PSA Program Index 246-252 Advertisements 253 Cover Illustration: SeaBus riders get the best view of Vancouver from the water. Offering regular service on the busiest routes from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. and late night owl service on some downtown suburban routes until 4:20 a.m., Greater Vancouver’s transit system--the bus, SkyTrain and SeaBus-- covers more than 1800 square kilometers (695 square miles) of the Lower Mainland. The SkyTrain, a completely automated light rapid transit system, offers direct, efficient service between downtown Vancouver and suburban environs. It follows a scenic elevated 29 kilometer (18 mile) route with 20 stations along the way. All the SkyTrain stations, except Granville, have elevators and each train is wheelchair accessible. The SkyTrain links with buses at most of the 20 stations and connects with the SeaBus in downtown Vancouver. It operates daily, every two to five minutes.
    [Show full text]
  • 2007-2008 Physics at Brown Newsletter
    Physics at Brown NEWS FOR ALUM N I an D FRIE N DS 2007 ISSUE GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR - SP RING 2008 elcome to another issue of the Brown Physics newsletter. the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. We also report on WI wrote three years ago, during my first term as the some notable faculty achievements for the past year. department chair--with a committed faculty, dedicated staff, enthusiastic students, supportive administration, and engaged e continue the tradition of highlighting the research of alumni and friends--that the future of physics at Brown looked Wour 2007 Galkin Foundation Fellow on page 2. Also bright. Many things have taken place since then. Here we the effort in enriching our physics instruction continues. Three highlight some of the activities of the past year. new courses are offered this year and proposals for three new physics concentrations are under way. Other noteworthy 007 marked the 50th anniversary of the BCS Theory activities include WiSE, Poster Session, UTRA Awards, 2of Superconductivity. We honored Prof. Leon Resource Center, etc. In addition, community outreach Cooper with a two-day symposium on April remains a priority for the Department with a weekly 12-13. A brief description of this event is open house at Ladd and a greatly expanded five- provided on page 3. year NSF supported GK-12 program. e also report on the establishment hanks to a generous gift from his family, an Wof the Institute for Molecular and TAnthony Houghton Prize will be awarded Nanoscale Innovation, which represents an annually for the best theoretical thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to the Allen G. Debus Papers 1848-1998
    University of Chicago Library Guide to the Allen G. Debus Papers 1848-1998 © 2012 University of Chicago Library Table of Contents Descriptive Summary 3 Information on Use 3 Access 3 Citation 3 Biographical Note 3 Scope Note 5 Related Resources 7 Subject Headings 7 INVENTORY 7 Series I: Correspondence 7 Series II: Teaching Materials 88 Subseries 1: Syllabi and Course Materials 88 Subseries 2: Other Universities’ Reading Lists 98 Series III: Presentations and Lectures 100 Series IV: Research Materials 115 Subseries 1: Primary Sources 115 Subseries 2: Secondary Sources 134 Series V: Writings 140 Subseries 1: Book Reviews 140 Subseries 2: Graduate Student Papers 145 Subseries 3: Articles and Miscellaneous Writings 147 Subseries 4: Books and Edited Volumes 154 Sub-subseries 1: The English Paracelsians (1965) 154 Sub-subseries 2: Who’s Who in Science From Antiquity to the Present (1968)156 Sub-subseries 3: Science and Education in the Seventeenth Century (1970) 157 Sub-subseries 4: Science, Medicine, and Society in the Renaissance; Essays in Honor158 of Walter Pagel (1972) Sub-subseries 5: Medicine in 17th Century England; A Symposium Held at UCLA161 in Honor of C.D. O’Malley (1974) Sub-subseries 6: John Dee’s Mathematical Preface (1975) 163 Sub-subseries 7: The Chemical Philosophy (1977) 164 Sub-subseries 9: Robert Fludd and His Philosophical Key (1979) 171 Sub-subseries 10: Hermeticism and the Renaissance (1988) 172 Sub-subseries 11: The French Paracelsians (1991) 173 Sub-subseries 12: Reading the Book of Nature (1998) 176 Series VI: Administrative and Professional Materials 176 Subseries 1: Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine 176 Series VII: Research Grants 192 Series VIII: Restricted 195 Subseries 1: Proposal and Application Reviews (R-30) 195 Subseries 2: Administrative, Budgetary and Personnel Materials (R-50) 196 Subseries 3: Evaluative Student Materials (R-80) 197 Sub-subseries 1: Student Files 197 Sub-subseries 2: Course Grade Reports 209 Descriptive Summary Identifier ICU.SPCL.DEBUSA Title Debus, Allen G.
    [Show full text]
  • J. Robert Schrieffer Strange Quantum Numbers in Condensed Matter
    Wednesday, May 1, 2002 3:00 pm APS Auditorium, Building 402, Argonne National Laboratory APS Colloquium home J. Robert Schrieffer Nobel Laureate National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Florida State University, Tallahassee [email protected] http://www.physics.fsu.edu/research/NHMFL.htm Strange Quantum Numbers in Condensed Matter Physics The origin of peculiar quantum numbers in condensed matter physics will be reviewed. The source of spin-charge separation and fractional charge in conducting polymers has to do with solitons in broken symmetry states. For superconductors with an energy gap, which is odd under time reversal, reverse spin-orbital angular momentum pairing occurs. In the fractional quantum Hall effect, quasi particles of fractional charge occur. In superfluid helium 3, a one-way branch of excitations exists if a domain wall occurs in the system. Many of these phenomena occur due to vacuum flow of particles without crossing the excitation of the energy gap. John Robert Schrieffer received his bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1953 and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1957. In addition, he holds honorary Doctor of Science degrees from universities in Germany, Switzerland, and Israel, and from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Alabama. Since 1992, Dr. Schrieffer has been a professor of Physics at Florida State University and the University of Florida and the Chief Scientist of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. He also holds the FSU Eminent Scholar Chair in Physics. Before moving to Florida in 1991, he served as director for the Institute for Theoretical Physics from 1984-1989 and was the Chancellor's Professor at the University of California in Santa Barbara from 1984-1991.
    [Show full text]
  • 2005 CERN–CLAF School of High-Energy Physics
    CERN–2006–015 19 December 2006 ORGANISATION EUROPÉENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLÉAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH 2005 CERN–CLAF School of High-Energy Physics Malargüe, Argentina 27 February–12 March 2005 Proceedings Editors: N. Ellis M.T. Dova GENEVA 2006 CERN–290 copies printed–December 2006 Abstract The CERN–CLAF School of High-Energy Physics is intended to give young physicists an introduction to the theoretical aspects of recent advances in elementary particle physics. These proceedings contain lectures on field theory and the Standard Model, quantum chromodynamics, CP violation and flavour physics, as well as reports on cosmic rays, the Pierre Auger Project, instrumentation, and trigger and data-acquisition systems. iii Preface The third in the new series of Latin American Schools of High-Energy Physics took place in Malargüe, lo- cated in the south-east of the Province of Mendoza in Argentina, from 27 February to 12 March 2005. It was organized jointly by CERN and CLAF (Centro Latino Americano de Física), and with the strong support of CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas). Fifty-four students coming from eleven different countries attended the School. While most of the students stayed in Hotel Rio Grande, a few students and the Staff stayed at Microtel situated close by. However, all the participants ate their meals to- gether at Hotel Rio Grande. According to the tradition of the School the students shared twin rooms mixing nationalities and in particular Europeans together with Latin Americans. María Teresa Dova from La Plata University was the local director for the School.
