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American Journal of Physics

Conversations with Albert Einstein. II

Robert S. Shankland

Published Jul 1, 1973• 14 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Professor Einstein's views on the experimental basis for relativity theory and his attitude toward quantum mechanics continue to be of general interest. This paper is based on notes on these subjects made by the writer after each of five visits with Einstein at Princeton during 1950–1954 and not fully reported or discussed previously.

DOI
10.1119/1.1987410

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Professor Einstein's views on the experimental basis for relativity theory and his attitude toward quantum mechanics continue to be of general interest. This paper is based on notes on these subjects made by the writer after each of five visits with Einstein at Princeton during 1950–1954 and not fully reported or discussed previously.
Summary Albert Einstein's attitude towards quantum mechanics—and statistical physics in general—was a puzzle to many of his contemporaries, and has remained a puzzle to the present. Though he made many significant contributions to statistical physics, he continually refused to regard that branch of science as fundamental. The present essay demonstrates that his attitude towards statistical physics was formed during his earliest investigations—between 1901 and 1903. In particular, it is shown that in Einstein's view, statistical laws are based upon non-statistical (causal) assumptions. This view influenced much of his later thinking. A few illustrations are offered, concluding with a discussion of his opposition to quantum mechanics.
These notes are based on a course of lectures given by Professor Nelson at Princeton during the spring term of 1966. The subject of Brownian motion has long been of interest in mathematical probability. In these lectures, Professor Nelson traces the history of earlier work in Brownian motion, both the mathematical theory, and the natural phenomenon with its physical interpretations. He continues through recent dynamical theories of Brownian motion, and concludes with a discussion of the relevance of these theories to quantum field theory and quantum statistical mechanics.
Reference to quantum theory has become quite the fashion, and to base an expectation on an already receding episode with relativity theory, a great philosophical assault of interpretation of quanta is brewing in many quarters. The author of this series of studies would be content if by a plain statement of “what is the case” at this stage he could stem the more quixotic efforts, or rather reveal their unreal character to the spectators who may be enmeshed in the spell cast over such adventures. It is constantly necessary to restate the physicists' claims plainly in their positive content—as Einstein himself did once for relativity theory—so that one may know what is no-man's land and what is everyman's land in the new territory. This in itself is largely but a hope since there is no unanimity as to all the facts, and, worse, unanimity is no guarantee of stability. Nevertheless, the painstaking revision that is constantly going on on the experimental front enables us to arrange at least the data on a well-ordered scale of reliability. It then becomes much easier to detect false props to otherwise attractive theories, to discriminate live matter from the débris of progress, and to speculate on future growth. For such reasons the present examination of the various quantum theories will proceed from a presentation of facts and theories to their appraisal and then to a proposal concerning the organization of the facts, concepts and theories. The subject is very complex: There are several quantum theories, some of which are already referred to as “classical” although these themselves were anti-classical (anti-Newtonian); all have claimed success in their time; all have serious hiatuses, including the present. The author has chosen to hark back to some of the older issues before appraising the latest claims.
In 2005 we celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the publication of five seminal papers by Albert Einstein establishing the basis of three fundamental fields of physics: the theory of relativity, quantum theory and the theory of Brownian motion. This happened at a time when the reality of atoms and molecules was still far from certain. The microscopic view Einstein took of molecular motion led to the calculation of Avogadro's number and the size of molecules by studying the motion of small particles in liquids. Combining kinetic theory and classical thermodynamics finally led Einstein to the conclusion that the displacement of a microparticle under Brownian motion varies as the square root of time. The experimental demonstration of this law three years later was considered as the striking proof that atoms and molecules are physically real. Today single atoms are probed directly in experiments, and we are able to observe the individual paths of colliding or dissociating particles. These new techniques are described in some of the papers of this issue in a very impressive way. An even more exciting development was initiated with the demonstration of Bose–Einstein condensation of dilute gases of ultracold atoms, a phenomenon first predicted by Einstein in papers published between 1916 and 1924. The first paper of Einstein's famous series of 1905, 'On an heuristic point of view about the creation and conversion of light', was an explanation of the photoelectric effect, demonstrated in several experiments over the previous few years. The explanation was based on the quantum hypothesis introduced by Max Planck five years earlier, and was considered as an additional and important proof of Planck's hypothesis. Today quantum theory and photons are the basis for much of modern science and technology. We have learned to experiment with single photons, and we have demonstrated the advantages of information transfer by single photons. Photons permit new and incredibly precise time and frequency standards. These are not only technically important, but may also lead to even more stringent tests of relativity and other fundamental laws and concepts of physics. Examples of these applications and many other uses of modern optics are discussed in this issue. Special relativity, the third of Einstein's 1905 topics, has always been closely connected with atomic, molecular and optical physics. Today atomic physics provides some of the most stringent tests of special relativity. Furthermore, fast electron beams are used in advanced light sources such as synchrotron radiation generators and free electron lasers. Those aspects and related applications are also discussed here. We hope that this special issue will be of great interest to the reader by highlighting recent advances in atomic, molecular and optical physics. This field continues to provide one of the most fertile areas for research one hundred years after it first emerged from the work of Einstein published in 1905, his 'miraculous year'.