Quantenlicht: Das Jahrzehnt der Physik 1919–1929 (Quantum Light: The Decade of Physics 1919–1929) by Thomas de Padova is a historical account of the revolutionary birth of quantum physics during the pivotal decade of the 1920s. The book focuses on four key scientists—Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Werner Heisenberg—who explored the inner workings of atoms whilst wrestling with a seemingly simple question: What is light?
The book vividly illustrates the pace of scientific progress in the late 19th and early 20th centuries:
Der Wegbereiter der Quantentheorie hat dieselbe Schule besucht wie er [Heisenberg] — allerdings von 1867 bis 1874! Planck ist älter als das Fahrrad, das Telefon oder die elektrische Glühbirne, mit denen Heisenberg groß geworden ist.1
de Padova, T. (2024). Quantenlicht: Das Jahrzehnt der Physik 1919–1929. Carl Hanser Verlag, p. 132.
De Padova’s narrative also provides a delightful example of the importance of libraries for physical research:
Heisenberg selbst muss lernen, wie man mit Matrizen umgeht. Er konsultiert erst einmal die Göttinger Bibliothek.2
de Padova, T. (2024), p. 277.
- The pioneer of quantum theory attended the same school as he [Heisenberg]—albeit from 1867 to 1874! Planck is older than the bicycle, the telephone, or the electric light bulb with which Heisenberg grew up. ↩︎
- Heisenberg himself has to learn how to work with matrices. First of all, he consults the Göttingen library. ↩︎
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