Sarlemijn / Sparnaay Physics in the Making

Essays on Developments in 20th Century Physics
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4832-9385-1
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band Volume 20, 378 Seiten, Web PDF

Reihe: North-Holland Personal Library

H.B.G. Casimir's life, interests and works are intertwined with the important developments that have taken place in physics during this century. This book was compiled by his friends and admirers in honour of his 80th birthday and concentrates mainly on Casimir's achievements in the field of physics, though without ignoring the peripheral areas of the history and philosophy of physics in which he was greatly interested. The book is divided into four parts. Part I describes Casimir's teachers, Ehrenfest, Bohr and Pauli, and will be of general interest due to the key role which these physicists played in modern developments. The articles do give new facts and provide new insights into the history of modern physics.Part II consists of essays on recent developments in various areas of physics in which Casimir has taken an active interest, such as the modern concept of time, statistical foundations of electrodynamic theory and field theory.The subjects covered in Part III have been selected because of Casimir's efforts in the industrial research area of physics. They cover past, present and future expectations in research.Part IV contains an essay which discusses a philosophy of physics currently under discussion, which states that phenomenological laws prevail over fundamental ones for the purpose of experimental and technical physics. A second chapter in this final part gives a critical analysis of this philosophical view.The book is concluded by an appendix discussing Casimir's activities as a lecturer, written by a former student.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sarlemijn, A.

