1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 426: Four major directions of cutting-edge physics! Professor Bruce dominates everything!
1920 was a year worth looking forward to for the physics community.

Because two major events will happen this year.

The first thing is the second Physics Olympiad to be held in London, UK in July.

It can be said that the popularity of this year's competition has surpassed the first one, even to a crazy level.

Because the first Olympiad was held during the war, everything was kept simple.

In addition, due to lack of experience, there are bound to be many omissions.

Now, after sufficient preparation, the UK strives to make the Olympiad into the most powerful scientific competition that will shock the world.

At the same time, Britain and Germany are determined to win the team and individual gold medals this time.

This is a battle of national honor!
The second event is the Astronomy Debate of the Century to be held in the United States on April 4.

You said this is clearly a matter of astronomy, how come it has become a big deal in physics.

There is no way. Although astronomy is not a vassal of physics, physicists have always regarded it as a younger brother.

Newton's law of universal gravitation, combined with Ridgway's theory of general relativity, has injected an indelible physical gene into astronomy.

Even the president of the federation is a physicist, which is a clear indication of this.

This debate, proposed by Ridgway, was the subject of fierce debate among many bigwigs of the International Astronomical Union.

In the end, Professor Haier from the United States won because he had the loudest voice and successfully obtained the right to host the debate.

This world-renowned debate of the century will be held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

By then, astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts from all over the world will try to find ways to participate.

The above two events are both world-class sensational news, attracting the attention of countless people.

Many people in the field of physics are paying close attention to this issue.

However, the top physics experts are concerned about the most cutting-edge issues in the field.

The Third Bruce Council is about to be held, and the Iron Throne is back on the scene.

A bloody storm in the field of physics has begun.

All physicists are working hard on their own research topics in an attempt to become famous overnight and receive an invitation letter from Professor Bruce.

The past two conferences have proven that only truly original and sensational results have a chance.

This is a cruel fight, and even geniuses can only look up to it.

Therefore, even the big guys dare not slack off and can only work hard.

A good research direction can undoubtedly greatly increase the probability of producing research results.

Quantum Research Institute, in the conference room on the first floor.

Ridgway gave a small lecture to analyze current trends in physics for everyone.

He was also inspired by Schrödinger's resume and felt it necessary to give everyone a training session.

Many people actually have scientific talent, but because they have no guide, their talent is wasted on useless things.

Regardless of your personal abilities, you should at least understand the overall framework of cutting-edge physics, how it will develop in the future, etc.

For doctoral students like Irena, direction is more important than process.

What she needs to master is a higher scientific research perspective, rather than limiting herself to repeatedly improving her experimental skills.

Similarly, for Schrödinger, as a laboratory assistant in the Quantum Institute, he also needs to have a big picture view.

Otherwise, how can we better guide Professor Bruce in his work?

In addition to the people from the institute, several other groups of people also came to this small lecture.

For example, Gregory brought the editors of Nature to broaden their horizons.

As an editor, you may not have very strong personal abilities, but you must have a broad vision to do a good job of editing.

There are also scholars from the Greenwich Observatory and so on.

Li Qiwei welcomes this very much. The purpose of his teaching is to like and be good at sharing.

If a person's opinions cannot be understood by his listeners, it means that he has not thought them through clearly.

This is the meaning of sharing. It is beneficial to others and also helps to sort out your own knowledge structure.

Eddington, taking advantage of the Greenwich Observatory's proximity to the moon, also came to listen to the report.

The great debate of the century in April has little to do with him. After all, he studies stars, not galaxies on a large scale in the universe.

When Eddington learned that Professor Bruce was also studying stars, he became a frequent visitor to the Quantum Institute.

He even became close friends with Schrödinger.

Although Eddington was much more famous than Schrödinger at that time, he did not look down on this young man.

How could someone who was chosen by Professor Bruce as a research assistant be just an ordinary person?

The other party definitely has something outstanding.

"Dr. Schrödinger, I heard that you are mainly studying quantum theory now?"

Schrödinger showed great respect to Eddington, who was five years older than him.

Because he risked his life to use a total solar eclipse to prove the bending of starlight, he has become a legend in the scientific community.

If he hadn't come to the Quantum Research Institute, he would have no chance to talk to such a big shot.

"Yes, Professor Eddington."

“Professor Bruce gave me a lot of guidance in research direction.”

Upon hearing this, Eddington felt envious.

"Come on, Schrodinger."

"Your name will definitely be in the future field of physics."

Schrödinger smiled. Although the other party was a big name in astronomy, he was still very happy to receive such encouragement.

Soon, Li Qiwei's report officially began, and the two of them quickly stopped talking and listened carefully.

"In a broad sense, there are four cutting-edge directions in current physics."

"They are relativity, quantum theory, atomics, and astrophysics."

“First, let’s look at the theory of relativity.”

"Strictly speaking, of the five major predictions of general relativity, only one has been successfully verified."

"That's the bending of starlight that Eddington verified."

Eddington was clearly aware of everyone's gaze, but he appeared very calm and not proud.

"As for Schwarzschild's theoretical solution to the existence of black holes, no such celestial body has been discovered in astronomy so far."

“So this prediction cannot actually be considered to have been successfully verified.”

"Also, I know that Hubble is observing the starry sky through the most advanced telescope in the United States."

“He wanted to prove that the universe was expanding.”

"This prediction requires many times more data than the bending of starlight."

Eddington nodded.

He and Hubble had already become close friends and they often communicated via correspondence.

Eddington knew that the other party's research on the expansion of the universe was at a critical stage.

The amount of data Hubble needs to process is at least on the order of hundreds of thousands, far exceeding the bending of starlight.

Once a breakthrough is made, it will definitely be a result that shocks the world.

