College Physics ›› 2025, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (8): 1-.doi: 10.16854/j.cnki.1000-0712.250210

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Quantenmechanik:Produkt aus G-ttingen

CAO Zexian   

  1. Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
  • Received:2025-04-17 Revised:2025-04-26 Online:2025-11-03 Published:2025-11-03

Abstract: Although the wave mechanics was developed by Austrian Schrdinger in Swiss and the relativistic quantum equation was derived by British Dirac, yet we can safely say that quantum mechanics is a product of Gttingen, a conclusion easy to arrive when the relevant ideas, concepts and methodology are evaluated in an objective manner. It is Riemann who first introduced in 1854 the concept of Quanta into geometry, and in publications of Wien in the period of 1893-1900 the concepts such as Energiequantum (energy quantum), Arbeisquantum (work quantum), Wrmequantum( heat quantum) were to be seen frequently. Sommerfeld, one who created the atomic physics with his many gifted disciples, completed his Habilitation under Klein, and the concept of bermechanik (Supermechanics) proposed by him in 1919 can be understood as the precursor of quantum mechanics. Born lectured in 1923/1924 over Atommechnik (atom mechanics), and coined the word Quantenmechanik (quantum mechanics) in a paper in 1924. At the same year, the book Methoden der mathematischen Physik coauthored by Hilbert and Courant was published, and in the preface Courants assistant Jordan was acknowledged. In 1925, inspired by Heisenbergs quantum theoretical formulation of the Kramers dispersion relation, Born and Jordan, the latter just got his Ph.D. degree under Born, constructed the matrix mechanics. Born was familiar with matrix algebra since in 1908 Minkowski had let Toeplitz to teach him that subject to prepare for his research over relativity. Jordan later initiated the research over quantum field theory and quantum biology. In 1926, Born put forward the probability interpretation to Schrdingers wavefunction. In 1927, Heisenberg published his seminal paper over the uncertainty principle, von Neumann began his effort to axiomatize quantum mechanics, Weyl taught and researched on group theory and quantum mechanics in Zurich, and Wigner also began to explore the application of group theory in quantum mechanics. All these heroes of quantum mechanics are graduate student and/or staff member of University Gttingen, and they all benefited from the mathematical tradition of Gttingen that had been established by Gauss, Riemann, Klein, Hilbert, Minkowski, etc. The basic concepts in quantum mechanics such as eigenvalue problem, eigenvalue spectrum of operators, vector space and so on are all originated in Gttingen. In a word, quantum mechanics, a branch of mathematical physics full of philosophical color, is, and it can only be, the product of Gttingen.

Key words: quantum mechanics, quantum theory, mathematical physics, Gttingen