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David Cassidy's Biography of Werner Heisenberg

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David Cassidy's Biography of Werner Heisenberg Current Comments” EUGENE GARFIELD INSTITUTS F(X SCISNWIC lNFOFMATIO?~ 3501 MARKET ST PHILAOELR+ IA, PA 19104 David Cassidy’s Biography of Werner Heisenberg--the Quantum Mechanic. Part 1. The Path to Uncertainty Number 47 November 25, 1991 The uncertainty principle is known to most scientists and widely used metaphori- cally. In David C. Cassidy’s new book Un- certainty: The Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg,l we learn the history of this concept and something of the personality of its controversial progenitor. While Heisen- berg was considered an opportunist by many, Cassidy concludes that he was a staunch nationalist, but not a card-crm-ying Nazi. He also believes the Germans were capable of making an atomic bomb. He at- tributes their failure to do so to the lack of confidence in Heisenberg’s team by the German high command. Indeed, Cassidy as- serts that the Nobel laureate was eager to build the bomb. At one point he pressed Albert Speer to convince Hitler of the merits of such a project. Werner Heisenbag The Nobel Prize 1976. He is one of the principal founders of Werner Kad Heisenberg received the modem quantum physics. We have ex- Nobel Prize in physics in 1932 at the age cerpted materials from throughout his biog- of 31, although the award ceremony took raphy and present them below to give read- place the following year when he was 32. ers a flavor for the book, which is quite W.L. Bragg was the youngest Nobel laure- lengthy (669 pages). So we have split our ate in physics, receiving the award at the age verbatim excerpts into two parts. of 25. Heisenberg was the second youngest Heisenberg received the Nobel for his to receive the award in his field, along with work on the spectra of atoms and molecules. two others--cad Anderson and P.A.M. He provided the groundwork for solutions Dkac. The average age of a Nobelist is to some of the problems relating to the rota- about 55.2 tions of atoms by successfully predicting Heisenberg was born in 1901 at Sanderau, that hydrogen molecules would appear in a suburb of Wiitzburg, Germany, and died in two forms. 186 His uncertainty principle led to significant As Harriet Zuckerman has note~z many advances in the then new field of quantum Nobelists tend to become philosophers late mechanics. The chairman of the Nobel com- in life. Heisenberg was no exception. In mittee for physics, H. Pleijel, of the Royal 1971, he published Physics and Beyond: Swedish Academy of Sciences, described Encounters and Conversations.5 Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle We learn in Cassidy’s work that while the “According to quantum mechanics it is Nazis valued Heisenberg as a brilliant scien- unconceivsble to determine, at a given in- tist, they nevertheless distrusted him. He stant of time, both the position taken up by was subjected to a year-long investigation a particle and its velocity. Closer study of by the Gestapo for suspected disloyal~. quantum mechanics shows in fact that the And there were accusations that the physi- more one attempts to fm exactly the position cist, the eventual father of seven children, of a particle, the more uncertain the determi- was a homosexual, presumably because of nation of its velocity becomes, and vice his numerous friendships with younger verss.”q men. All charges were eventually dropped, Incidentally, 17 of Heisenberg’s dcles but his position remained precarious during listed in the Science Citatwn Index a (SCI @) the Third Reich. have been cited more than 100 times each. These articles were cited in more than 2,500 publications, based on data for 1945-1990 The “Bugs” at Farm Hall alone, ranking him in the top 1 percent of cited authors. His most-cited paper was An interesting account of what top Ger- published in 1948 on a statistical theory of man scientists were thinking during their turbulence.q It was cited more than 265 interment immediately after the war is con- times. tained in a book called The Gri&n by Ar- A more complete citation analysis of his nold Kramish.b Heisenberg, along with nine work awaits the compilation of a prewar other members of the so-called “Uranium SC1, although we did a 1920s Physics Cikz- Club: were held at Farm Hall, a lovely tion Index as a National Science Foundation counhy estate in England used for intelli- project. In this index, Heisenberg’s work is gence purposes. cited more than 750 times during the The book implies that the German scien- lo-year period< tists during this period fabricated an account of their wartime atomic research that is still being recounted today. According to the book, the Germsns were unaware that Farm Implications Beyond Science Hall was extensively bugged, including the surrounding grounds. As indicated above, Heisenberg’s work