David Bohm's Critique of Modern Physics

Amit Goswami

David L. Schindler

Olival Freire

Hyman M. Schipper

David Bohm A recent issue contained a review of the novel "Properties of Light," by Rebecca Goldstein (C&EN, Nov. 6, 2000, page 46). It is described as being "loosely" based on the life of physicist David Bohm. The novel contains an afterword in which it is said that Bohm (then at Princeton) published in 1952 a formulation of quantum mechanics that was outside the mainstream of modern physics at the time and was dismissed by the scientific community. As a consequence, the review states, "That rejection, in essence, ended Bohm's career. He spent most of the rest of his life in embittered obscurity." This description of David Bohm's career is a farrago of nonsense. Bohm, working from Princeton, published a standard, very useful text called "Quantum Theory" in 1951. He accepted an invitation to visit a South American university shortly afterward, but found himself barred from returning to the U.S. ...

David Böhm, W. H. Furry

In this classic, David Bohm was the first to offer us his causal interpretation of the quantum theory. "Causality and Chance in Modern Physics" continues to make possible further insight into the meaning of the quantum theory and to suggest ways of extending the theory into new directions.