Early Quantum Physics

A.L. Stanford, J.M. Tanner

C. L. Herzenberg

The life and accomplishments of Grete Hermann are described. During the early twentieth century, she worked in physics, mathematics, philosophy and education. Her most notable accomplishments in physics were in the interpretation of quantum theory.

Ayoub Taoussi

Description: This work explores the conditions under which quantum superposition may emerge or persist at cosmological scales, challenging the common assumption that the early universe was the most favorable environment for quantum coherence. While the universe is widely believed to have originated from a quantum regime, the extreme interaction density, thermal noise, and intense field couplings of the early universe are argued to have caused rapid decoherence, effectively suppressing sustained quantum superposition beyond minimal scales. In this sense, the early universe is interpreted as a decoherence-dominated environment rather than a coherent quantum domain. The paper proposes an alternative perspective in which the late universe, characterized by cosmic expansion, reduced interaction density, and lower environmental noise, may offer more favorable conditions for partial isolation and the re-emergence of quantum superposition under specific circumstances. This conceptual framework reframes the quantum–classical transition as an environmentally driven process rather than a purely temporal or scale-dependent one, contributing to ongoing discussions in quantum cosmology, decoherence theory, and the foundations of physics. 🔹 Keywords: Quantum cosmology; Quantum superposition; Decoherence; Early universe; Late universe; Environmental noise; Quantum–classical transition; Interaction density; Foundations of physics; Conceptual physics

Jaume Navarro

Abstract In 1927, George Paget Thomson, professor at the University of Aberdeen, obtained photographs that he interpreted as evidence for electron diffraction. These photographs were in total agreement with de Broglie's principle of wave–particle duality, a basic tenet of the new quantum wave mechanics. His experiments were an initially unforeseen spin-off from a project he had started in Cambridge with his father, Joseph John Thomson, on the study of positive rays. This paper addresses the scientific relationship between the Thomsons, father and son, as well as the influence that the institutional milieu of Cambridge had on the early work of the latter. Both Thomsons were trained in the pedagogical tradition of classical physics in the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos, and this certainly influenced their understanding of quantum physics and early quantum mechanics. In this paper, I analyse the responses of both father and son to the photographs of electron diffraction: a confirmation of the existence of the ether in the former, and a partial embrace of some ideas of the new quantum mechanics in the latter.