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History and Philosophy of Physics papers — page 117

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Remarks on the first hundred years of superconductivity
On the occasion of centenary of superconductivity discovery I recall some facts from the first period and attempts to understand the phenomenon. It turns out that most famous physicists of the first…
Karol I. WysokinskiNov 22, 2011
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The 1953 Cosmic Ray Conference at Bagneres de Bigorre
The cosmic ray conference at Bagn`eres de Bigorre in July, 1953 organized by Patrick Blackett and Louis Leprince-Ringuet was a seminal one. It marked the beginning of sub atomic physics and its shift…
James W. CroninNov 22, 2011
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The development of Iranian calendar: historical and astronomical foundations
The official Iranian calendar is a solar one that in both the length and the first day of its year is based not on convention, but on two natural (i.e. astronomical) factors: a) the moment of…
Musa AkramiNov 21, 2011
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Preludes to dark energy: Zero-point energy and vacuum speculations
Although dark energy is a modern concept, some elements in it can be traced back to the early part of the twentieth century. This paper examines the origin of the idea of zero-point energy and in…
Helge KraghNov 20, 2011
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Cosmic Coincidences: Another Explanation
Arising out of an attempt at a new foundations of mathematics, in which relations are more primitive than sets, and out of the theoretical physicists' concept of underlying causes of empirical…
Helier RobinsonNov 19, 2011
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Empirical consequences of symmetries
`Global' symmetries, such as the boost invariance of classical mechanics and special relativity, can give rise to direct empirical counterparts such as the Galileo-ship phenomenon. However, a…
Hilary Greaves, David WallaceNov 18, 2011
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Reactionaries and Einstein's Fame: "German Scientists for the Preservation of Pure Science," Relativity, and the Bad Nauheim Meeting
Two important and unpleasant events occurred in Albert Einstein's life in 1920: That August an antirelativity rally was held in the large auditorium of the Berlin Philharmonic, and a few weeks…
Jeroen van DongenNov 9, 2011
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Decoherence and Ontology, or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love FAPP
I make the case that the Universe according to unitary (no-collapse) quantum theory has a branching structure, and so can literally be regarded as a "many-worlds" theory. These worlds are not…
David WallaceNov 9, 2011
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On Einstein's opponents, and other crackpots
Essay Review of "Einsteins Gegner. Die öffentliche Kontroverse um die Relativitätstheorie in den 1920er Jahren" by Milena Wazeck.
Jeroen van DongenNov 9, 2011
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Yang-Mills and Beyond
In their 1954 paper, Yang and Mills invented the non-Abelian field strength to satisfy certain criteria but didn't explain how it could be derived. In the penultimate section we show how the…
Samuel MarateckNov 4, 2011
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Pursuit of Wisdom and Quantum Ontology
In his late work (De venatione sapientiae), Cusanus unfolded basic ideas of his brilliant theology. After a long period, this ingenious teaching became clearly recognizable especially in our time.…
Peter KleinertNov 3, 2011
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Reflections on the four facets of symmetry: how physics exemplifies rational thinking
In contemporary theoretical physics, the powerful notion of symmetry stands for a web of intricate meanings among which I identify four clusters associated with the notion of transformation,…
Amaury MouchetNov 2, 2011
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Searching for an equation: Dirac, Majorana and the others
We review the non-trivial issue of the relativistic description of a quantum mechanical system that, contrary to a common belief, kept theoreticians busy from the end of 1920s to (at least) mid…
S. EspositoOct 31, 2011
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How Quantum Theory Helps us Explain
I offer an account of how the quantum theory we have helps us explain so much. The account depends on a pragmatist interpretation of the theory: This takes a quantum state to serve solely as a source…
Richard HealeyOct 29, 2011
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Unity, Disunity and Pluralism in Science
We discuss the problems of consensus and unity in science. The natural sciences seem to contrast with many other areas of endeavor in that a high level of consensus seems to exist in them. However, a…
David A. Edwards, Stephen WilcoxOct 29, 2011
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George Augustus Linhart - as a "widely unknown" thermodynamicist
The name of George Augustus Linhart is in fact "widely unknown". In effect, he was a Viennese-born USA-American physicist-chemist, partially associated with the Gilbert Newton Lewis'…
E. B. StarikovOct 27, 2011
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Bruno Rossi and Cosmic Rays: From Earth laboratories to Physics in Space
Rossi's career paralleled the evolution of cosmic-ray physics. Starting from the early 1930s his pioneering work on the nature and behavior of cosmic rays led to fundamental contributions in the…
Luisa BonolisOct 27, 2011
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Introduction to Bronstein's "Quantum theory of weak gravitational fields"
A scientific introduction and short biography to accompany the translation of Matvei P. Bronstein, "Quantum theory of weak gravitational fields", Phys. Zeitschr. der Sowjetunion 9, 140 157…
S. Deser, A. StarobinskyOct 26, 2011
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Conceptual Problems in Cosmology
In this essay a critical review of present conceptual problems in current cosmology is provided from a more philosophical point of view. In essence, a digression on how could philosophy help…
F. J. Amaral VieiraOct 25, 2011
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Digging down the past
It is often stated that cosmology is an extreme form of archeology that deals with aeons of time extending back to thousands of millions of years. One talks, for instance, of relics of the early…
Orfeu BertolamiOct 20, 2011
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The sunspot observations by Samuel Heinrich Schwabe
A long time-series of sunspot observations is preserved from Samuel Heinrich Schwabe who made notes and drawings of sunspots from 1825-1867. Schwabe's observing records are preserved in the…
R. ArltOct 17, 2011
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Many Worlds, the Cluster-state Quantum Computer, and the Problem of the Preferred Basis
I argue that the many worlds explanation of quantum computation is not licensed by, and in fact is conceptually inferior to, the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics from which it is…
Michael CuffaroOct 11, 2011
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Hubble and Shapley - Two Early Giants of Observational Cosmology
Observational cosmology of the first decades of the Twentieth Century was dominated by two giants: Edwin Hubble and Harlow Shapley. Hubble's major contributions were to the study and…
Sidney van den BerghOct 11, 2011
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The Beginnings of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Particle Physics -- Derived From My on the Spot "Intellectual Battlefield Impressions"
I summarize the development of the ideas of Spontaneous symmetry breaking in the 1960s with an outline of the Guralnik, Hagen, Kibble (GHK) paper and include comments on the relationship of this…
G. S. GuralnikOct 11, 2011
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Vision to reality: From Robert R. Wilson's frontier to Leon M. Lederman's Fermilab
This paper examines the roles of vision and leadership in creating and directing Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory from the late 1960s through the 1980s. The story divides into two…
Lillian H. Hoddeson, Adrienne W. KolbOct 3, 2011
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