DOCSLIB.ORG

Great Expectations Language That Was Neutral with Respect to Hansprimas the Distinction Between Physical and Psychological Phenomena

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Great Expectations Language That Was Neutral with Respect to Hansprimas the Distinction Between Physical and Psychological Phenomena BOOK REVIEWS new conceptual language between the physical and archetypal domains, a Great expectations language that was neutral with respect to HansPrimas the distinction between physical and psychological phenomena. He conjectured that the alchemistic attempt to create a Beyond the Atom: The Philosophical Thought of Wolfgang Paull. By K.V. Laurikainen. unitary psychophysical language failed Springer-Verlag: 1988. Pp. 234. Pbk DM68, £22.50, $29. merely because it dealt with a visible reality, and he hoped that the same WoLFGANG Pauli (1900-1958) was a alchemical viewpoint. Quaternity is taken programme, referring instead to a deeper revolutionary genius, a most critical to be an expression of all concepts of invisible reality, could be successful. That theoretical physicist with profound insight, unbroken totality, both in psychology and is , Pauli was striving for nothing less than a and a deep thinker. He was an infant in physics. The "quaternarian attitude" coherent and unified conception of the prodigy - at the age of 18 he was in full (an expression often used by Pauli in his world, in which natural science would be possession of the mathematical and letters) is not easy for a classical scientist just a part, and which would allow an physical knowledge enabling him to do to grasp. Pauli and Jung discussed the understanding of matter and psyche as original research on general relativity. At conjecture that the statistical method of complementary aspects of the same reality 21- still a student- he published in the natural science could be in a comple­ - a reality containing both rational and Encyklopiidie der mathematischen Wissen­ mentary relationship to synchronicity, in irrational elements. Because the logical schaften his masterly review article on the sense that any statistical description structure of complementarity has become relativity theory, which was greatly excludes synchronistic phenomena. They transparent within the mathematical admired by Einstein himself. Later he proposed that the triad of energy, space­ formalism of quantum mechanics, it is not became renowned for his fundamental time and causality should be comple­ so extraordinary that it is just theoretical work and brilliant reviews on quantum mented by the synchronicity factor to physicists who have recognized the road mechanics and quantum field theory. arrive at a "quaternio", which stands for sign and have taken up the investigation of Pauli has been called "the living con­ the unity of being. complementary relationships outside science of theoretical physics", "der fiirch­ In order to express this idea of an natural science. terliche Pauli" and "god's whip" because unbroken unity, Pauli was looking for a According to Laurikainen, the Pauli- he attacked every half-truth with pitiless severity. But his criticism was always sound and came to be relied upon. In Pauli's view, there was no basis for the type of unified field theory pursued by Einstein. But in spite of this and other deep epistemological disagreements, the old Einstein held Pauli in high esteem and called him his spiritual son. Although Pauli is recognized as one of the leading theoretical physicists of the twentieth century, his long-standing philosophical efforts and penetrating jungian studies are less well known. Only a few of his published articles deal with epistemological problems- the technical papers are remarkably free of philosophi­ cal comments. But this state of affairs gives an entirely misleading impression of Pauli's wide range of philosophical and historical interests, and his far-reaching commitment to jungian thought. Pro­ fessor Laurikainen's Beyond the Atom­ in the main a translation of his Finnish book Atomien Tuolla Puolen of 1985 - will, one hopes, change things. The book is based on the extensive but yet unpub­ lished correspondence between Pauli and Markus Fierz, Pauli's former postdoctoral assistant (1936-1940) who at the time was professor of theoretical physics in Baste. Pauli took up the psychophysical problem