In the early 1900s, scientific knowledge and understanding flourished like no other time throughout history. In the space of a decade the formula for Black Body Radiation, The Photoelectric effect and The Nucleus were all discovered. This was an iconic time for Physics and those who took part changed modern lives immeasurably.

Solvay Conference

The subject of my posts will be on the lives and contributions to science of the incredible minds from the 1927 Solvay conference.

History

In 1911 Lorentz led the very first Solvay Conference in Brussels on Radiation and Quanta when Albert Einstein was just 33 years old. These conferences became the biggest catalyst for scientific development to date as they brought together undeniably the greatest minds of 20th century to make advancements in Physics. These invitation only conferences are still held to this day to unite the most elite scientists of this generation, with the latest subject matter being The Physics of Living Matter: Space, Time and Information in Biology. Throughout the years these conferences have been essential to the advancement to essentially every area of Physics but particularly for Quantum Mechanics.

1927 Solvay Conference

The most notable of these conferences was held in 1927 to discuss and debate the new Quantum Theory developed by Erwin Schrödinger. The picture above shows the 29 scientists that took part in these talks, 17 of which received Nobel Prizes; including Max Planck, Niels Bohr and Marie Curie [2]. The men and woman photographed in this picture were the founding fathers/mother of modern physics and paved the way for countless discoveries that have enhanced lives across the globe.

Einstein and Bohr

All though Quantum Mechanics is now widely accepted, this conference was fraught with passionate debate. In a quarrel between Bohr and Einstein, Bohr famously implored of Einstein to “Stop telling God what to do” to which Einstein replied, ‘God does not play dice’. Einstein was renowned for rebuking quantum theory as it disagreed with his Theory of Special Relativity and he tried tirelessly to disprove Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and thus Quantum theory at this conference. Each new day, Bohr would return with a coherent response to Einstein and this debate was continued at the next conference, three years later. In the end Bohr won the debate but eight years later an obstinate Einstein still fought Bohr describing his winning argument as “incomplete”.

New Quantum Theory

Quantum Mechanics describes the Physics of the very small such as the energy levels of atoms, where Classical Physics can no longer explain the phenomena observed. Quantum Mechanics has revolutionised modern physics and could be the key to unlocking time travel and teleportation when combined with Special Relativity. The theory revolves around six essential postulates that all relate to the Schrodinger equation which describes the changes over time of a quantum system.

Applications of Quantum Mechanics

Since this 1927 conference Quantum Theory has been used throughout countless branches of science to enhance technology and our understanding of The Universe. For example, the computer industry is reliant on the band structure of semiconductors to produce computer chips. In addition, Quantum mechanics has made an immense impact on Medical Physics in developing Magnetic Resonance Imaging through the flipping of spins of Hydrogen atoms [4].

Conclusion

Throughout my posts I will talk about the lives of each of the 29 undeniable geniuses that attended the 1927 Solvay Conference. From Einstein, to Rutherford; each person present in the picture made contributions to science, without which, the world would not be the same today. For each individual, I will talk about their personal lives and their influence in Physics.

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References
[1] http://uk.businessinsider.com/solvay-conference-1927-2015-4
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solvay_Conference#First_Conference
[3] http://uk.businessinsider.com/solvay-conference-1927-2015-4
[4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2015/08/13/