The Physicist's Conception of NatureJagdish Mehra Springer, 6 déc. 2012 - 839 pages The fundamental conceptions of twentieth-century physics have profoundly influenced almost every field of modern thought and activity. Quantum Theory, Relativity, and the modern ideas on the Structure of Matter have contributed to a deeper understand ing of Nature, and they will probably rank in history among the greatest intellectual achievements of all time. The purpose of our symposium was to review, in historical perspective, the current horizons of the major conceptual structures of the physics of this century. Professors Abdus Salam and Hendrik Casimir, in their remarks at the opening of the symposium, have referred to its origin and planning. Our original plan was to hold a two-week symposium on the different aspects of five principal themes: 1. Space, Time and Geometry (including the structure of the universe and the theory of gravita tion),2. Quantum Theory (including the development of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory), 3. Statistical Description of Nature (including the discussion of equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena, and the application of these ideas to the evolution of biological structure), 4. The Structure of Matter (including the discus sion, in a unified perspective, of atoms, molecules, nuclei, elementary particles, and the physics of condensed matter), and finally, 5. Physical Description and Epistemo logy (including the distinction between classical and quantum descriptions, and the epistemological and philosophical problems raised by them). |
Table des matières
1 | |
15 | |
17 | |
A chapter in the astrophysicists view of the universe by S CHANDRASEKHAR | 34 |
Fundamental constants and their development in time by P A M DIRAC | 45 |
The expanding earth by PASCUAL JORDAN | 60 |
The nature and structure of spacetime by JÜRGEN EHLERS | 71 |
Einstein Hilbert and the theory of gravitation by JAGDISH MEHRA | 92 |
Statistical Description of Nature | 499 |
Problems of statistical physics by GEORGE E UHLENBECK 501 | 514 |
Approach to thermodynamic equilibrium and other stationary states by WILLIS E LAMB JR | 527 |
Kinetic approach to nonequilibrium phenomena by E G D COHEN | 548 |
Time irreversibility and structure by ILYA PRIGOGINE | 561 |
The origin of biological information by MANFRED EIGEN | 594 |
Physical Description Epistemology and Philosophy | 633 |
Classical and quantum descriptions by C F VON WEIZSÄCKER | 635 |
Theory of gravitation by ANDRZEJ TRAUTMAN | 179 |
From relativity to mutability by JOHN ARCHIBALD WHEELER | 202 |
Quantum Theory | 248 |
The waveparticle dilemma by LEON ROSENFELD | 251 |
Development of concepts in the history of quantum theory by WERNER HEISENBERG | 264 |
From matrix mechanics and wave mechanics to unified quantum mechanics by B L VAN DER WAERDEN | 276 |
some reminiscences by PASCUAL JORDAN | 294 |
The mathematical structure of elementary quantum mechanics by JOSEF M JAUCH | 300 |
Relativistic equations in quantum mechanics by EUGENE P WIGNER | 320 |
development of the first elementary particle theory by FRITZ ROHRLICH | 331 |
The development of quantum field theory by RUDOLF E PEIERLS | 370 |
Quantum theory of fields until 1947 by GREGOR WENTZEL | 380 |
Development of quantum electrodynamics by SINITIRO TOMONAGA | 404 |
A report on quantum electrodynamics by JULIAN SCHWINGER | 413 |
Progress in renormalization theory since 1949 by ABDUS SALAM | 430 |
Some concepts in current elementary particle physics by CHEN NING YANG | 447 |
Crucial experiments on discrete symmetries by V L TELEGDI | 454 |
Superconductivity and superfluidity by H B G CASIMIR | 481 |
Wavefunction and observer in the quantum theory by LEON N COOPER | 668 |
The problem of measurement in quantum mechanics by JOSEF M JAUCH | 684 |
Subject and object by J S bell | 687 |
Subject object and measurement by R HAAG | 691 |
Measurement process and the macroscopic level of quantum mechanics by ILYA PRIGOGINE | 697 |
Why a new approach to found quantum theory? by G LUDWIG | 702 |
A process conception of nature by DAVID FINKELSTEIN | 709 |
Quantum logic and nonseparability by BERNARD DESPAGNAT | 714 |
Physics and philosophy by C F VON WEIZSÄCKER | 736 |
Memorial Lectures | 747 |
Recollections of Lord Rutherford by P L KAPITZA 749 | 766 |
Remarks on Enrico Fermi by S CHANDRASEKHAR | 800 |
Celebration of P A M Diracs 70th Birthday | 803 |
The classical mind by C P SNOW | 805 |
Programme of the symposium | 820 |
Participants | 823 |
830 | |
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Expressions et termes fréquents
assumption atomic Bohr charge classical connection conservation constant coordinates corresponding covariant decay defined density derived described Dirac discussion dynamics E. P. Wigner Einstein Einstein units electrodynamics electron energy equilibrium existence experiments fact field equations field theory finite formulation geometry Göttingen gravitational field Heisenberg Hilbert space idea infinity interaction invariant Lagrangian laws linear Lorentz macroscopic magnetic mass Math mathematical matter means measurement Mehra metric momentum motion observed operator P. A. M. Dirac paper particles Pauli photons Phys Physicist's Conception physicists physics Poincaré possible postulate principle probability problem proposition quantization quantum electrodynamics quantum field theory quantum mechanics quantum theory question radiation relativistic relativity result Rutherford Schrödinger spacetime special relativity spin statistical structure superspace symmetry t₁ tensor theoretical theory of gravitation theory of relativity thermodynamics tion transformations universe vector velocity wave function Wigner μν