by studying the connection between the complex psychology of Carl Gustav Jung and modern physics. In particular, he investigated the archetypal background of physical concepts, and published a remarkable case study on the genesis of scientific theories in the light of the historical controversy between the trinitarian point of departure of Kepler's astronomy and Fludd's quaternarian Wolfgang Pau11- "striving tor notnmg less than a coherent and un1t1ed concept1on ot the world". NATURE · VOL 338 · 23 MARCH 1989 305 © 1989 Nature Publishing Group BOOK REVIEWS Fierz letters are the best source for the I have one further reservation, also study of Pauli's philosophical views. In his minor. Laurikainen has tried to make The star worm book, he lets Pauli speak for himself in Pauli's philosophy understandable to an Paul Sternberg long quotations from the correspondence, average academic reader, not only to unfortunately without Fierz's answers. scientists. Even for the committed reader Laurikainen's selection of material and his it is at present the only generally accessible The Nematode Caenorhabditis e/egans. Edited by William B. Wood and the Com­ analysis of it unavoidably reflect his own source of Pauli's philosophical corres­ munity of C. elegans Researchers. Cold tastes and inclinations, but these limita­ pondence; it is indeed an excellent guide Spring Harbor Laboratory: 1988. Pp .667. tions cannot lessen my regard for his to his views and gives a good first impres­ $94. well-thought-out presentation. The most sion of the exchange of ideas with Fierz. important message of the book is that if we But an essay of this nature can never be take Pauli's view seriously, we have tore­ totally adequate. A full appreciation of IN 1963 , Sydney Brenner wrote in a pro­ evaluate fundamental questions in natural Pauli's visions requires a substantial posal to the Medical Research Council: science and ponder about the repression knowledge of quantum mechanics, of the Part of the success of molecular genetics was of the irrational in West­ history of ideas and of due to the use of extremely simple organisms ern culture. ••The most important archetypal psychology. I which could be handled in large numbers: With respect to some message of the book is suspect that most theor­ bacteria and bacterial viruses .... We should details, I found myself that if we take Pauli's etical physicists, psycho­ like to attack the problem of cellular develop­ repeatedly disagreeing view seriously, we have to logists and philosophers ment in a similar fashion, choosing the simplest with Laurikainen. For­ re-evaluate fundamental who would like to grasp possible differentiated organism and subjecting tunately, this disagree­ Pauli's ideas stand in it to the analytical methods of microbial questions in natural genetics. ment is mainly about science and ponder about need of much more help questions of present­ the repression of the than they get here. Even Brenner not only chose the nematode day quantum mechanics, Pauli looked for a help­ Caenorhabditis elegans as the organism, which was not an issue in irrational in Western ing hand- in an unpub­ but encouraged a generation of scientists the Pauli-Fierz corres­ culture." lished letter (not quoted to join him ; hence, 25 years on, the publi­ pondence. Laurikainen believes that Pauli by Laurikainen), he expressed his disap­ cation of this first-rate monograph which would not have agreed with modern foun­ pointment about the lack of scientific reviews the work of some 400 scientists. dational research on quantum theory and education of lung's circle, and his hope Besides summarizing the basics of C. the current attempts to generalize quantum of finding a discussion partner with pro­ elegans biology, the book presents in theory and to apply it to the meso- and found psychological insight and a good digestible form the main accomplishments macroscopic domain. To my mind it is knowledge of mathematics and the -determination of the complete cell line­ wrong to pass such a judgement on the natural sciences. So what we urgently age and of the 'wiring diagram' of the 302- basis of the Pauli-Fierz letters. need is a complete edition of Pauli's celled nervous system, and the collection In the correspondence, Pauli argued philosophical correspondence with explan­ of a genetically mapped set of ordered that the general trend of Western culture atory notes written by various qualified recombinant DNA clones (a genomic map) after the seventeenth century has been scholars. which is now over 60 per cent complete. dangerously one-sided. He considered the Moreover, there is much more pertinent These projects have been carried out by cartesian separation of spirit (res cogitans) material in the archives. A wealth of and large at the MRC Laboratory of and matter (res extensa) to be miscon­ supplementary information can be found Molecular Biology, Mecca for C. e/egans ceived and preferred a vision where spirit in Pauli's correspondence with Carl researchers. What then of the unlucky and matter are considered as two comple­ Gustav Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz and faithful who are unable to make the mentary aspects of reality. Pauli was Aniela Jaffe, preserved at the ETH in pilgrimage but who nonetheless want to looking for radically new ideas which went Zurich. There are also related, unpublished participate now that the stage is set for a far beyond the limits of quantum theory. manuscripts by Pauli - such as Die variety of fundamental studies of develop­ According to him, the possibility of free Vorlesung an die fremden Leute, or his mental, neuro- and molecular biology? By choice of the experimental set-up implies important Hintergrundsphysik (which is reading the book, one can learn much that observations acquire the character of not lost, contrary to Laurikainen's suspi­ 'worm lore', as well as gain a sense of the the irrational, unique actuality.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Kant, Schlick and Friedman on Space, Time and Gravity in Light of Three Lessons from Particle Physics
    Erkenn DOI 10.1007/s10670-017-9883-5 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Kant, Schlick and Friedman on Space, Time and Gravity in Light of Three Lessons from Particle Physics J. Brian Pitts1 Received: 28 March 2016 / Accepted: 21 January 2017 Ó The Author(s) 2017. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Kantian philosophy of space, time and gravity is significantly affected in three ways by particle physics. First, particle physics deflects Schlick’s General Relativity-based critique of synthetic a priori knowledge. Schlick argued that since geometry was not synthetic a priori, nothing was—a key step toward logical empiricism. Particle physics suggests a Kant-friendlier theory of space-time and gravity presumably approximating General Relativity arbitrarily well, massive spin- 2 gravity, while retaining a flat space-time geometry that is indirectly observable at large distances. The theory’s roots include Seeliger and Neumann in the 1890s and Einstein in 1917 as well as 1920s–1930s physics. Such theories have seen renewed scientific attention since 2000 and especially since 2010 due to breakthroughs addressing early 1970s technical difficulties. Second, particle physics casts addi- tional doubt on Friedman’s constitutive a priori role for the principle of equivalence. Massive spin-2 gravity presumably should have nearly the same empirical content as General Relativity while differing radically on foundational issues. Empirical content even in General Relativity resides in partial differential equations, not in an additional principle identifying gravity and inertia. Third, Kant’s apparent claim that Newton’s results could be known a priori is undermined by an alternate gravitational equation.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Figures
    List of Figures Pauliinhismostusualposition:writingletters.......... 8 PauliasMephistopheles....................... 15 PauliasBuudha........................... 16 BohrshowingPaulithe‘tippetopp’................. 108 NielsBohr’sCoatofArms...................... 110 PauliatthetimeforhisfirstmeetingwithJung.......... 144 Thedivineandthewordlytriangle................. 184 TetractysofthePythagoreans.................... 185 Mandala picture by a seven year old ................ 186 Title page from Fludd’s ‘Utriosque cosmi. historia’ . ...... 187 MandalaofVajrabhairava,theconquerorofdeath......... 188 Pauli’sworldclock......................... 189 Thestagesofalchemyportrayed.................. 201 Jung’sviewofreality........................ 228 The relationship between psyche, body, matter and spirit ..... 