Sparnaay, M. J.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front Cover;1
2;Physics in the Making: Essays on Developments
in 20th Century Physics;4
3;Copyright Page;5
4;Table of Contents;11
5;Preface by the President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences;6
6;Preface by the Editors;8
7;INTRODUCTION;16
7.1;CHAPTER 1. FACTORS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN PHYSICS;18
7.1.1;1.1. Analysis of Factors versus Schematic Models;18
7.1.2;1.2. Application of Mathematics and Developments of Modern Physics;22
7.1.3;1.3. Experimental Techniques as Development Factor of Modern Physics;32
7.1.4;1.4. Orientation on Engineering Methods as a Development Factor;36
7.1.5;1.5. Orientation of Practical Applications as a Development Factor;39
7.1.6;1.6. The "Culture" of Scientists and Engineers;40
7.1.7;References;42
8;PART I: HISTORICAL EXAMPLES OF PHYSICS IN THE MAKING;46
8.1;CHAPTER 2. PHYSICS IN THE MAKING IN LEIDEN: PAUL EHRENFEST
AS TEACHER;48
8.1.1;2.1. Ehrenfest's Courses;49
8.1.2;2.2. Course on Statistical Mechanics in 1915–16;51
8.1.3;2.3. The Leiden Colloquium;54
8.1.4;2.4. Confidence and Courage;56
8.1.5;2.5. "Uncle Socrates";58
8.1.6;References;62
8.2;CHAPTER 3. PHYSICS IN THE MAKING IN BOHR'S COPENHAGEN;64
8.2.1;3.1. Physics in Denmark from a College of the Clergy to the Epoch of Ørsted;66
8.2.2;3.2. Bohr's Background;71
8.2.3;3.3. Bohr's Education, from Schoolboy to Ph.D.;76
8.2.4;3.4. In which Bohr Encounters J.J. Thomson and Rutherford;81
8.2.5;3.5. In which Bohr Emerges as "Director of Atomic Physics";84
8.2.6;3.6. How Bohr Became Denmark's First Professor of Theoretical Physics;88
8.2.7;3.7. In which Bohr Acquires his Own Institute;92
8.2.8;3.8. Bohr as Fund Raiser;98
8.2.9;3.9. 1924–1929;102
8.2.10;3.10. Envoi;104
8.2.11;References and Notes;106
8.3;CHAPTER 4. PHYSICS IN THE MAKING IN PAULI'S ZÜRICH;112
8.3.1;4.1. Pauli and Trends in Physics after 1926;112
8.3.2;4.2. The Impact of the First Copenhagen Conference 1929: Quantum Theory Enters Nuclear Physics;116
8.3.3;4.3. The First International Congress on Nuclear Physics at Zürich in May 1931;126
8.3.4;4.4. A Brief Mathematical Digression: Continuous Groups and their Representations;128
8.3.5;4.5. November 1931: Pauli Receives his First Scientific Honours in Leiden;134
8.3.6;4.6. Pauli's New Assistant H.B.G. Casimir;136
8.3.7;4.7. Radiation Theory and the Search for New Procedures in Relativistic Quantum Field Theories;140
8.3.8;4.8. The End of a Fruitful Collaboration: Casimir's Return to Leiden in the Autumn of 1933;143
8.3.9;Notes;144
8.3.10;References;148
9;PART II: THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS: REPORTS ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS;150
9.1;CHAPTER 5. THE PHYSICAL CONCEPT OF TIME IN THE 20TH
CENTURY;152
9.1.1;5.1. The Physical Concept of Time at About 1900;152
9.1.2;5.2. Key Theories of the Present Century;156
9.1.3;5.3. Reversible Quantum Processes;158
9.1.4;5.4. Quantum Measurement;160
9.1.5;5.5. Cosmological Evolution and Arrows of Time;162
9.1.6;5.6. The Time-Dependence of the "Constants" and the Cosmological Coincidences;168
9.1.7;5.7. Black Holes;174
9.1.8;5.8. The Beginning and the End;178
9.1.9;Appendix A. Disorder and Entropy;181
9.1.10;Appendix B. The Search for an Energy Flux per Unit Solid Angle per UnitFrequency Range which is of the Same Form for all Inertial Observers;182
9.1.11;References;183
9.2;CHAPTER 6. STATISTICAL FOUNDATIONS OF ELECTRODYNAMIC THEORY;188
9.2.1;6.1. Introduction;188
9.2.2;6.2. Statistical Derivation of the Macroscopic Field Equations;189
9.2.3;6.3. Composite Particles in Electromagnetic Fields;195
9.2.4;6.4. Macroscopic Forces on Polarizable Matter in Nonrelativistic and Semirelativistic Theory;198
9.2.5;6.5. Relativistic Energy-Momentum Laws;206
9.2.6;6.6. Conclusion;211
9.2.7;References;211
9.3;CHAPTER 7. THE ROLE OF ONSAGER RELATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THERMODYNAMICS OF IRREVERSIBLE PROCESSES;216
9.3.1;7.1. Symmetry Relations for Irreversible Processes Before 1930;216
9.3.2;7.2. 1931: The Principle of Microscopic Reversibility and Onsager's Reciprocal Relations;223
9.3.3;7.3. 1945: A Second Look at the Principle of Microscopic Reversiblity; the Onsager–Casimir Relations;231
9.3.4;References;237
9.4;CHAPTER 8. DYNAMIC SYMMETRIES AND SUPERSYMMETRIES IN NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE PHYSICS;238
9.4.1;8.1. Introduction;238
9.4.2;8.2. Casimir Operators and Dynamic Symmetries;239
9.4.3;8.3. Dynamic Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics;241
9.4.4;8.4. Dynamic Symmetries in Particle Physics;243
9.4.5;8.5. Dynamic Symmetries in Nuclear Physics;245
9.4.6;8.6. Casimir Operators and Dynamic Supersymmetries;248
9.4.7;8.7. Dynamic Supersymmetries in Nuclear Physics;250
9.4.8;8.8. Dynamic Supersymmetries in Particle Physics;251
9.4.9;Acknowledgements;253
9.4.10;References;253
9.5;CHAPTER 9A. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE CASIMIR EFFECT;256
9.5.1;9A.1. History;256
9.5.2;9A.2. Experiments;263
9.5.3;References;266
9.6;CHAPTER 9B. THE CASIMIR EFFECT IN FIELD THEORY;268
9.6.1;9B.1. Introduction;268
9.6.2;9B.2. The Quantum Ether;269
9.6.3;9B.3. Calculation of A;272
9.6.4;9B.4. Vacuum Stresses for Other Fields. The Role of Topology;273
9.6.5;9B.5. Curved Boundaries;275
9.6.6;9B.6. Accelerated Boundaries;276
9.6.7;9B.7. Formal Description of the Quantum Ether;278
9.6.8;9B.8. Hawking Radiation;279
9.6.9;9B.9. Back Reaction;282
9.6.10;9B.10. Heat-Kernel Methods;284
9.6.11;9B.11. Frontier Problems. The Vilkovisky Effective Action;290
9.6.12;References;292
10;PART III: PHYSICS IN INDUSTRIAL LABORATORIES;294
10.1;CHAPTER 10. THE DEVELOPMENT OF FLUORESCENT LAMPS AT PHILIPS UP TO 1940;296
10.1.1;10.1. Origin of Atomic Physics;297
10.1.2;10.2. Development of Gas Discharge Physics (after about 1900);299
10.1.3;10.3. The Start of Fluorescent Lamp Development at Philips;302
10.1.4;10.4. Conclusion;315
10.1.5;References and notes;316
10.2;CHAPTER 11. APPROACHES TO SCIENCE IN INDUSTRY;320
10.2.1;11.1. Introduction and some Reminiscences;320
10.2.2;11.2. Projects in Industry, especially IBM;321
10.2.3;11.3. Industrial, University, and Government Laboratories;323
11;PART IV: REFLEXIONS ON PHYSICS IN THE MAKING;326
11.1;CHAPTER 12. FUNDAMENTAL LAWS AND PHYSICAL REALITY;328
11.1.1;12.1. The Search for an Appropriate Philosophy of Physics;329
11.1.2;12.2. Cartwright's Philosophy of Physics;331
11.1.3;12.3. The Distinction Between Phenomenological and Fundamental Laws;338
11.1.4;12.4. Van der Waals' Equation of State: Fundamental and Phenomenological Aspects;344
11.1.5;12.5. Concluding Remarks;349
11.1.6;Acknowledgements;351
11.1.7;Notes;351
11.1.8;References;352
11.2;CHAPTER 13. A PHILOSOPHY OF PHYSICS IN THE MAKING;354
12;APPENDIX;366
12.1;APPENDIX: H.B.G. CASIMIR'S TEACHINGS IN LEIDEN AND IN EINDHOVEN;368
12.2;References;387