Hermann Haken: from the Laser to Synergetics a SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHY of the EARLY YEARS 123 Hermann Haken: from the Laser to Synergetics Bernd Kröger
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Bernd Kröger Hermann Haken: From the Laser to Synergetics A SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHY OF THE EARLY YEARS 123 Hermann Haken: From the Laser to Synergetics Bernd Kröger Hermann Haken: From the Laser to Synergetics A Scientific Biography of the Early Years ABC Bernd Kröger Tübingen Germany ISBN 978-3-319-11688-4 ISBN 978-3-319-11689-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-11689-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2014949170 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London c Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms 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. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Contents Tables and Figures ........................................................................................ IX 1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 2 Hermann Haken: Youth and University Education ............................ 9 3 The Erlangen Years: Solid State Physics 1950 – 1960 ......................... 17 4 Appointment to the Theoretical Physics Chair at the Technical University Stuttgart ................................................................................ 37 5 Hermann Haken and the “Stuttgart School” 1960 – 1970: Their Contribution to the Development of Laser Theory ............................. 47 5.1 General Introduction to the History of the Laser ............................. 47 5.2 From Maser to Laser177 ................................................................... 48 5.3 Semi-classical Laser Theory Until 1964 ......................................... 57 5.4 The Crucial Role of Laser Conferences .......................................... 59 5.5 The Fully Quantum Mechanical Laser Theory ............................... 66 5.6 Hermann Haken and the Stuttgart School ....................................... 82 5.7 Synopsis of Laser Theory in Book Form; ca. 1970 ......................... 94 5.8 Summary of Laser Theory............................................................... 97 6 Early Years of Synergetics: 1970 – 1978 .............................................. 101 6.1 The Versailles Conferences from 1967 to 1979 .............................. 101 6.2 The Foundation of Synergetics: Analogies and Phase Transition ........................................................................................ 108 6.3 The UMSCHAU-Article of 1971 .................................................... 116 6.4 The First ELMAU-Synergetics Conference 1972 ........................... 119 6.5 The Startling Discovery of a Common Mathematical Basis: Laser – Bénard-Effect – Brusselator ............................................... 125 6.6 The “Lorenz – Equations” ............................................................... 135 6.7 The Synergetics Book, 1977 ........................................................... 144 VI Contents 6.8 The Second ELMAU Conference May, 1977 ................................. 150 7 The Propagation of Synergetics: 1978 – 1987 ...................................... 153 7.1 Synergetics: “Spreading the Word” ................................................ 153 7.2 Synergetics – Priority Program of the Volkswagenwerk Foundation ...................................................................................... 162 7.3 Research Activities of the Stuttgart Synergetics School ................. 170 7.4 The ELMAU Conferences of 1979 and 1980 .................................. 178 7.5 The ELMAU Conferences on Chaos Theory, 1981 and 1982......... 180 7.6 The Textbook “Advanced Synergetics”, 1978 ................................ 185 7.7 The Book Series: Springer Series in Synergetics ............................ 190 8 Synergetics 1987 – 2010: Applications in Medicine, Cognition and Psychology – A Survey .................................................................... 193 8.1 The Sixth ELMAU Conference 1983: Synergetics of the Brain ...................................................................................... 193 8.2 Cooperation with Scott Kelso ......................................................... 197 8.3 Application of Synergetics to Brain Research ................................. 201 8.4 Pattern Recognition in the Visual System and by Synergetic Computer ......................................................................................... 202 8.5 Synergetics in Psychology .............................................................. 206 9 Theories of Self-organization: The Role of Synergetics ...................... 211 9.1 The Systems-Theoretical or Cybernetic Approach ......................... 213 9.2 Autopoiesis and Self-referentiality .................................................. 217 9.3 The Theory of Autocatalytic Hypercycles ...................................... 218 9.4 The Theory of Dissipative Systems ................................................. 222 10 Summary ................................................................................................. 229 Bibliography .................................................................................................. 245 Appendices Appendix 1: Bibliography of Hermann Haken‘s Works ................................ 263 Appendix 2: List of Hermann Haken’s Students and Their Diploma Thesis and Dissertations ................................................................................. 293 Appendix 3: Springer Series in Synergetics: (Senior Editor: Hermann Haken) ................................................................... 301 Contents VII Appendix 4: Participants that Attended the ELMAU Conferences as Well as the Versailles Conferences ................................................................ 305 Appendix 5: List of Honours Bestowed on Hermann Haken ......................... 309 Name Index ................................................................................................... 313 Tables and Figures Table 1: Quantity of Haken‘s publications during the years from 1950 to 1990, sorted by subject (10-year periods). Table 2: Mentioning of Hermann Haken in the university calendars of the University of Erlangen from the winter term 1952/53 until the winter term 1959/60. Table 3: Articles published by Melvin Lax and co-workers on the theory of laser and noise. Table 4: Chronological order of publication dates of the articles on quantum- mechanical laser theory by the three laser schools of Hermann Haken, Willis Lamb and Melvin Lax. Table 5: List of the publications of the Stuttgart School concerning Laser Theory during the years 1963 – 1970. Table 6: Synergetic systems and their order parameters compared by Hermann Haken at the first ELMAU Conference. Table 7: Analogies between the laser and the Bénard instability. Table 8: List of topics at the second ELMAU Conference 1977. Table 9: Lectures and seminars held by Hermann Haken at the University of Stuttgart during the years 1975 to 1985, according to the university calendars. Table 10: Topical list of subjects of the 11 ELMAU Conferences, 1972 till 1990. Table 11: Examples of synergetic systems: comparison from three different books of Hermann Haken (years 1972, 1977 and 1983). Table 12: Thematic and editorial classification of the seventy-seven volumes of “Springer Series in Synergetics” that were published while Haken was series editor. Table 13: Formal analogy between the laser and the brain. Table 14: Differences and similarities of Synergetics with other fields of knowledge. Figures Fig. 1: Theories that determine the structure of Synergetics and the resulting applications of synergetics in different scientific fields. Fig. 2: Recommendations concerning the number of chairs in mathematics and physics at the Technische Hochschule Stuttgart, according to the science advisory board proposal. Fig 3: Principle of the maser. Fig. 4: Principle of the stimulated emission process. Fig. 5: “Lamb-Dip“. Typical reduction of laser intensity, depending on the frequency. Fig. 6: Behaviour of the potential below and above laser threshold for linear and non-linear theories. Fig. 7: Relative intensity fluctuation ρ measured for the strongest mode versus injected current J. Fig. 8: Representation of the mathematical treatment of the quantum-mechanical laser theory. All three possible methods had been dealt with by the Stuttgart School. Fig. 9: Haken’s survey on the increasing correctness of the different approaches to laser theory