229 Westernexplanationofcorrelation................. 278 Chineseexplanationofcorrelation................. 278 Riemann surface .......................... 281 Thecorrespondenceprinciple................... 286 Orderthroughquantity....................... 287 Synchronicity............................ 291 Orderthroughquality........................ 294 Causality,acausalityandsynchronicity............... 296 Pauli’sandJung’sworldviewquaternio............... 297 DNA.................................308 Theworldviewquaterrnioasautomorphism............ 311 Pauli’sdreamsquare........................ 322 Pauli’sTitian............................. 333 Kabbalah.............................. 333 List of Tables Thealchemicstages......................... 199 Pauli’s
    [Show full text]
  • V.Y. Glaser SOME RETROSPECTIVE REMARKS by Ph. Blanchard
    V.Y. Glaser SOME RETROSPECTIVE REMARKS by Ph. Blanchard OPENINGS MATHEMATICS IN PHYSICS GREAT ENCOUNTERS ALONG THE WAY Zagreb, Göttingen, Copenhagen, Geneva, Strasbourg, Bures sur Yvette USING MATHEMATICS WITH CLARITY AND ELEGANCE Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Field Theory O P E N I N G S I am happy to have been asked to speak about Yurko Glaser, his thinking and its actions. It is an honor for me to pay tribute to the brilliant achievements of this leading mathematical physicist, gifted teacher and exceptional friend. It was in Strasbourg at the spring meeting of the RCP 25, where we first met 1967. At this time I was in Zürich at the ETH, working on the Paul-Fierz model of the infrared catastrophe under the direction of Res Jost. Yurko was born on April 21, 1924 just before the discovery by Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Dirac, Born … of modern Quantum Theory in the mid 1920’s. Carlo Rubbia was also born in Gorizia, Görz, Friaul – Julisch Venetien. Quantum Theory before 1925 – the Old Quantum Theory (Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Sommerfeld …) – was part craft part art. Old principles had been founded wanting, new ones had not yet been discovered. Modern Quantum Theory was a real revolution of our understanding of physical process. Compared with this change, Einstein’s relativity, born in 1905, seem not much more than very interesting variations on nevertheless classical themes. Yurko studied at the University of Zagreb, where he received his Diploma in 1950 and his Ph.D in 1953 under the supervision of W. Heisenberg. He moved to Göttingen in 1951-1952 and made his first important contributions to physics, a book of QED published 1955 in Zagreb and outstanding results on QFT, the attempt to clarify the compatibility of special relativity theory with Quantum Theory.
    [Show full text]
  • LIST of PUBLICATIONS Jürg Fröhlich 1. on the Infrared Problem in A
    LIST OF PUBLICATIONS J¨urgFr¨ohlich 1. On the Infrared Problem in a Model of Scalar Electrons and Massless Scalar Bosons, Ph.D. Thesis, ETH 1972, published in Annales de l'Inst. Henri Poincar´e, 19, 1-103 (1974) 2. Existence of Dressed One-Electron States in a Class of Persistent Models, ETH 1972, published in Fortschritte der Physik, 22, 159-198 (1974) 3. with J.-P. Eckmann : Unitary Equivalence of Local Algebras in the Quasi-Free Represen- tation, Annales de l'Inst. Henri Poincar´e 20, 201-209 (1974) 4. Schwinger Functions and Their Generating Functionals, I, Helv. Phys. Acta, 47, 265-306 (1974) 5. Schwinger Functions and Their Generating Functionals, II, Adv. of Math. 23, 119-180 (1977) 6. Verification of Axioms for Euclidean and Relativistic Fields and Haag's Theorem in a Class of P (φ)2 Models, Ann. Inst. H. Poincar´e 21, 271-317 (1974) 7. with K. Osterwalder : Is there a Euclidean field theory for Fermions? Helv. Phys. Acta 47, 781 (1974) 8. The Reconstruction of Quantum Fields from Euclidean Green's Functions at Arbitrary Temperatures, Helv. Phys. Acta 48, 355-369 (1975); (more details are contained in an unpublished paper, Princeton, Dec. 1974) 9. The Pure Phases, the Irreducible Quantum Fields and Dynamical Symmetry Breaking in Symanzik-Nelson Positive Quantum Field Theories, Annals of Physics 97, 1-54 (1975) 10. Quantized "Sine-Gordon" Equation with a Non-Vanishing Mass Term in Two Space-Time Dimensions, Phys. Rev. Letters 34, 833-836 (1975) 11. Classical and Quantum Statistical Mechanics in One and Two Dimensions: Two-Compo- nent Yukawa and Coulomb Systems, Commun.
