Finn Aaserud

Collected Works

Niels Bohr

John L. Heilbron

Niels Bohr ranks with Einstein among the physicists of the 20th century. He rose to this status through his invention of the quantum theory of the atom and his leadership in its defense and development. He also ranks with Einstein in his humanism and his sense of responsibility to his science and the society that enabled him to create it. Our book presents unpublished excerpts from extensive correspondence between Bohr and his immediate family, and uses it to describe and analyze the psychological and cultural background to his invention. The book also contains a reprinting of the three papers of 1913 - the Trilogy- in which Bohr worked out the provisional basis of a quantum theory of the atom.

Niels Bohr's 1913 Trilogy Revisited

Love, Literature and the Quantum Atom

How and why do complex scientific disciplines such as physics change emphasis from one sub-discipline to another? Do such transitions stem entirely from developments within the discipline itself or also from external factors? This book addresses these questions by examining the transition from atomic to nuclear physics, theoretically and experimentally, at Niels Bohr’s Institute for Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen in the 1930s. On the basis of extensive archival research, Finn Aaserud shows that the “Copenhagen spirit,” the playful research atmosphere under Bohr’s fatherly guidance that permeated the Institute, thrived because of extra-scientific circumstances that Bohr exploited to the fullest, such as the need to help Jewish physicists out of Hitler’s Germany and the changing funding policies of private foundations, notably those of the Rockefeller Foundation which made it opportune to introduce research in experimental biology at the Institute. “A clear, carefully developed and substantially convincing argument... Aaserud gives a detailed and impressively documented account of the direction of Bohr’s scientific interests... Aaserud is... to be congratulated for his original, clear — indeed, didactic — work of scholarship and enlightenment.” — Paul Forman, Physics Today “A professional historian’s study of the happenings at the Niels Bohr Institute in the decisive years 1930 to 1940... In particular, the... support of the Institute by Danish and other foundations, mainly the Rockefeller Foundation, are treated in great detail, revealing many interesting aspects of these relationships... The detailed accounts... of Bohr’s negotiations are a testimony to Bohr’s uncanny ability to get what he wanted from the various foundations... Aaserud’s book is an invaluable source of information [showing] that Bohr was not only an inspiring physicist and philosopher but also a cunning negotiator who knew how to make use of his great reputation for the benefit of science.” — Victor F. Weisskopf, Science “Aaserud elucidates Bohr’s skills not only as mentor and guiding hand behind the ‘Copenhagen spirit,’ but also as financial negotiator.” — Neil Wasserman, Isis, A Journal of the History of Science Society “This book teaches us that running such [a truly elite] institution required entrepreneurial skills as well as scientific genius. Bohr had an abundance of both.” — Jeremy Bernstein, Nature “Redirecting Science is the history of Bohr’s institute during the 1930s when it experienced a drastic change in its research priorities, from a laissez-faire mode of work and lack of clearly defined research programme to a concerted research effort in nuclear physics and experimental biology... Aaserud gives a highly interesting account of the interaction between physics and biology... Aaserud’s carefully documented work is an excellent example of how institutional history may transcend social and institutional limitations and integrate also conceptual history of science.” — Helge Kragh, Centaurus “By showing that a new research programme at one of the most important scientific institutes in the world was triggered, and pushed forward, by social and financial considerations, this book delivers yet another blow to the tired old idea that scientific knowledge is driven by its own internal, inexorable logic. It also throws valuable light on Bohr’s activities and strategies as a fundraiser and institution builder.” — John Krige, The British Journal for the History of Science

Redirecting Science: Niels Bohr, Philanthropy, and the Rise of Nuclear Physics

Niels Bohr: Collected Works, Volume 13: Cumulative Subject Index documents aspects of Niels Bohr's varied life and work in the form of a cumulative subject index, with emphasis on his scientific contributions in the field of physics. The general organization of the material is thematic rather than strictly chronological, allowing for the presentation of each paper (or group of papers) along with other relevant material such as drafts, notes, letters, and other items. The book is illustrated with rare photos and includes explanatory notes as well as a bibliography. The bibliography is restricted to the versions of Bohr's publications reproduced in this volume and encompasses a wide range of topics in physics, from the determination of the surface tension of water by the method of jet vibration to the electron theory of metals and of thermoelectric phenomena; the theory of the decrease of velocity of moving electrified particles on passing through matter; the constitution of atoms and molecules; and the spectra of helium and hydrogen. Bohr's other papers focus on the effect of electric and magnetic fields on spectral lines; the quantum theory of radiation and the structure of the atom; the polarization of radiation in the quantum theory; and collisions between atomic systems and free electrical particles. This monograph will be useful to students, practitioners, and researchers interested in Bohr's life and work in general and in quantum mechanics in particular.

Cumulative Subject Index

Niels Bohr - Collected Works

Niels Bohr ranks with Einstein among the physicists of the 20th century. He rose to this status through his invention of the quantum theory of the atom and his leadership in its defense and development. This book presents unpublished excerpts from extensive correspondence between Niels Bohr and his immediate family, and uses it to describe and analyze the psychological and cultural background to his invention. It also contains a reprinting of the three papers of1913 (the Trilogy in which Bohr worked out the provisional basis of his theory.

Finn Aaserud

About

Books

Join the club