    [Show full text]
  • Real Time Density Functional Simulations of Quantum Scale
    Real Time Density Functional Simulations of Quantum Scale Conductance by Jeremy Scott Evans B.A., Franklin & Marshall College (2003) Submitted to the Department of Chemistry in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2009 c Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2009. All rights reserved. Author............................................... ............... Department of Chemistry February 2, 2009 Certified by........................................... ............... Troy Van Voorhis Associate Professor of Chemistry Thesis Supervisor Accepted by........................................... .............. Robert W. Field Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Theses This doctoral thesis has been examined by a Committee of the Depart- ment of Chemistry as follows: Professor Robert J. Silbey.............................. ............. Chairman, Thesis Committee Class of 1942 Professor of Chemistry Professor Troy Van Voorhis............................... ........... Thesis Supervisor Associate Professor of Chemistry Professor Jianshu Cao................................. .............. Member, Thesis Committee Associate Professor of Chemistry 2 Real Time Density Functional Simulations of Quantum Scale Conductance by Jeremy Scott Evans Submitted to the Department of Chemistry on February 2, 2009, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Abstract We study electronic conductance through single molecules by subjecting
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae
    Sidney Perkowitz Curriculum vitae 2549 Cosmos Dr. Telephone: 404/374-1470 Atlanta, GA 30345 December 2017 [email protected] Website: http://www.sidneyperkowitz.net/ @physp Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/7tu87rx Portfolio: https://sidneyperkowitz.contently.com/ PERSONAL Born: Brooklyn, New York. Married, one child. EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ph. D. in solid state physics, June, 1967 (Frazier Fellowship) Thesis adviser: Elias Burstein M. S. in physics, June, 1962 Polytechnic University, New York B. S. in physics, summa cum laude, June, 1960 PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS Research: optical properties of condensed matter including semiconductors and superconductors, and biological materials; infrared, Raman, synchrotron, and picosecond spectroscopy; characterization of technological materials. Writing, teaching, and lecturing: physics and science for nonscientists; science writing and science journalism; science and art; science in film and the theater. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2011 – date: Charles Howard Candler Professor Emeritus of Physics, Emory University 1987 - 2011: Charles Howard Candler Professor of Physics, Emory University (1979, Professor; 1974, Associate Professor; 1969, Assistant Professor), 1990 - 1991: Visiting Senior Scientist, Southeastern Universities Research Association, Washington, DC 1989 - 2000: Adjunct Professor of Liberal Arts, Atlanta College of Art 1983 - 84: Visiting Professor of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara 1966 - 69: Solid State Physicist, GT&E Laboratories, Bayside,
    [Show full text]
  • Unit 18 Space Communication
    UNIT 18 SPACE COMMUNICATION Structure 18.1 Introduction Objectives 18.2 Propagation of Waves in the Earth's Atmosphere 18.3 Radio Wave Communication 18.4 Satellite Communication Orbits of Satellites Frequencies Used in Satellite Communication Remote Sensing: Application of Satellites Satellites in India 18.5 Summary 18.6 Terminal Questions 18.7 Solutions and Answers I 18.1 INTRODUCTION In Unit 17 you have studied the basics of the communication systems and We have introduced the idea of communication channels and mentioned how electromagnetic waves serve to cam signals in the audio-visual region. You have learnt about two types of communication channels: one in which the signals from the transmitter are guided along a physical path (or line) to the receiver. The mode of communication using guided media is called line communication and we take it up in the next unit. The communication process in which the signal is transmitted freely in the open space (atmosphere) is called 'space communication'. In this communication we use radio frequency waves as carriers. Communication through space refers mainly to propagation of etectromagnetic waves in the earth's atmosphere and satellite communication. This is what we shall discuss in this unit. Objectives After studying this unit, you will be able to: teach better to your students the concepts of propagation of electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere, principles of satellite communication and its usefulness, communication bands, and applications of satellites and satellite communication in India; and devise strategies to help your students to learn these concepts and assess how well these have worked.
    [Show full text]
  • April 17-19, 2018 the 2018 Franklin Institute Laureates the 2018 Franklin Institute AWARDS CONVOCATION APRIL 17–19, 2018
    april 17-19, 2018 The 2018 Franklin Institute Laureates The 2018 Franklin Institute AWARDS CONVOCATION APRIL 17–19, 2018 Welcome to The Franklin Institute Awards, the a range of disciplines. The week culminates in a grand United States’ oldest comprehensive science and medaling ceremony, befitting the distinction of this technology awards program. Each year, the Institute historic awards program. celebrates extraordinary people who are shaping our In this convocation book, you will find a schedule of world through their groundbreaking achievements these events and biographies of our 2018 laureates. in science, engineering, and business. They stand as We invite you to read about each one and to attend modern-day exemplars of our namesake, Benjamin the events to learn even more. Unless noted otherwise, Franklin, whose impact as a statesman, scientist, all events are free, open to the public, and located in inventor, and humanitarian remains unmatched Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. in American history. Along with our laureates, we celebrate his legacy, which has fueled the Institute’s We hope this year’s remarkable class of laureates mission since its inception in 1824. sparks your curiosity as much as they have ours. We look forward to seeing you during The Franklin From sparking a gene editing revolution to saving Institute Awards Week. a technology giant, from making strides toward a unified theory to discovering the flow in everything, from finding clues to climate change deep in our forests to seeing the future in a terahertz wave, and from enabling us to unplug to connecting us with the III world, this year’s Franklin Institute laureates personify the trailblazing spirit so crucial to our future with its many challenges and opportunities.
    [Show full text]
  • Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring: Men of Faith and Science
    Edward L. Kimball Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring: Men of Faith and Science The year 1981 saw the deaths of Harvey Fletcher and Henry Eyring, men of great religious faith whose superb professional achievements placed them in the first ranks of the nation's scientists. (See Steven H. Heath's "The Reconcilia- tion of Faith and Science: Henry Eyring's Achievement," this issue.) Both could be said to have had simple religious faith — not because they were un- complicated people incapable of subtlety, but because their religious character was early and firmly grounded in a few fundamentals. This freed them from a life of continuing doubt and struggle. The two men, seventeen years apart in age, had a kind of family relation- ship. Henry Eyring's uncle Carl Eyring (after whom BYU's Eyring Science Center is named) married Fern Chipman; Harvey Fletcher married her sister Lorena. After their spouses died, Harvey Fletcher and Fern Chipman Eyring married. As a result, Henry Eyring called him Uncle Harvey. But that was not unique. Nearly everyone else did, too. Harvey Fletcher was born in 1884 in a little frame house in Provo, Utah. Among his memories are attending the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple and shaking President Wilford Woodruff's hand. As a young boy, he recited a short poem at a program in the Provo Tabernacle; and after he finished, Karl G. Maeser, principal of the Brigham Young Academy, stopped him before he could resume his seat, put his hand on Harvey's head, and said, "I want this congregation to know that this little boy will one day be a great man." Instead of being pleased, Harvey was bothered; he perceived it as a prediction of politi- cal leadership, which he did not want.
    [Show full text]
  • PHILIP W. ANDERSON Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc, Murray Hill, New Jersey, and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
    LOCAL MOMENTS AND LOCALIZED STATES Nobel Lecture, 8 December, 1977 by PHILIP W. ANDERSON Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc, Murray Hill, New Jersey, and Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA I was cited for work both. in the field of magnetism and in that of disordered systems, and I would like to describe here one development in each held which was specifically mentioned in that citation. The two theories I will discuss differed sharply in some ways. The theory of local moments in metals was, in a sense, easy: it was the condensation into a simple mathematical model of ideas which. were very much in the air at the time, and it had rapid and permanent acceptance because of its timeliness and its relative simplicity. What mathematical difficulty it contained has been almost fully- cleared up within the past few years. Localization was a different matter: very few believed it at the time, and even fewer saw its importance; among those who failed to fully understand it at first was certainly its author. It has yet to receive adequate mathematical treatment, and one has to resort to the indignity of numerical simulations to settle even the simplest questions about it. Only now, and through primarily Sir Nevill Mott’s efforts, is it beginning to gain general acceptance. Yet these two finally successful brainchildren have also much in common: first, they flew in the face of the overwhelming ascendancy. at the time of the band theory of solids, in emphasizing locality : how a magnetic moment, or an eigenstate, could be permanently pinned down in a given region.
    [Show full text]