The Correspondence Principle in Copenhagen 1913–1923: Origin, Formulation and Consolidation

Adam J. Makowski

Several formulations of the correspondence principle, including both the historical and contemporary ones, are presented and critically reviewed.

Arthur I. Miller

U. A. Radžabov

Helge Kragh

In a major work of 1918 (‘On the quantum theory of line-spectra’) Bohr reconsidered the general principles of quantum and atomic theory. Apart from reinterpreting his original theory, he introduced the correspondence principle as a crucial connection between quantum and classical physics. What was the nature of this principle and what role did it play in the understanding of atomic structure? In applying the new principle, Bohr and his assistant H. A. Kramers relied on Einstein’s radiation theory. Bohr used the correspondence principle as a selection principle, and Kramers showed how it could account quantitatively for the Stark effect. However, not all physicists appreciated the Copenhagen ‘magic wand’ and Bohr’s use of it. Sommerfeld was the most prominent of the sceptics, but not the only one. The chapter also briefly considers the role of the correspondence principle in the early phase of the new quantum mechanics.

Vincenzo Chilla

Duality, not monism, constitutes the hermeneutic lens that characterizes the original Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. Therefore, evoking the principles of correspondence and complementarity, in this work we re-assert a dual-aspect reading of quantum theory, structured through a multi-perspective schema encompassing its ontological, analytical, epistemological, causal, and information dimensions. We then show how this schema dissolves the so-called 'measurement problem', along with the associated 'knowledge-information' and 'macro-micro' dichotomies, issues historically raised within later monistic or universalist philosophical settings that ultimately depart from the traditional Copenhagen spirit.