The British Foreign Office, the book had implications far beyond the contlnes of notes, is expected to make a decision in science. The uncertainty principle perme- 1992 on whether to release the full tran- ated art and literature after World War 11, scripts of the Farm Hall conversations. fostering a sense of cultural insecurity. To Some parts of the tapes have rdready found many, especially artists and intellectuals, their way into print over the years. If the full the notion that it was impossible to measure transcripts are released, it could shed ccm- unlimitedly both the position and velocity sidersble light on Heisenberg’s role in these of a subatomic particle translated to an ad- matters. mission that nothing could be considered Another book of historicrd interest that certain in this world, except, “death and documents Heisenberg’s activities during taxes.” this period is Mark Walker’s 1989 Gernmn 187 National Socialism and the Quest for Nu- Abraham Pais of Rockefeller University. clear Powec 1939 -49.7 And a recent review Heisenberg’s relationship to Bohr is ex- by physicist Jeremy Bemsteins of V]ctor plored in detail. This book was also re- Weisskopf’s book The Joy of Insight. Par- viewed by Bernstein. 13Another review of sions of a PhysicisP discusses in some de- the book by John Ziman appeared recently tail the Farm Hall days. in Nature. 14 Copenhagen and Neils Bohr Crw+idy’s Background Heisenberg studied physics between the David Cassidy spent 6 years in Germany two world wars at Munich, GtMingen, and during the 15 years he worked on the Copenhagen. His mentors were Arnold Heisenberg biography. He is the only histo- Sommerfield, Max Born (Nobel Prize in rian who has been granted, by Heisenberg’s physics—1954), and Niels Bohr (1922), all widow, full access to all of her husband’s considered giants in modem physics. In sd- papers. Caasidy received his undergraduate dition, his friendships, intellectual collabo- and master’s degrees in physics from ration, and correspondence include the Rutgers University (1967 and 1970) and a names of Einstein (1921), Planck (1918), PhD in the history of physics from Purdue Schmdinger (1933), Pauli (1945), Dirac University (1976). (1933), Kramers, Ehrenfest, Franck ( 1925), Since 1983, he also has been on the edito- Oppenheimer, and others. All of these scien- rird staff of The Collected Papers of Albert tists are woven into the fabric of Uncer- Einstein, published by Princeton University tainty. In making our selections, we have Ptess. chosen to highlight the relationship with The excerpts of Heisenberg’s biography Einstein because of Cassidy’s expertise as that follow have been selected with an eye an editor in this area. toward giving you a brief glimpse into the There are, of course, many books on Ein- controversial scientist’s life. stein. One that comes to mind was edhed by Harvard physicist/science historian Gerry ***** Holton, in conjunction with Yehuda El- karta.lo Another is a biography by Ronald My thark to Paul R. Ryan for his help in Clark. 11 preparing this introduction and for selecting Another important book on the the following passages. Heisenberg era appeared recently-Niels Ol?ms Bohr3 7imes, Philosophy and Polity12 by REFERENCE’S 1. Caddy DC. Uncertainty: the hfe and science of Werner Heisenberg. New York Freeman. 1991. 669p. 2. Zuckermrrm H. Scierrrific elite. New York: Free Press, 1977.335 p. 3. MagfUF N, ed. 7he Nobel Prize winners: physics. Englewud Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1989. 470p. 4. Heisarberg W. Zur statistischen theorie der turbulence (Towards a statistical themy of turbulence). Z Phys. 124:628-57, 1948. (Cited 265 times.) 5. ---------- Physics and beyond: encounters and conversations. New York: Harper& Row, 1971. 247p. 6. Kramish A. The gri~n Boston, MA: Houghton Mifilin, 1986. 294p. 7. Wafker M. German national socialkm and /he quest for rrucfsar powez 1939-49. New Yurk: CambridgeUniversity Press, 19S9, 290p, 8, BernsteinJ. The charms of a physicist. (Bouk review.) New YorkReview of Books 11 April 1991. p. 47-50 9, Weisskopf V. ‘thejoy ofinsighr. Pmsions @a physicist. New York Basic Books, 1991. 328p. 10.Holton G & Ettmna Y, eds. Einstein: historical arrd cuhural perspectives. Princeton, NJ: Princeturr University Press, 1984.439 p. I 188 11, Ctarte R W. Einsrein: rhe life& rimes. New York Avon, 1982. 12, Psis A. Niels Bohr> times, philosophy andpoliry Oxford, UK: Clerendrm Press, 1991.552 p. 13. Bernstetn J. King of quantum. New YorkReview o~%oks 26 September 1991. p. 61-3. 14. ZhrIaeIJ. Deep truths snd trivialities. (Bmk review.) Narure 353:511-2, 1991. Uncertainty: The Life and !kience of Werner Heisenberg by David C. Cassidy ABSTRACT Heisenberg’s family bxkgrormd; his gynrrmimn dsys am tit encmmtms with stems---disegieemerrts with his high school textbook and pnsseges fmm Plato’s lhnaew, his par :ipstion in the @msn youth movement.
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