Related papers: Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976)
The Heisenberg uncertainty relation, which links the uncertainties of the position and momentum of a particle, has an important footprint on the quantum behavior of a physical system. Analogous to this principle, we propose that…
The formalism of classical and quantum mechanics on phase space leads to symplectic and Heisenberg group representations, respectively. The Wigner functions give a representation of the quantum system using classical variables. The…
Heisenberg's uncertainty relation means that one observer cannot know an exact position and velocity for another (finite mass) observer. By contrast, the Poincare transformation of classical special relativity assumes that one observer…
Taking Heisenberg's and Schrodinger's theories of quantum mechanics as his case study, De Regt's contextual theory of understanding argues that recognizing qualitatively characteristic consequences of a theory T without performing exact…
This contribution aims to give an overview of the historical context of neutrino physics. I will present the strong social trends that shaped physics and the way physicists worked, along the 20th century. First, we will see the background…
Albert Einstein made fundamental contributions to the development of quantum mechanics. However, he was never satisfied with the quantum worldview. In fact, during most of his life he attempted to find inconsistencies and paradoxes within…
Two of the major achievements of Stephen Hawking are described in elementary terms. They are his work on the beginning of the universe and his work on the end of black holes. These are perhaps the scientific achievements for which he is…
We study some of the possibilities for formulating the Heisenberg relation of quantum mechanics in mathematical terms. In particular, we examine the framework discussed by Murray and von Neumann, the family (algebra) of operators affiliated…
After reviewing the role of phase in quantum mechanics, I discuss, with the aid of a number of unpublished documents, the development of quantum phase operators in the 1960's. Interwoven in the discussion are the critical physics questions…
I describe the early (1974--75) work I did on what is now called the Zeno problem in quantum mechanics. Then I propose a new formulation which may obviate a vexing problem of operator limits and which also may be more…
It is argued that the conclusions obtained by Renninger (Zeitschrift fur Physik 136, 251 (1953)), by means of an interferometer thought experiment, have important implications for a number of still ongoing discussions about quantum…
Stephen Hawking's contributions to the understanding of gravity, black holes and cosmology were truly immense. They began with the singularity theorems in the 1960s followed by his discovery that black holes have an entropy and consequently…
In this essay it will be shown that the introduction of a modification to Heisenberg algebra (here this feature means the existence of a minimal obserlvable length), as a fundamental part of the quantization process of the electrodynamical…
We still lack any consensus about what one is actually talking about as one uses quantum mechanics. There is a gap between the abstract terms in which the theory is couched and the phenomena the theory enables each of us to account for so…
In the centennial of Ettore Majorana's birth (1906-1938?), we re-examine some aspects of his fundamental scientific production in atomic and molecular physics, including a not well known short communication. There, Majorana critically…
In his 1916's first paper on gravitational waves Einstein began to speculate on interactions between the principles of the old quantum theory and his theory of gravitation. With this contribution Einstein has stimulated a lot of similar…
This Introduction opens the book {\sl Standing Together in Troubled Times} which presents a story of friendship between Wolfgang Pauli, one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the 20th century, and Charlotte Houtermans. They met at…
We review the work and life of Otto Stern who developed the molecular beam technique and with its aid laid the foundations of experimental atomic physics. Among the key results of his research are: the experimental determination of the…
The question whether quantum mechanics is complete and the nature of the transition between quantum mechanics and classical mechanics have intrigued physicists for decades. There have been many experimental breakthroughs in creating larger…
Starting with Einstein's famous papers of 1905, we review some of the ensuing developments and their impact on present-day physics. We attempt to cover topics that are of interest to historians and philosophers of science as well as to…