2023-04-24 11:54:00
If the history of the key discoveries of the past century had developed differently, the new millennium could have become completely different, says Ernst Peter Fischer, author of the popular “guide to quanta”. After all, Max Plank (Max Plank), thanks to which there will be a real revolution in the world of physics, could devote himself to music or philology. However, the young Planck chose exactly what Professor Philipp von Jolly strongly advised him to refuse.
The future winner of one of the Nobel Prizes in 1918, the scientist assured that at the end of the 19th century there were practically no “white spots” in the field of theoretical physics, they say, and there was nothing more to discover, says Ernst Peter Fischer in his new book “The finest hour of physicists. Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg and the depths of the universe” (The hour of the physicists. Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg and the heart of the world), published by CHBeck. In it, the physicist, historian and publicist introduces the reader to the “golden decade” of the Berlin period in the field of physics and tells how the quantum theory from an extravagant idea became one of the most complete physical models of the Universe.
The twenties in Berlin: turmoil in the world of physics and a workshop of innovative scientists
Today, looking back at the past century, which provided humanity with both undoubtedly useful (mobile communications, medical equipment, solar panels) and incredibly dangerous innovations (nuclear weapons, nuclear energy), Ernst Peter Fischer draws attention to an extremely fruitful decade (until 1932 ) of the past century, when friends Max Planck, who defined a new indivisible quantity (quantum), and Albert Einstein, the author of the legendary scandalous theory of probability, worked with great enthusiasm in the capital of Germany.
Their developments were joined by other leading physicists of the world (future Nobel Prize winners) working in Copenhagen and Göttingen: the author of the model of the atom, the Dane Niels Bohr, the creators of quantum mechanics Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli, Erwin Schrödinger (Erwin Schrödinger), Briton Paul Dirac and the future creator of the atomic bomb American Robert Oppenheimer. From 1918 to 1933, German scientists received six of the 16 Nobel Prizes in physics.
Physicists admired the discoveries of their colleagues, but also criticized each other mercilessly. Even the rebellious theorist Einstein was puzzled: when it became known that our galaxy – the Milky Way – in the vast space surrounding the Earth, is far from the only one, the scientist, as eyewitnesses say, was clearly discouraged. According to the Danish physicist Bohr, who united the atomic and humane (“human”) spheres together, in the drama called “universe” humanity acts not only as spectators, but also takes an active part in its creation, “floundering” at the same time in the “boundless sea of options,” we read in Professor Fischer’s book.
Everything that happens is relatively, Einstein declared, is in constant motion, that is, changeable, unstable, just like the unknown future, “going” towards us. And what it will be depends on what components and how creative each of us is. “amount to“, convinced the physicist of his fellow opponents – Bohr and Heisenberg. So, in disputes and discussions, discoveries were born, on the basis of which a new field in science appeared – quantum mechanics.
Congress in Brussels: group portrait with a lady
At the beginning of the last century, the famous Solvay scientific conferences, named after their organizer, the Belgian scientist Ernest Solvay, are held every three years in Brussels. In the book of Ernst Peter Fischer – on a black-and-white picture – the luminaries of science, who discovered to the world subtle (for the uninitiated) microscopic units called “electrons and photons”. The brightest minds of the early 20th century were invited to heated discussions about them in Brussels in 1927 – scientists who radically changed the idea of physics.
It is significant that in the photograph captured for posterity, among the participants in such a significant event, there is only one representative of the fair sex – Maria Sklodowska-Curie. At that time, she was the only scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize twice: in the field of physics (in 1903) and in the field of chemistry (in 1911).
At the very first conference, held in 1911, Marie Curie, Einstein and Max Planck made a report on the “Theory of Radiation and Quanta”, in 1913 the “Structure of Matter” was on the agenda, in 1921 (due to the war – without the participation leading physicists from Germany at that time) – “Atoms and Electrons”. In 1927, the number of participants (and countries to which Germany returned), as well as scientific discoveries, increased.
The last (pre-war) conference on the structure and properties of the atomic nucleus will take place in 1933. The “fathers of quantums” will penetrate into the depths of physics and the universe, having made an incredible quantum leap, which, however, will not only become a real revolution in physics and natural science in general, but will also have completely unpredictable, and even fatal (super-powerful nuclear weapons) consequences for humanity, reminiscent of the author of the book.
Science, Religion, and the Gratitude Quotient
For a long time, scientists were sure that nature “quantum jumps” are not characteristic. And yet: can quanta help answer the main question – how did space, matter appear? What is light (illumination) and “dark matter” (darkness)? Is there a Supreme? The revolution in physics was preceded by a revolution in the minds of the scientists themselves. So, the deeply religious Max Planck spent many sleepless nights before admitting to his family that he was on the verge of either the greatest discovery or complete absurdity – this is told in the diary entries of his son Erwin.
Religion and science complement each other, the author of the book is sure. Separately, they simply do not exist, emphasizes the physicist and staunch Catholic. Again and again, science refers us to the divine principle of the laws of the universe, Fisher argues. Since the Age of Enlightenment, it has become obvious that, in addition to scientifically proven facts, there are still others. “And these are spiritual values,” he says. Ernst Peter Fischer reinforces his thesis with the statement of Max Planck that religious people are with God initially, while scientists come to him at the end of their journey. “At the moment when they are enlightened and they suddenly understand how the atom works, they are filled with a sense of gratitude. And who do they thank for this? The Creator!” Fischer concludes.
See also:
#Confusion #Quantum #Physics #Berlin #Twenties