Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Boltzmann's influence on Schrödinger
- 3 Schrödinger's original interpretation of the Schrödinger equation: a rescue attempt
- 4 Are there quantum jumps?
- 5 Square root of minus one, complex phases and Erwin Schrödinger
- 6 Consequences of the Schrödinger equation for atomic and molecular physics
- 7 Molecular dynamics: from H+H2 to biomolecules
- 8 Orbital presentation of chemical reactions
- 9 Quantum chemistry
- 10 Eamon de Valera, Erwin Schrödinger and the Dublin Institute
- 11 Do bosons condense?
- 12 Schrödinger's nonlinear optics
- 13 Schrödinger's unified field theory seen 40 years later
- 14 The Schrödinger equation of the Universe
- 15 Overview of particle physics
- 16 Gauge fields, topological defects and cosmology
- 17 Quantum theory and astronomy
- 18 Schrödinger's contributions to chemistry and biology
- 19 Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? and molecular biology
- Index
13 - Schrödinger's unified field theory seen 40 years later
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Boltzmann's influence on Schrödinger
- 3 Schrödinger's original interpretation of the Schrödinger equation: a rescue attempt
- 4 Are there quantum jumps?
- 5 Square root of minus one, complex phases and Erwin Schrödinger
- 6 Consequences of the Schrödinger equation for atomic and molecular physics
- 7 Molecular dynamics: from H+H2 to biomolecules
- 8 Orbital presentation of chemical reactions
- 9 Quantum chemistry
- 10 Eamon de Valera, Erwin Schrödinger and the Dublin Institute
- 11 Do bosons condense?
- 12 Schrödinger's nonlinear optics
- 13 Schrödinger's unified field theory seen 40 years later
- 14 The Schrödinger equation of the Universe
- 15 Overview of particle physics
- 16 Gauge fields, topological defects and cosmology
- 17 Quantum theory and astronomy
- 18 Schrödinger's contributions to chemistry and biology
- 19 Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? and molecular biology
- Index
Summary
The prehistory to Schrödinger's activity in unifed field theory
Unification is one of those long-standing quests of science. A superior point of view allows one to recognize connections and to uncover common roots. In the theory of general relativity Einstein succeeded in achieving a superior point of view in an especially impressive manner. By extension of the theory of special relativity he was able to comprehend gravitation in the geometrization of the space-time-continuum. After the success of this process of geometrization, the inclusion and unification of the electromagnetic field and possibly other fields could be considered to be a particularly important goal.
A few years after the discovery of general relativity, Weyl (1918) had already tried a fundamental extension of the framework of the theory in order to include electromagnetism as well. His attempt was based on the idea of gauge in variance–a concept which was to emerge 30 years later as a cornerstone of the modern theories of unification. Nevertheless, no agreement with observed facts could be reached by his concept of the path-dependence of a displaced length.
Whereas Weyl's generalization consisted in placing a connection of lengths beside the connection of directions given by the metric, Eddington (1923) followed a different course in considering the connection of directions as an a priori property of the manifold. In this case the metric becomes a deduced quantity.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- SchrödingerCentenary Celebration of a Polymath, pp. 165 - 175Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1987
- 1
- Cited by