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QED and the Men Who Made It: Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title QED and the Men Who Made It: Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Silvan S. Schweber
SeriesPrinceton Series in Physics
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:768
Dimensions(mm): Height 235,Width 152
Category/GenreBiographies and autobiography
History of science
Electricity, electromagnetism and magnetism
Quantum physics
ISBN/Barcode 9780691033273
ClassificationsDewey:530.1433
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations 28 halftones 47 line illus.

Publishing Details

Publisher Princeton University Press
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publication Date 24 April 1994
Publication Country United States

Description

In the 1930s, physics was in 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 their story, blending discussions of scientific work with 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.

Author Biography

Silvan S. Schweber is Professor of Physics and Richard Koret Professor of the History of Ideas at Brandeis University. He is also an associate in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University.

Reviews

"A remarkable and exciting book... Schweber brings to his efforts the tools of the professional historian ... and the tools of a professional physicist who has himself worked on QED, a field as highly technical and abstruse as it is important."--Science