History of Quantum Physics

Quantum Mechanics > s.a. path integrals.
* Idea: First indication with Planck's quantum hypothesis, 1900; Patchwork theory developed by Einstein (photon), Bohr (atomic model), de Broglie (matter waves); Reworked from scratch by Heisenberg (matrix mechanics) and Schrödinger (wave mechanics) in 1925; 1925, Formulated in the Dreimännerarbeit by Born, Heisenberg and Jordan; Equivalence shown by Schrödinger in 1926; Group theory approach by Weyl.
@ General references: Peierls CP(64), reprint CP(09); Van der Waerden ed-67; Dirac 74; Mehra pr(76); Elsasser 78; Tagliaferri; Feuer 82; Mehra & Rechenberg 82–87; Cline 87; Whittaker 87; Jammer 89; Darrigol Rech(90), 92; Stehle 94; Fano RNC(95); Duck & Sudarshan 00; Kleppner & Jackiw Sci(00)qp; Tegmark & Wheeler SA(01)qp; Taketani & Nagasaki 02; Perovic SHPMP(08) [equivalence of matrix and wave mechanics]; Darrigol SHPMP(09) [simplified arguments].
@ Planck: Giulini & Straumann qp/00; Kragh pw(00)dec; Studart RBEF(00)phy/01; Büttner et al SHPMP(03) [and Einstein].
@ Bohr-Sommerfeld theory: Bucher a0802; Seth SHPSA(08) [Sommerfeld].
@ Bohr: Mehra FP(87) [discussions with Einstein, Heisenberg and Schrödinger]; Caruso & Oguri a0806 [re Bohr's atomic model].
@ Other early quantum theory: Darrigol HSPS(88), HSPS(91) [statistics and combinatorics]; Antoci & Liebscher AFLB(96)phy/97 [Wentzel's approach, precursor of Feynman's]; Steward 08; Boffi a0806-QSF [1925–1927]; Fedak & Prentis AJP(09)feb [1925 Born & Jordan paper]; Jones 08 [r PT(09)may Eckert].
@ Schrödinger: Mehra 87, FP(87), FP(87), FP(88); Straumann qp/01-in.
@ Heisenberg: Effros mp/04 [matrix mechanics].
@ Einstein: Pais RMP(79); Howard in(90) [pre-EPR]; Fine 96 [Einstein's position]; Campos phy/04 [photon in 1923]; Giulini in(05)phy; Norton SHPMP(06) [light quanta].
@ Majorana: Drago & Esposito FP(04)phy [and group theory]; De Gregorio & Esposito AJP(07)sep-phy/06 [Fermi, Majorana, and teaching]; Esposito phy/06 [and path integrals].
@ Other people: Lochak in(84) [de Broglie]; Schücking PT(99)oct [Jordan]; Bokulich SHPMP(04) [Dirac vs Heisenberg]; Ram qp/05 [Planck's oscillator and Heisenberg's mechanics]; Pessoa et al PiP-phy/06 [1966 Tausk controversy]; Duncan & Janssen phy/06, phy/06 [Van Vleck], a0709 [Jordan, wave-particle duality for light].

Specific Topics > s.a. locality; many-worlds interpretation; measurement; time in quantum theory; thermal radiation.
@ General references: Nilson in(76) [bibliography]; Kuhn 78 [early]; Squires 85 [fundamental physics]; Hoddeson et al RMP(87) [metals]; Milonni & Shih AJP(91)aug [zero-point energy]; Tomonaga 98 [spin]; Straumann qp/04-in [exclusion principle]; Brush HSPBS(07) [photon]; Angelow a0710 [uncertainty relation].
@ Path integrals: Klauder qp/03; Sauer a0801-in [Einstein and Feynman].
@ Interpretations: Beller 99 [Copenhagen]; Freire HSPBS(05)phy [Bohm's], phy/06-in [Wigner's role]; Bacciagaluppi & Valentini qp/06; Nikolic AJP(08)phy/07 [Bohr and Bohm, hypothetical]; Herzenberg a0812 [Grete Hermann]; Osnaghi et al SHPMP(09) [Everett's]; > s.a. foundations and interpretations [Copenhagen].
@ Experiments: Freire SHPMP(06)phy/05 [Bell's theorem and quantum optics]; Bromberg HSNS(08); > s.a. experiments in quantum mechanics.

Quantum Field Theory > s.a. casimir effect; other areas [particle physics]; quantum field theory.
* Idea: The failure to construct a relativistically invariant position eigenstate was a contributing factor in the demise of the so-called relativistic quantum mechanics, in favor of quantum field theories (> see locality).
* 1930s: Concept of annihilation and creation operators introduced by Jordan (the first one who realized that everything is made of field quanta), and viewed with suspicion by Pauli.
* 1947: The short paper Hans Bethe published after the Shelter Island meeting, a calculation of the Lamb shift that showed good agreement with the experimental value, convinced the experts that QED was physically correct and no radically new theory was needed.
@ General references: Rüger HSPS(92); Brown ed-93 [renormalization]; Schroer ht/98/JMP.
@ QED: Schweber 94; Dyson PT(05)oct [Bethe]; Kinoshita IJMPA(06) [Tomonaga]; Esposito phy/06, FP(07)phy/06 [Majorana manuscripts]; Baym & Ozawa PNAS(09)-a0902 [Bohr's argument for electromagnetic field quantization].
@ QCD: Adler hp/04/PT; Gross RMP(05) [Nobel lecture]; Greenberg a0803-in [discovery of color degree of freedom]; Tkachov a0904 [quarks, Struminsky's 1965 paper].
@ Quantum gravity: Rovelli gq/00-MG9; > s.a. history of relativistic physics.

main page – abbreviations – journals – comments – other sites – acknowledgements
send feedback and suggestions to bombelli at olemiss.edu – modified 18 may 2009