QED and the Men Who Made It: Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga
4/5
()
About this ebook
In the 1930s, physics was in a crisis. There appeared to be no way to reconcile the new theory of quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of relativity. Several approaches had been tried and had failed. In the post-World War II period, four eminent physicists rose to the challenge and developed a calculable version of quantum electrodynamics (QED), probably the most successful theory in physics. This formulation of QED was pioneered by Freeman Dyson, Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, three of whom won the Nobel Prize for their work. In this book, physicist and historian Silvan Schweber tells the story of these four physicists, blending discussions of their scientific work with fascinating biographical sketches.
Setting the achievements of these four men in context, Schweber begins with an account of the early work done by physicists such as Dirac and Jordan, and describes the gathering of eminent theorists at Shelter Island in 1947, the meeting that heralded the new era of QED. The rest of his narrative comprises individual biographies of the four physicists, discussions of their major contributions, and the story of the scientific community in which they worked. Throughout, Schweber draws on his technical expertise to offer a lively and lucid explanation of how this theory was finally established as the appropriate way to describe the atomic and subatomic realms.
Related to QED and the Men Who Made It
Titles in the series (12)
More Surprises in Theoretical Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurprises in Theoretical Physics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Fluctuations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSupersymmetry and Supergravity: Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQED and the Men Who Made It: Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gravitation and Inertia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5More is Different: Fifty Years of Condensed Matter Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaster of Modern Physics: The Scientific Contributions of H. A. Kramers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCritical Problems in Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Shadow of the Bomb: Oppenheimer, Bethe, and the Moral Responsibility of the Scientist Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Principles of Physical Cosmology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related ebooks
Cosmology’s Century: An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFly by Night Physics: How Physicists Use the Backs of Envelopes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGravitation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Surprises in Theoretical Physics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Group Theory in a Nutshell for Physicists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5PCT, Spin and Statistics, and All That Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Standard Model in a Nutshell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRelativistic Astrophysics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Modern Classical Physics: Optics, Fluids, Plasmas, Elasticity, Relativity, and Statistical Physics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5More is Different: Fifty Years of Condensed Matter Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRelativity and Cosmology: Volume 5 of Modern Classical Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlasma Physics for Astrophysics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfect Form: Variational Principles, Methods, and Applications in Elementary Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnsolved Problems in Astrophysics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quantum Mechanics of Many-Body Systems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStatistical Physics: Volume 1 of Modern Classical Physics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStatistical Mechanics: International Series of Monographs in Natural Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Particle Physics: An Introduction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Principles of Physical Cosmology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Einstein Was Right: The Science and History of Gravitational Waves Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSimply Dirac Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nonstandard Methods in Stochastic Analysis and Mathematical Physics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mechanics and Electrodynamics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ideas of Quantum Chemistry: Volume 1: From Quantum Physics to Chemistry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fearful Symmetry: The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's About Time: Understanding Einstein's Relativity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erwin Schrodinger and the Quantum Revolution Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5General Relativity from A to B Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Science & Mathematics For You
The Systems Thinker: Essential Thinking Skills For Solving Problems, Managing Chaos, Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of Hacks: 264 Amazing DIY Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Memory Craft: Improve Your Memory with the Most Powerful Methods in History Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Letter to Liberals: Censorship and COVID: An Attack on Science and American Ideals Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Metaphors We Live By Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born for Love: Why Empathy Is Essential--and Endangered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Activate Your Brain: How Understanding Your Brain Can Improve Your Work - and Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/52084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Free Will Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Psychology of Totalitarianism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oppenheimer: The Tragic Intellect Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/518 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for QED and the Men Who Made It
8 ratings0 reviews