    [Show full text]
  • Constructive Jűrg a Personal Overview of Constructive Quantum Field Theory
    Constructive Jűrg A Personal Overview of Constructive Quantum Field Theory by Arthur Jaffe Dedicated to Jürg Fröhlich 3 July 2007 E.T.H. Zürich “Ich heisse Ernst, aber ich bin fröhlich; er heisst Fröhlich, aber er is ernst!” Richard Ernst 1977 @ 31 29 June 2007 @ 61 - e HAPPY Birthday!!! Jürg: over 285 publications with over 114 co-authors Quantum Field Theory Two major pedestals of 20th century physics: Quantum Theory and Special Relativity Are they compatible? Motivated by Maxwell, Dirac Quantum Electrodynamics (QED): light interacting with matter. Rules of Feynman fl Lamb shift in hydrogen and magnetic moment μ of the electron. calculation: Bethe, Weisskopf, Schwinger, Tomonaga, Kinoshita,…. measurement: Kusch,…, Dehmelt, Gabrielse (1947-2007) now 60! Agreement of calculation with experiment: 1 part in 1012 Strange, but Apparently True Classical mechanics, classical gravitation, classical Maxwell theory, fluid mechanics, non-relativistic quantum theory, statistical mechanics,…, all have a logical foundation. They all are branches of mathematics. But: Most physicists believe that QED on its own is mathematically inconsistent. Reason: It is not “asymptotically free” (1973). Physical explanation: “need other forces.” Axiomatic Quantum Field Theory Effort begun in the 1950’s to give a mathematical framework for quantum field theory and special relativity. Wightman, Jost, Haag Lehmann, Symanzik, Zimmermann Constructive Quantum Field Theory Attempt begun in the 1960’s: find examples (within this framework) having non-trivial interaction. 1. Construct non-linear examples. 2. Find the symmetries of the vacuum, spectrum of particles and bound states (mass eigenvalues), compute scattering, etc. 3. Work exactly (non-perturbatively), although with motivation from perturbation theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Philanthropist Pledges $70 M to Homestake Underground Lab
    CCESepFaces43-51 16/8/06 15:07 Page 43 FACES AND PLACES LABORATORIES Philanthropist pledges $70 m to Homestake Underground Lab South Dakota governor Mike Rounds (third from right) and philanthropist T Denny Sanford (fourth from right) prepare to cut the ribbon at the official dedication of the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory in the former Homestake gold mine. At the official dedication of the Homestake 4200 m water equivalent). In November 2005 donation in South Dakota, including major Underground Laboratory on 26 June, South the Homestake Collaboration issued a call for contributions to a children’s hospital centred Dakota resident, banker and philanthropist letters of interest from scientific at the University of South Dakota, and other T Denny Sanford created a stir by pledging collaborations that were interested in using educational and child-oriented endeavours. $70 m to help develop the multidisciplinary the interim facility. The 85 letters received His gift expands the alliance supporting the laboratory in the former Homestake gold comprised 60% proposals from earth science Sanford Underground Science and mine. The mine is one of two finalists for the and 25% from physics, with the remainder for Engineering Laboratory at Homestake US National Science Foundation effort to engineering and other uses. (SUSEL), joining the State of South Dakota, establish a Deep Underground Science and The second installment of $20 m by 2009 the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL), which will be will create the Sanford Center for Science through its competitive site selection process, a national laboratory for underground Education – a 50 000 ft2 facility in the historic the Homestake Scientific Collaboration and experimentation in nuclear and particle mine buildings.
    [Show full text]
  • General Relativity and Cosmology: Unsolved Questions and Future Directions
    Article General Relativity and Cosmology: Unsolved Questions and Future Directions Ivan Debono 1,∗,† and George F. Smoot 1,2,3,† 1 Paris Centre for Cosmological Physics, APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/lrfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 10, rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris CEDEX 13, France 2 Physics Department and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, 94720 CA, USA; [email protected] 3 Helmut and Anna Pao Sohmen Professor-at-Large, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, 999077 Hong Kong, China * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +33-1-57276991 † These authors contributed equally to this work. Academic Editors: Lorenzo Iorio and Elias C. Vagenas Received: 21 August 2016; Accepted: 14 September 2016; Published: 28 September 2016 Abstract: For the last 100 years, General Relativity (GR) has taken over the gravitational theory mantle held by Newtonian Gravity for the previous 200 years. This article reviews the status of GR in terms of its self-consistency, completeness, and the evidence provided by observations, which have allowed GR to remain the champion of gravitational theories against several other classes of competing theories. We pay particular attention to the role of GR and gravity in cosmology, one of the areas in which one gravity dominates and new phenomena and effects challenge the orthodoxy. We also review other areas where there are likely conflicts pointing to the need to replace or revise GR to represent correctly observations and consistent theoretical framework. Observations have long been key both to the theoretical liveliness and viability of GR.
