The Emergence of Quantum Mechanics (Mainly 1924–1926)

Alexander S. Blum, Martin Jähnert

Abstract This paper re-evaluates the formative year of quantum mechanics—from Heisenberg’s first paper on matrix mechanics to Schrödinger’s equivalence proof—by focusing on the role of radiation in the emerging theory. We argue that the radiation problem played a key role in early quantum mechanics, a role that has not been taken into account in the standard histories. Radiation was perceived by the main protagonists of matrix and wave mechanics as a central lacuna in these emerging theories and continued to contribute to the theoretical development and conceptual clarification of quantum mechanics. Studying the interplay between quantum mechanics and radiation, the paper provides an account of (a) how quantum mechanics was able to connect to its empirical basis in spectroscopy and (b) how Schrödinger’s equivalence proof emerged from his explorative calculations on the emission of radiation.

Christian Joas

Bartel Leenert van der Waerden, H. Rechenberg

Klaus Stierstadt, Hercilio Rodolfo Rechenberg

Hans‐Hennig von Grünberg, Alex Griffiths

K. C. Lemos Filho

Quantum theory has shown to be well succeded since its birth at the beginning of the last century. But new ideas that emerged in the physics scenario can change some of quantum mechanics fundamentals, one of these ideas is the existence of a minimun measurable length. In this work we will review the main changes in quantum mechanics arising from the existence of this minimum length.