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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 100

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Einstein's steady-state theory: an abandoned model of the cosmos
We present a translation and analysis of an unpublished manuscript by Albert Einstein in which he attempted to construct a 'steady-state' model of the universe. The manuscript, which appears…
Cormac O'Raifeartaigh, Brendan McCann, Werner Nahm et al.Feb 1, 2014
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Pathways of History of Elementary Particle Physics
In this first paper, we briefly retrace some historical pathways of modern physics of 20th Century. In particular, we have considered some moments of cosmic ray physics and, above all, the early…
Giuseppe IuratoFeb 1, 2014
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Gauge Symmetry, Spontaneous Breaking of Gauge Symmetry: Philosophical Approach
This paper deals with the Berry phase, and the ontology of the electromagnetic vector potential. When the state of the system is gauge symmetric, the vector potential may be interpreted as a…
Pascal LedererJan 31, 2014
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A Note On Einstein, Bergmann, and the Fifth Dimension
This note is devoted to a detail concerning the work of Albert Einstein and Peter Bergmann on unified theories of electromagnetism and gravitation in five dimensions. In their paper of 1938, Einstein…
Edward WittenJan 31, 2014
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In the footsteps of Ebenezer Porter Mason and his nebulae
In 1839 Ebenezer Porter Mason (1819-1840) produced detailed drawings of the Omega Nebula (M17), the Trifid Nebula (M20) and the eastern part of the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992 and 6995). He used a 12-inch…
Jeremy Shears, Carl Knight, Martin Lewis et al.Jan 30, 2014
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Guaman Poma's Yupana and Inca Astronomy
An explanation is provided for the Inca counting board described by Guaman Poma in 1615. Although the board could have been used in more than one way, we show that based on certain reasonable…
Subhash KakJan 29, 2014
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The First "lost" International Conference on Nonlinear Oscillations (I.C.N.O.)
From 28 to 30 January 1933 was held at the Institut Henri Poincaré (Paris) the first International Conference of Nonlinear Oscillations organized at the initiative of the Dutch physicist Balthazar…
Jean-Marc GinouxJan 27, 2014
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Water-filled telescopes
In this short note we discuss the case of the thought experiments on water-filled telescopes and their realizations during 18th and 19th century. The story of those instruments shows that the…
E. AntonelloJan 22, 2014
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Ipotesi astronomiche sul foro della colonna augustea di Santa Maria in Aracoeli
The third column of the left row in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome, has a hole carved in it, of probable astronomical use. The tube aims at a point a 116 degrees of azimut,…
Costantino SigismondiJan 19, 2014
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La meridiana di Egnazio Danti nella Torre dei Venti in Vaticano: un'icona della riforma Gregoriana del calendario
The meridian line traced by Egnazio Danti in the Torre dei Venti in Vatican demostrated the need of the Gregorian Reformation of the Calendar. A review on this instrument is presented, along with the…
Costantino SigismondiJan 14, 2014
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The relevance of ontological commitments
In this introductory note, I describe my particular view of the notion of ontological commitments as honest and pragmatic working hypotheses that assume the existence (out there) of certain entities…
Pablo Echenique-RobbaJan 14, 2014
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N.C. Rana: The Life of a `Comet' in the Astrophysical World
Narayan Chandra Rana, a person with extraordinary potential from a remote village of Bengal, India, came into the limelight of the international scientific world through his exceptional talent, zeal…
Utpal Mukhopadhyay, Saibal RayJan 8, 2014
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Gödel, Tarski, Turing and the conundrum of free will
The problem of defining and locating free will (FW) in physics is studied. On basis of logical paradoxes, we argue that FW has a meta-theoretic character, like the concept of truth in Tarski's…
Chetan S. Mandayam Nayakar, R. SrikanthJan 8, 2014
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The Giza "written" landscape and the double project of King Khufu
In recent years, different scientific disciplines, from Physics to Egyptology, from Geology to Archaeoastronomy, evidenced a series of clues pointing to the possibility that the original project of…
Giulio MagliJan 2, 2014
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Photon: New light on an old name
After G. N. Lewis (1875-1946) proposed the term "photon" in 1926, many physicists adopted it as a more apt name for Einstein's light quantum. However, Lewis' photon was a concept of a…
Helge KraghJan 1, 2014
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Why does the Moon's terminator not appear orthogonal to the direction of the Sun?
When the Moon is at quarter, its terminator generally does not appear to be orthogonal to a straight line connecting the Moon with the Sun. A purely geometric, intuitive interpretation of this at…
Alberto De GregorioDec 30, 2013
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Nero's "solar" kingship and the architecture of Domus Aurea
The Domus Aurea, Nero's last "palace" constructed in the very heart of ancient Rome, is a true masterpiece of Roman architecture. We explore here symbolic aspects of the emperor's…
Robert Hannah, Giulio Magli, Antonella PalmieriDec 29, 2013
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Kenneth Geddes Wilson
A look back at Kenneth Wilson's contributions to theoretical physics, with some reminiscences of the professor I encountered at Cornell during the 1980s.
Andreas S. KronfeldDec 24, 2013
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The flow of time in the theory of relativity
Dennis Dieks advanced the view that the idea of flow of time is implemented in the theory of relativity. The 'flow' results from the successive happening/becoming of events along the…
Mario Bacelar ValenteDec 23, 2013
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Ken Wilson -- The Early Years
Ken Wilson is remembered.
R. JackiwDec 23, 2013
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The Science of al-Biruni
Al-Biruni (973-1048) was one of the greatest scientists of all times. He was an astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, and studied physics and natural sciences. In this paper, we will discuss…
Amelia Carolina SparavignaDec 22, 2013
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Time in Fundamental Physics
The first three sections of this article contain a broad brush summary of the profound changes in the notion of time in fundamental physics that were brought about by three revolutions: the…
Abhay AshtekarDec 21, 2013
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In memory of M. I. Polikarpov
This obituary is devoted to M. I. Polikarpov (28.12.1952 - 18.07.2013), our teacher, our colleague, our friend. We recollect some facts of his biography and stages of his scientific career, and make…
V. G. Bornyakov, P. V. Buividovich, M. A. ZubkovDec 20, 2013
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Schwinger's Approach to Einstein's Gravity and Beyond
Julian Schwinger (1918--1994), founder of renormalized quantum electrodynamics, was arguably the leading theoretical physicist of the second half of the 20th century. Thus it is not surprising that…
K. A. MiltonDec 16, 2013
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Marcel Grossmann and his contribution to the general theory of relativity
This article reviews the biography of the Swiss mathematician Marcel Grossmann (1878-1936) and his contributions to the emergence of the general theory of relativity. The first part is his biography,…
Tilman SauerDec 14, 2013
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