物理学史与哲学

The Copenhagen interpretation has been the subject of much criticism, notably by De Broglie and Einstein, because it contradicts the principles of causality and realism. The aim of this essay is to study the wave mechanics as an alternative…

I defend algebraicism, according to which physical fields can be understood in terms of their structural relations without reference to a spacetime manifold, as a genuine relationalist view against the conventional wisdom that it is…

This paper examines Schwarzschild's key contributions to general relativity through his two papers. It focuses on his method for developing exterior and interior solutions. The study emphasizes Schwarzschild's ingenious methods and the…

Reasoning by analogies permeates theoretical developments in physics and astrophysics, motivated by the unreachable nature of many phenomena at play. For example, analogies have been used to understand black hole physics, leading to the…

This article is a summary of a talk about Richard Feynman, given at a conference Polymaths across the Eras organized in November 2023 by the St Cross Centre for the History and Philosophy of Physics (HAPP) in Oxford. It describes Feynman as…

We have determined the most probable date for the catalog of 34 stars that was used in the construction of a Latin astrolabe originally owned by the Dominican preacher friars and presently at Mus\'ee des Arts pr\'ecieux Paul-Dupuy…

Just as the chemical elements from hydrogen (Z = 1) to oganesson (Z = 118) once were discovered, so were the numerous isotopes. The histories of how the isotopes were discovered are less well known, but in a few cases they are as…

Ancient mesoamerican cultures built a short ritual 260 day calendar and used it for daily routinary life. Using simple arithmetic calculations it is first shown that by forcing the introduction of the the fundamental number 13 to calculate…

Marietta Blau was a Vienna born nuclear physicist who eventually became the leading expert in the photographic detection of ionizing particles. She studied physics at the University of Vienna, graduated in 1919. As of 1924, she adapted the…

The year 2023 marks three anniversaries: the 150th anniversary of the French Physical Society, the 100th anniversary since the publication of Louis de Broglie's articles (the first fundamental articles of Quantum Mechanics) and the 50th…

An extensive survey is given of the historical origins of the Second Law of thermodynamics, illustrated by excerpts from many original sources, and with biographical information about key contributors. The major strands of conceptual…

Laws of motion given in terms of differential equations can not always be derived from an action principle, at least not without introducing auxiliary variables. By allowing auxiliary variables, e.g. in the form of Lagrange multipliers, an…

The year 1953 is pivotal for computational physics: the first application of the Monte-Carlo method is published and calculations of the so-called Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou experiment are started. It is the beginning of the massive use in…

We offer an argument against simplicity as a sole intrinsic criterion for nomic realism. The argument is based on the simplicity bubble effect. Underdetermination in quantum foundations illustrates the case.

We investigate the propagation of certain non-plane wave solutions to Maxwell's equations in both flat and curved spacetimes. We find that such solutions (or rather parts of them) exhibit accelerative behaviour, and in particular do not…

Traditionally, to be a realist about something means believing in the independent existence of that something. In this line of thought, a scientific realist is someone who believes in the objective existence of the entities postulated by…

An integral translation of Paolo Gulmanelli's seminar notes "Su una teoria dello spin isotopico" (Casa Editrice, Milano, 1957) is presented. This is the only exposition that contains all elements of Pauli's attempt at a non-Abelian…

This is a contemporary review of the involvement of Mileva Maric, Albert Einsteins first wife, in his theoretical work between the period of 1900 to 1905. Separate biographies are outlined for both Mileva and Einstein, prior to their…

To what extent does the black hole information paradox lead to violations of quantum mechanics? I explain how black hole complementarity provides a framework to articulate how quantum characterizations of black holes can remain consistent…

Cosmic rays were discovered by Victor Hess in 1912 through their effect on the conductivity of the atmosphere. It took several decades of research to understand their nature and composition. The photographic method of particle detection,…