    [Show full text]
  • FIFTY YEARS THAT CHANGED OUR PHYSICS 1 Introduction Going
    FIFTY YEARS THAT CHANGED OUR PHYSICS Jean Iliopoulos ENS, Paris As seen through the Moriond meetings 1 Introduction Going through the Proceedings of the Moriond meetings, from 1966 to 2016, we have a panoramic view of the revolution which took place in our understanding of the fundamental interactions. As we heard from J. Lefran¸cois, these meetings started as a gathering among a group of friends who loved physics and loved skiing. Through the years they became a major International Conference, still trying to keep part of the original spirit. The driving force behind this evolution has been our friend Jean Tran Than Van and this Conference is one of his many children. In 1966 Jean was fifty years younger and for a young man of that age fifty years is eternity. These years brought to each one of us their load of disappointments and sorrows, but also that of achievements and successes. We witnessed the birth and rise of the Standard Model and our greatest joy is to be able to say I was there! Four years ago you discovered the last piece of this Model and, hopefully, this will open the way to new and greater discoveries. I wish all the young people in this room to be able to say, fifty years from now, I was there! The twentieth century was the century of revolutions in Physics. Just to name a few: Relativity, Special and General – Atoms and atomic theory – Radioactivity – The atomic nucleus – Quantum Mechanics – Particles and Fields – Gauge theories and Geometry. Each one involved new physical concepts, new mathematical tools and new champions.
    [Show full text]
  • Putting the Pauli Exclusion Principle on Trial
    CERN Courier March 2018 CERN Courier March 2018 ALPHA experiment Exclusion principle improving the precision of the antihydrogen hyperfine measure- ment, and the ASACUSA collaboration at the AD hopes to measure 60 data simulation the same quantity to the ppm level using a challenging antihydro- Putting the Pauli exclusion gen-beam technique; an analogous experiment on hydrogen was 40 recently reported (CERN Courier December 2017 p23). counts 20 The antihydrogen atom still holds many structural secrets to be explored. Near-term perspectives in ALPHA include the Lyman- 0 alpha (1S–2P) transition, with its notoriously difficult-to-produce principle on trial –1.2 0 1.2 2.4 3.6 1419.2 1421.6 1424.0 121.5 nm wavelength in the vacuum ultraviolet. We are currently relative frequency (MHz) attempting to address this with a pulsed laser, with the ultimate PAULI-ARCHIVE-PHO-011-1 goal to laser-cool antihydrogen for studies in gravitation and for The exclusion principle is part of the bedrock of Fig. 5. The number of detected annihilation events plotted versus improved resolution in spectroscopy. To give a flavour of the pace microwave frequency. The two spectral lines represent the c to b of activities, a recent daily run meeting saw ALPHA collabora- physics, but that hasn’t stopped experimentalists (left) and the d to a transitions (see main text and figure 4). tors actually debate which of the three antihydrogen transitions we should study that day, which was somewhat surreal. In the longer from devising cunning ways to test it. nance trials) out of 2.5 × 1015 Hz.
