Unified field theories: in the first third of the 20th century

Despite the rapidly expanding ambit of physical research and the continual appearance of new branches of physics, the main thrust in its development has been the attempt at a theoretical synthesis of the entire body of physical knowledge. Vladimir Vizgin's work presents perhaps the first systematic historico-scientific study of the formation and development of the unified field theoriesin the general context of 20th century physics. Concentrating on the first three decades of the century and drawing extensively on Russian sources, the author analyses the first successes, failures and paths of further development ofthe unified field theories. He presents the evolution of these theories as a process of interaction/competition between the geometric field and quantum research programs, and ascertains the relevance of these theories for fundamentalconcepts in modern field theory. First complete historical description of Unified field theories in this era. Addresses historically interested physicists and mathematicians. The extensive bibliography of original papers also includes important but little known contributions. INDICE: Preface. Introduction. 1 The Electromagnetic Program for the Synthesis of Physics. 2 The General Theory of Relativity: The Core of the Program of Unified Field Theory. 3 Weyl's Theory: The First Truly Geometrized Unified Field Theory. 4 1921: The Pivotal Year of Unified Geometrized Field Theories. 5Einstein's Decade of Hopes and Disappointments. 6 The Role of Unified Geometrized Field Theories in the Genesis and Development of Quantum Theory. Concluding Remarks. Bibliography.

• ISBN: 978-3-0348-0173-7
• Editorial: Springer Basel
• Encuadernacion: Rústica
• Páginas: 335
• Fecha Publicación: 31/07/2011
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés