Synopses & Reviews
Fascinating look at the landmark 1932 gathering of the biggest names in physics
Known by physicists as the miracle year, 1932 saw the discovery of the neutron and the first artificially induced nuclear transmutation. However, while physicists celebrated these momentous discoveries (which presaged the era of big science and nuclear bombs)Europe was moving inexorably toward totalitarianism and war. In April of that year, about forty of the worlds leading physicists, including Werner Heisenberg, Lise Meitner, and Paul Dirac, came to Niels Bohrs Copenhagen Institute for their annual informal meeting about the frontiers of physics.
Physicist Gino Segre brings to life this historic gathering, which ended with a humorous skit based on Goethes Faust; a skit that eerily foreshadowed events that would soon unfold. Little did the scientists know the Faustian bargains they would face in the near future. Capturing the interplay between the great scientists as well as the discoveries they discussed and debated, Segre evokes the moment when physics, and the world, was about to lose its innocence.
Synopsis
A physicist himself, Gino Segrè writes about what scientists do?and why they do it?with intimacy, clarity, and passion. In
Faust in Copenhagen, he evokes the fleeting, magical moment when physics?and the world?was about to lose its innocence forever. Known by physicists as the miracle year, 1932 saw the discovery of the neutron and antimatter, as well as the first artificially induced nuclear transmutations. However, while scientists celebrated these momentous discoveries?which presaged the nuclear era and the emergence of big science?during a meeting at Niels Bohr?s Copenhagen Institute, Europe was moving inexorably toward totalitarianism and war.
Synopsis
A physicist himself, Gino Segrand#232; writes about what scientists do?and why they do it?with intimacy, clarity, and passion. In
Faust in Copenhagen, he evokes the fleeting, magical moment when physics?and the world?was about to lose its innocence forever. Known by physicists as the miracle year, 1932 saw the discovery of the neutron and antimatter, as well as the first artificially induced nuclear transmutations. However, while scientists celebrated these momentous discoveries?which presaged the nuclear era and the emergence of big science?during a meeting at Niels Bohr?s Copenhagen Institute, Europe was moving inexorably toward totalitarianism and war.
About the Author
Gino Segrè is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania. An internationally renowned expert on high-energy elementary-particle theoretical physics, he is the author of A Matter of Degrees: What Temperature Reveals About the Past and Future of Our Species, Planet, and Universe. He has received awards from the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the John S. Guggenheim Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy.