Quantum theory at the crossroads : reconsidering the 1927 Solvay Conference / Guido Bacciagaluppi, Antony Valentini.

Format:

Book

Conference/Event

Author/Creator:

Bacciagaluppi, Guido, author.

Valentini, Antony, author.

Conference Name:

Conseil de physique (5th : 1927 : Brussels, Belgium)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Instituts Solvay.

Conseil de physique--(5th : 1927 : Brussels, Belgium).

Conseil de physique.

Quantum theory--History.

Quantum theory.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxv, 530 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The 1927 Solvay conference was perhaps the most important in the history of quantum theory. Contrary to popular belief, questions of interpretation were not settled at this conference. Instead, a range of sharply conflicting views were extensively discussed, including de Broglie's pilot-wave theory (which de Broglie presented for a many-body system), Born and Heisenberg's 'quantum mechanics' (which apparently lacked wave function collapse or fundamental time evolution), and Schrödinger's wave mechanics. Today, there is no longer a dominant interpretation of quantum theory, so it is important to re-evaluate the historical sources and keep the debate open. This book contains a complete translation of the original proceedings, with essays on the three main interpretations presented, and a detailed analysis of the lectures and discussions in the light of current research. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in physics and in the history and philosophy of quantum theory.

Contents:

Perspectives on the 1927 Solvay Conference

Historical introduction

De Broglie's pilot-wave theory

From matrix mechanics to quantum mechanics

Schrödinger's wave mechanics

Quantum foundations and the 1927 Solvay Conference

Quantum theory and the measurement problem

Interference, superposition, and wave packet collapse

Locality and incompleteness

Time, determinism, and the spacetime framework

Guiding fields in 3-space

Scattering and measurement in de Broglie's pilot-wave theory

Pilot-wave theory in retrospect

Beyond the Bohr-Einstein debate

The proceedings of the 1927 Solvay Conference: The intensity of X-ray reflection / W.L. Bragg ; Disagreements between experiment and the electromagnetic theory of radiation / A.H. Compton ; The new dynamics of quanta / L. de Broglie ; Quantum mechanics / M. Born and W. Heisenberg ; Wave mechanics / E. Schrödinger ; General discussion of the new ideas presented.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contains:

Électrons et photons.

ISBN:

1-139-88697-5

1-139-63695-2

1-139-64916-7

1-139-63870-X

1-139-63535-2

1-299-40001-9

1-139-64819-5

1-139-19498-4

1-139-64154-9

OCLC:

829461937