The Tausk Controversy in the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics: Politics, Mentorship and a Dissenter's Disappearance

Abstract

In 1966, the Brazilian physicist Klaus Tausk circulated a preprint from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, in Trieste, criticizing the theory put forward by Daneri, Loinger & Prosperi on the measurement problem in quantum mechanics. This led to a heated controversy, which reflected two opposing camps within the orthodox interpretation of quantum theory, represented by Leon Rosenfeld and Eugene Wigner. But the controversy also went beyond the strictly scientific issues, involving the political context of the Cold War, the relations between developed and "Third world" countries, the use of social skills, and personal idiosyncrasies.