    [Show full text]
  • Cambray.Indb
    Number Fifteen Carolyn and Ernest Fay Series in Analytical Psychology David H. Rosen, General Editor The Carolyn and Ernest Fay edited book series, based initially on the annual Fay Lecture Series in Analytical Psychology, was established to further the ideas of C. G. Jung among students, faculty, therapists, and other citizens and to enhance scholarly activities related to analytical psychology. The Book Series and Lecture Series address topics of im- portance to the individual and to society. Both series were generously endowed by Carolyn Grant Fay, the founding president of the C. G. Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas. The series are in part a memorial to her late husband, Ernest Bel Fay. Carolyn Fay has plant- ed a Jungian tree carrying both her name and that of her late hus- band, which will bear fruitful ideas and stimulate creative works from this time forward. Texas A&M University and all those who come in contact with the growing Fay Jungian tree are extremely grateful to Carolyn Grant Fay for what she has done. The holder of the McMillan Professorship in Analytical Psychology at Texas A&M functions as the general editor of the Fay Book Series. Synchronicity Synchronicity Nature and Psyche in an Interconnected Universe joseph cambray Foreword by David H. Rosen Texas A&M University Press College Station Copyright © 2009 by Joseph Cambray Manufactured in the United States of America All rights reserved First edition This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper). Binding materials have been chosen for durability. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cambray, Joseph.
    [Show full text]
  • Notas De Física CBPF-NF-016/96 April 1996
    / • CBPF - CENTRO BRASILEIRO DE PESQUISAS FÍSICAS Rio de Janeiro Notas de Física CBPF-NF-016/96 April 1996 Weak Interaction Physics: From its Origin to the Electroweak Model J. Leite Lopes CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico n 2 - CBPF-NF-016/96 1 Weak Interaction Physics: From its Origin to the Electroweak Model J. Leite Lopes Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas - CBPF Rua Dr. Xavier Sigaud, 150 22290-180 - Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ 1 Introduction: The beta-ray continuous spectrum The purpose of this paper is to give a brief account of the development of the theory of weak interactions and the electroweak model.] This theory dates from 1934 and after about forty years contributed with quantum electrodynamics to the first successful model of unification of interactions - the so-called electroweak model. Together with quantum chromodynamics - the theory of strong interactions - the electroweak model constitutes the standard model of basic forces in the grand unification model - waiting for the in- corporation of a quantum theory of gravity which would then hopefully afford a unified picture of the world fundamental interactions. This cannot clearly be a complete history of weak interactions physics. These notes of course reflect my view of the subject after many years of work in this field - and after having had the privilege of speding some time in laboratories where eminent physicists actively worked such as W. Pauli and J.M. Jauch and Ning Hu, J.R. Oppenheimer, C.N. Yang, F.J. Dyson and Abraham Pais, Oskar Klein and H.
    [Show full text]
  • Mathematics, Relativity, and Quantum Wave Equations
    Karl-Heinz Schlote, Martina Schneider (eds.) Mathematics meets physics A contribution to their interaction in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century Mathematics, Relativity, and Quantum Wave Equations Helge Kragh 1 Introduction ............................ 352 2 Schrödinger and his equation .................. 352 3 The Klein-Gordon equation ................... 356 4 The spinning electron ....................... 358 5 A beautiful exercise in pure reason ............... 359 6 Dirac, physics, and mathematical beauty ............ 364 7 Postscripts ............................. 368 8 Bibliography ............................ 368 352 Part IV. Entwicklung von Konzepten | Development of concepts 1 Introduction Mathematical considerations played an important role in the new physics that emerged in the early decades of the twentieth century. This may be best known from the general theory of relativity, but the role of mathematics was no less important in the case of the other revolutionary theory of the period, quantum mechanics. In this paper I exemplify the relationship between mathematics and physics by looking at the development that in the late 1920s led to a relativistic theory of the electron, as described by the Dirac wave equation. The problem that faced the new generation of quantum physicists was to establish a theory that was consistent with the general principles of both quantum mechanics and special relativity; in addition the theory would have to incorporate the spin of the electron which was discovered in 1925 and at first seemed foreign to quantum mechanics. In this process, as it unfolded in the years 1926 – 28, contributions from mathematics were of considerable importance. Likewise, some of the concepts and quantities introduced by the physicists turned out to be of great interest to the pure mathematicians.
    [Show full text]