1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 215 The Rise and Glory of Modern Physics

If the foundation of classical physics is the three major theories, then the core of modern physics is relativity and quantum mechanics.

The quantum theory proposed jointly by Planck and Ridgway is the dividing line between new and old physics.

The year 1900 was the first year of modern physics.

The final solution to the big and small dark clouds in classical physics will be related to these two theories.

In real history, the theory of relativity was created by Einstein alone.

So he became a great physicist on par with Newton and Maxwell.

Quantum mechanics was completed by many physics giants.

Including Planck, Bohr, Born, Schrödinger, de Broglie, Heisenberg, Pauli, Dirac and others.

Therefore, the status of these people is slightly lower than that of Einstein.

Ridgway had decided that the time was right for his publication of general relativity.

As for the advent of quantum mechanics, he would still have to wait for Heisenberg to emerge.

But by that time, Li Qiwei had already been confirmed as the number one in physics.

Perhaps Heisenberg would be his disciple.

The Zurich School headed by Einstein and the Copenhagen School headed by Bohr will both have close ties with his King's School.

Even the Cavendish school will join in.

And when he returns to Borneo, the Chinese students he trained may be able to form their own school, which we may call the Borneo School.

No matter which school, Li Qiwei will always be the most important person, the absolute core.

He couldn't help but want to see the grand scene of a super brawl in the field of physics in a dozen years, with several major schools debating with each other.

As the God of Physics, he will watch the changes in physics with a smile and make decisions on the world with a single word.

But now, starting from 1900, modern physics has just begun to take shape, and everything is still in a chaotic and disorderly development.

Roentgen, Marie Curie and Thomson successively dug several big holes in classical physics.

The three major theories cannot explain these strange phenomena.

This is also the confusion of current physicists.

In fact, when it comes down to it, these new phenomena are all related to the internal structure and activities of atoms.

The three major theories of classical physics all describe macroscopic phenomena and laid the foundation for the birth of the theory of relativity.

Almost all new discoveries in modern physics are related to atoms, giving rise to quantum mechanics.

At the October meeting, Li Qiwei plans to use the three phenomena of X-rays, radioactivity and atomic structure as introductions to sort out the next research direction in physics.

In real history, the study of X-rays gave rise to such achievements as X-ray crystal diffraction and X-ray scattering (Compton effect).

It ultimately proved the nature of X-rays and the correctness of the wave-particle duality of light.

Now, Bakla and Bragg have just finished their debate, and Laue has not yet made any efforts. In the next few years, many results will be produced in this direction.

However, the X-ray direction can only be regarded as a detail problem under Maxwell's electromagnetic theory.

Therefore, according to Li Qiwei’s classification in Chapter 115, the bigwigs related to these achievements are just ordinary physicists.

The study of radioactivity led to the discovery of radioactive elements such as radium, Rutherford's theory of element transmutation, and later the nuclear fission of uranium.

It was now Marie Curie and Rutherford who led the research into radioactivity, finding various new emitting elements and studying their properties.

Radioactivity is a deep exploration and supplement to the theory of atomic physics, so Madame Curie and Rutherford are senior physicists.

Finally, the study of atoms has profoundly changed the world of physics because it is extremely relevant to the emergence of quantum mechanics.

The study of atoms can be divided into two parts.

The first part is the atomic composition.

Now Thomson discovered the electron, Ridgway proposed the concept of the atomic nucleus, and Einstein theoretically proved the existence of atoms.

Physicists have an intuitive but superficial understanding of atoms.

Next, concepts such as protons and neutrons will be discovered one after another, allowing physicists to thoroughly understand the internal composition of atoms.

But just knowing the composition is not enough, we also need to know how these components maintain stable operation inside the atoms.

This is the second part of atomic research: the structure of atoms.

Ridgwell proposed a planetary model of the nucleus and electrons inside the atom.

But this model has flaws, which have not yet been discovered.

Bohr is studying this problem. Next, he will use the concept of quantum to propose quantized orbits and overturn Ridgway's planetary model.

Don't underestimate this step, it requires several prerequisites.

In this process, important physicists such as Sommerfeld will appear.

It can be said that Bohr's achievements also stand on the shoulders of his predecessors.

Ridgway would provide guidance to help Bohr accomplish this feat.

He couldn't help laughing: Now I'm the one overthrowing myself.

At the same time, there were other parallel achievements in atomic research, such as the discovery of electron diffraction, which proved de Broglie's view of wave-particle duality.

After writing this, Li Qiwei finally stopped writing.

He rubbed his temple gently.

Even with the experience of a hundred years of later generations, it was still so difficult for him to sort it out, let alone the physicists of the time.

It is no wonder that the Solvay Conference was born. It was impossible not to discuss it, and most physicists were in a state of confusion.

At this point, Ridgway had completed the main development path of physics in the early twentieth century.

In summary, it can be divided into three eras and two key nodes.

The first era was the glory of classical physics, when three major theories dominated the world. The second era was the emergence of relativity and old quantum theory, which overturned classical physics and made it dim.

The third era is the one-man show of quantum mechanics, with probabilistic explanations that subvert causality, and quantum entanglement that ignores distance.

The physicists' three views suffered the most serious impact, and Einstein never believed in it for the rest of his life.

The turning point between the first era and the second era was 1900, when Ridgway and Planck proposed quantum theory.

The second era is currently developing and is the era that Li Qiwei is currently in.

With relativity and the old quantum theory as the theoretical core and atomic research as the experimental basis, various new phenomena that cannot be explained by classical physics emerge in an endless stream.

It is chaotic and confusing, but also full of opportunities; the Nobel Prize is within reach, but it may also slip by.

The node between the second and third eras was 1925, when Heisenberg proposed matrix mechanics, and the old quantum theory officially transformed into the discipline of quantum mechanics.

That would be another wonderful story.

God does not play dice;

If you don't look at the moon, it's not there;
Schrodinger's cat.

Observation affects the results of the double-slit interference experiment;
Quantum entanglement;

Li Qiwei carefully put away the manuscript. If it was discovered by others, it would cause unpredictable consequences.

Fortunately, he wrote everything in Chinese, which at least provided an extra layer of insurance in Europe.

After three days of hard writing, the manuscript was almost as thick as a book.

Li Qiwei had a smile on his face.

In the future, he will continue to add to and improve it until the moment his life ends.

At that time, this book of truth will also be made public by him.

Perhaps it will become the most precious relic in the world of physics.

When Bohr and others saw Li Qiwei after he came out of confinement, they unconsciously developed a pious feeling of worship.

Li Qiwei just stood there quietly with a smile, but in the eyes of everyone, he seemed like the embodiment of truth, dazzling.

At this moment, Li Qiwei's temperament was extraordinary, as if he was floating outside the universe and time.

Of course, Bohr and others didn't know what Li Qiwei had experienced in the past three days.

It can be said that it took Li Qiwei only three days to complete the road that countless geniuses had spent thirty years to open up.

Bohr stuttered and said, "Professor Bruce, you have changed a lot."

Gregory and others nodded mechanically.

In this state, Li Qiwei had a sense of sacredness.

Li Qiwei finally got rid of his previous God's perspective and said with a smile: "This is all the result of staying up late for three days."

"Fortunately, I finally figured it out."

When several people heard Li Qiwei say that it was the result of staying up late, they were a little skeptical. How could one become more energetic the more late he stayed up?

Especially the four people including Master Qian Wu, they almost thought that Li Qiwei was practicing some method to ascend to heaven.

However, their attention was immediately interrupted by Li Qiwei's next sentence.

"This is the list of people I'm going to invite next. Please prepare the invitation letters."

"Send it out according to my instructions when the time comes."

After that, Li Qiwei handed a list to Gregory.

Several people were shaking with excitement for a moment.

The most important thing in physics today is probably Ridgway's list.

In a sense, it is even more important than the Nobel Prize.

Since I didn’t win the Nobel Prize this year, I still have a chance next time.

But if you missed the first Bruce Conference, you would never see it again.

Although it has not yet been held.

But all physicists know its significance and weight.

It is no exaggeration to say that this conference will determine the future of physics.

It will leave a significant mark in history books.

Perhaps in the future, there will be more grand and luxurious meetings than this.

But everyone understands the meaning of the first time.

People only remember the first peak but don't know the name of the second peak.

The key point is that this first meeting is not a casual meeting.

Its initiators and supporters are all the world's top physicists.

Therefore, the first Bruce Conference was bound to attract the attention of the whole world.

Gregory took the list tremblingly and asked with a dry mouth, "Professor, does the invitation need to be kept secret for the time being?"

Li Qiwei thought for a while and said, "It's better to be careful."

"Contact Zhang Maodong from Pioneer Group and ask them to make the invitation letter more exquisite."

Gregory replied, "Yes, Professor."

After saying that, several people took the list carefully and left as if they had found a treasure.

There were constant exclamations and laughter as we walked.

Li Qiwei stretched lazily and prepared to show off... no... give a speech.

(End of this chapter)