"Therefore, general relativity remains the mainstream of current research."

"And astrophysics is closely related to it."

"For example, the Great Debate of the Century, which will be held in April, actually falls within the scope of astrophysics."

"The various theories used, such as spectrum analysis, pulse calculation, etc., are all part of physics."

"In addition, the topic of stellar evolution that I am currently studying is actually an extension of physics."

“I will probably publish my first astronomy paper this year.”

Wow!
Li Qiwei's tone was calm, but it sounded like thunder to everyone's ears, especially Eddington, whose eyes widened instantly.

"Oh my God, Professor Bruce has achieved results so quickly?"

"Has he discovered the secret of stellar energy, or figured out its internal structure?"

Eddington found it incredible and too exaggerated.

Professor Bruce has only just started studying astronomy.

Does this kind of talent really exist in the world?
Eddington suddenly felt that compared with Professor Bruce, he was no different from trash.

At this time, Schrödinger suddenly asked a question.

Although he has only been here for a short time, he has already fallen in love with this place.

Because Professor Bruce advocates an equal and free academic exchange atmosphere.

Anyone can ask any question without having to worry about who the other person is.

For example, Irena often discussed problems with him, which helped Schrödinger regain his confidence.

"Professor, you said astronomy is an extension of physics."

"Does this have anything to do with your choice of studying astronomy?"

"After all, in my opinion, perhaps chemistry and biology need your participation more."

After hearing this, Li Qiwei smiled slightly.

"Haha, it doesn't hurt to reveal a little bit to you in advance."

“Although my paper is in the field of astronomy, it uses knowledge of atomic science.”

“That’s why I wanted to hold today’s lecture.”

"Since Newton, science has developed for hundreds of years and is no longer independent of each other."

"Physics influences chemistry, chemistry influences biology, you are in me, and I am in you."

"As scientists, we should focus on a specific research direction, but our understanding should be very comprehensive."

“For example, if a chemist studies crystalline substances, it will be difficult for him to achieve success if he does not understand the knowledge of X-rays.”

“The disciplines complement each other.”

“This is true even within physics.”

"No matter how huge a celestial body is, it is made up of atoms, so some theories of atomic science must be applicable to celestial bodies."

"By studying celestial bodies, perhaps we can benefit atomic science in turn."

"And chemistry and biology have relatively little reference value for these directions."

“This is the biggest reason why I chose astronomy.”

Wow!
At this moment, everyone present understood Professor Bruce's intention.

It turns out that there is such a deep reason why he became the president of the International Astronomical Union.

Many people think that astronomy is just the other person's hobby, but that's just a humble statement.

Professor Bruce is taking a broader path.

He wants to learn from the strengths of others and integrate them.

Schrödinger felt the difference between himself and the big boss.

He studies different directions, which are truly independent topics and have nothing to do with each other.

However, Professor Bruce integrated all systems from a systematic perspective and used them for his own benefit.

This state of mind is beyond the reach of Schrödinger.

Of course, it was useless for him to be envious, because this required an extremely keen physical perspective.

Otherwise, how would you know that the contents of atomic science are crucial to astronomy?

The reverse is also true.

To put it bluntly, this is exclusive to top physics masters and ordinary people can't play it.

At this moment, Schrödinger realized how valuable today's lecture was.

Listening to your words is better than reading for ten years!

Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, Li Qiwei continued:
"Next comes quantum theory."

"It remains, without a doubt, the most mysterious theory out there."

"The fourth quantum number has not been discovered until now, or it may not exist at all."

"But the anomalous Zeeman effect is there, waiting for physicists to explain it."

"In addition, the wave-particle duality of light also needs to be incorporated into the system of quantum theory."

"From a quantum perspective, explain the nature of wave-particle duality."

“I am personally re-examining quantum theory, which currently has a huge problem.”

"Everyone should know that it studies unconventional objects such as quantum, but it uses the concepts of classical physics."

“The inconsistency here is the angle from which I start thinking.”

“I think we should look at quantum theory from a more fundamental and higher perspective.”

Only a few people present, such as Eddington and Schrödinger, could understand these words.

Because it is so profound.

Of course, they only understood what was said and had no opinion at all.

"And finally, there's atomics."

"Professor Rutherford's discovery of the proton made atomic physics the hottest topic in current experimental physics."

"At least as far as I know, almost all countries are now studying atomic nuclei in the hope of finding the so-called neutron."

"Our Irena also has this ambition."

Irena, who was in the crowd, suddenly felt a little embarrassed when she heard her name.

She had previously made a bold statement to Li Qiwei, saying that she must be the first to discover the existence of the neutron and vindicate Uncle Bruce's theory.

But after a period of research, she felt that she was a little young.

It turns out that it is not easy for Professor Rutherford to cause a sensation.

Atomic experiments are too difficult to do.

It is easy to imagine how difficult it is to study something that humans cannot even see through a microscope.

"Atomics is almost the foundation of quantum theory."

"Its development will inevitably have an important impact on quantum theory in the future."

"So, although the name of my institute is the Quantum Institute."

“But that doesn’t mean it only studies quantum theory.”

“Physics is a large system. If you want to achieve the most important results, you must be good at finding the connections between things.”

At this moment, everyone suddenly discovered a terrible fact.

Professor Bruce is involved in all of the above four cutting-edge areas of physics.

And it is not just a simple attempt. The other party has achieved the ultimate and the pinnacle in every field.

How great and incredible this is.

Everyone felt insignificant.

Finally, Li Qiwei concluded:
“These four major directions are not all of physics.”

“Perhaps new areas of research will emerge. You should always remain in awe.”

Sure enough, it didn't take long.

A letter from Germany has set the physics community on fire!

(End of this chapter)