The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics (44 page)

The real superheroes of science who pioneered this field of physics receive their due in several excellent biographies, such as
Niels Bohr: A Centenary Volume,
edited by A. P. French and P. J. Kennedy (Harvard University Press, 1985);
The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom
by Graham Farmelo (Basic Books, 2009);
Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics and the Bomb
, David C. Cassidy (Bellevue Literary Press, reprinted in 2010);
Schrödinger: Life and Thought
, Walter Moore (Cambridge University Press, 1989); Abraham Pais’s
Niels Bohr’s Times: in Physics, Philosophy and Polity
(Claredon Press/Oxford University Press, 1991) and
Subtle is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein
by (Oxford University Press, 1982);
Einstein: His Life and Universe,
Walter Isaacson (Simon and Schuster, 2007); Jeremy Bernstein’s
Oppenheimer: Portrait of an Enigma
(Ivan R. Dee, 2004);
The End of the Certain World: The Life and Science of Max Born
by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan (Basic Books, 2005); Susan Quinn’s
Marie Curie: A Life
(Simon & Schuster, 1995); and
Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics
by Ruth Lewin Sime, (University of California Press, 1996). The life of Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi is described in
Enrico Fermi, Physicist
by Nobel Laureate Emilio Segre (University of Chicago Press, 1995);
Fermi Remembered
, edited by Nobel Laureate James Cronin; and
Atoms in the Family: My Life with Enrico Fermi
by his wife Laura Fermi (University of Chicago Press, 1995). I have not yet read the forthcoming
The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett III: Multiple Universes, Mutual Assured Destruction, and the Meltdown of a Nuclear Family
by Peter Byrne (Oxford University Press, 2010) but I suspect that it will be an enlightening read on at least some parallel Earths you may find yourself.

Those who would like some pictures mixed in with their words can find several excellent graphic novels that cover similar topics as those mentioned above. In particular G. T. Labs’
Suspended in Language
by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis highlights the life of Niels Bohr;
Fallout
, by Ottaviani, Janine Johnstone, Steve Lieber, Vince Locke, Bernie Mireault and Jeff Parker discusses J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leo Szilard and the development of the atomic bomb; and Ottaviani’s and collaborators’
Two-Fisted Science
covers, among others, Richard Feynman, Bohr, and Werner Heisenberg, while graphic discussions of quantum theory can be found in
Introducing Quantum Theory: A Graphic Guide to Science’s Most Puzzling Discovery
, J. P. McEvoy and Oscar Zarate (Totem Books, 1996).

Many books have tackled the challenging task of explaining quantum mechanics while forgoing mathematics. I especially recommend
The Atom and Its Nucleus
, George Gamow (Prentice Hall, 1961);
The Story of Quantum Mechanics
, Victor Guillemin (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1968);
The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone
, Kenneth W. Ford (Harvard University Press, 2004);
The Strange Story of the Quantum
, second edition, Banesh Hoffman (Dover, 1959); Tony Hey and Patrick Walters’
The New Quantum Universe
in a revised edition (Cambridge University Press, 2003); and David Lindley’s
Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science
(Anchor, 2008). Discussions of quantum entanglement and its connection to attempts to construct a quantum computer include
A Shortcut Through Time: The Path to the Quantum Computer
, George Johnson (Vintage Books, 2003);
Teleportation: The Impossible Leap
, David Darling (John Wiley and Sons, 2005);
The God Effect: Quantum Entanglement, Science’s Strangest Phenomenon
, Brian Clegg (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006);
Einstein, Bohr and the Quantum Dilemma: From Quantum Theory to Quantum Information,
second edition by Andrew Whitaker (Cambridge University Press, 2006);
Entanglement
by Amir Aczel (Plume, 2003); and
The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics was Reborn
by Louisa Gilder (Vintage, 2009).

Two excellent reviews of the development of solid-state physics are
Crystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age
, Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson (W.W. Norton and Co., 1997); and
The Chip: How Two Americans Invented the Microchip and Launched a Revolution
, T. R. Reid (Random House, 2001). Lillian Hoddeson’s biography
True Genius: The Life and Science of John Bardeen
and Joel N. Shurkin’s
Broken Genius: The Rise and Fall of William Shockley, Creator of the Electronic Age
(Palgraave MacMillan, 2006) also provide a great deal of background on the growth of this field, from the perspective of two of its founding fathers (Shockley and Bardeen were co-developers of the transistor, and Bardeen also co-discovered a microscopic theory of superconductivity, earning him his
second
Nobel Prize in Physics). The technological applications of solid-state physics are described in
Computer: History of the Information Machine,
second edition, by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray (Westview Press, 2004);
A History of Modern Computing
, second edition, by Paul E. Ceruzzi (MIT Press, 2003);
Computers: The Life Story of a Technology
, Eric G. Swedin and David L. Ferro (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007);
Lasers and Holography: An Introduction to Coherent Optics
, second edition, Winston E. Kock, (Dover, 1981);
How the Laser Happened: Adventures of a Scientist
, Charles W. Townes (Oxford University Press, 2002); and
They All Laughed: From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions that Have Changed Our Lives
, Ira Flatow (Harper Perennial, 1992).

Those wishing to compare and contrast the predictions of science fiction with the reality of science may enjoy
The Science in Science Fiction: 83 SF Predictions That Became Scientific Reality
, Robert W. Bly (BenBella Books, 2005);
Different Engines: How Science Drives Fiction and Fiction Drives Science
, Mark L. Brake and Neil Hook (Macmillan, 2008); and
Follies of Science: 20th Century Visions of Our Fantastic Future
, Eric Dregni and Jonathan Dregni (Speck Press, 2006).

Background information on the history of the pulp magazines can be found in
Cheap Thrills: The Amazing! Thrilling! Astonishing! History of Pulp Fiction
, Ron Goulart (Hermes Press, 2007);
Pulpwood Days Volume One: Editors You Want to Know
, edited by John Locke (Off-Trail Publications, Volume 2007);
Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction
, James Gunn (Prentice-Hall, 1975);
Science Fiction of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History
, Frank M. Robinson (Collectors Press, 1999);
The Classic Era of American Pulp Magazines
by Peter Haining (Prion Books, 2000);
Pulp Culture: The Art of Fiction Magazines
, Frank M. Robinson and Lawrence Davidson (Collectors Press, 1998); and
The Great Pulp Heroes
by Don Hutchinson (Book Republic Press, 2007).

Those who would judge these pulps by their cover will find many excellent collections of the enduring artwork that promoted these disposable fantasies, including
Worlds of Tomorrow: The Amazing Universe of Science Fiction Art
, Forrest J. Ackerman with Brad Linaweaver (Collectors Press, 2004);
Sci-Fi Art: A Graphic History
, Steve Holand (Collins Design, 2009);
Pulp Art: Original Cover Paintings for the Great American Pulp Magazines
, Robert Lesser (Gramercy Books, 1997);
From the Pen of Paul: The Fantastic Images of Frank R. Paul
, edited by Stephen D. Korshak (Shasta-Phoenix, 2009);
Out of Time: Designs for the Twentieth Century
, Norman Brosterman (Harry N. Abrams, 2000); and
Fantastic Science-Fiction Art 1926-1954
, edited by Lester Del Ray (Ballantine Books, 1975).

Readers interested in more information about Doc Savage and his merry band of adventurers will enjoy Philip Jos Farmer’s “biography” of the great man,
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life
(Doubleday, 1973); a summary of the plot of each adventure is provided in
A History of the Doc Savage Adventures,
Robert Michael “Bobb” Cotter (McFarland and Company, 2009); and Doc Savage’s creator is profiled in
Lester Dent: The Man, His Craft and His Market,
by M. Martin McCarey-Laird (Hidalgo Pub. Co., 1994) and
Bigger Than Life: The Creator of Doc Savage,
Marilyn Cannaday (Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1990). Those interested in the secrets of the Shadow (such as his
true
identity—and no, its
not
Lamont Cranston) can consult
The Shadow Scrapbook
, by Walter B. Gibson (who wrote 284 of the 325
Shadow
pulp novels, including the first 112) (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979);
Gangland’s Doom: The Shadow of the Pulps
by Frank Eisgruber Jr. (CreateSpace, 2007);
Chronology of Shadows: A Timeline of The Shadow’s Exploits
by Rick Lai (CreateSpace, 2007); and
Pulp Heroes of the Thirties
, edited by James Van Hise (Midnight Graffiti, 1994).

This is a golden age for fans of Golden Age pulps, comic strips, and comic books. There are many publishers who are reprinting, often in high-resolution, large-format hardcovers, comic strips from the 1920s and 1930s, featuring the first appearances of
Dick Tracy
,
Little Orphan Annie
, Maggie and Jiggs in
Bringing Up Father
, Popeye in
Thimble Theater,
and Walt and Skeezix in
Gasoline Alley
. Several volumes of Phil Nowlan’s and Dick Calkin’s
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
(Hermes Press) and Alex Raymond’s
Flash Gordon
(Checker Press) are available. There are also hard-cover reprints of the Gold Key comics, with at least four volumes of
Dr. Solar—Man of the Atom
by Paul S. Newman and Matt Murphy (Dark Horse Books) in print. A string of issues of DC Comics’
Strange Adventures
from 1955 to 1956 has been reprinted in black and white in an inexpensive
Showcase Presents
volume (DC Comics, 2008). Several volumes of the Marvel Comics
Tales to Astonish
and
Tales of Suspense
from this time period are also available, in
Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era
hardcovers (Marvel Publishing). The pulps themselves are also returning to print, and Sanctum Productions/Nostalgia Ventures every month is publishing classic Shadow and Doc Savage adventures from the 1930s and 1940s, often with the original interior and cover artwork reproduced. Some of the above, along with copies of
Amazing Stories
from the 1920s and 1930s, are available as e-books. We can now, in the present, download and read on our electronic book readers stories from the past, predicting what life would be like in the world of tomorrow. This is the future no one saw coming!

Abbott, Edwin

ablation

absorption spectra.
See
atomic-light-emission spectra

Across the Space Frontier
(Klep)

action at a distance

Action Comics
#

adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

age of earth

age of the universe

aircraft

alpha particles

and discovery of neutron

and fusion

and phosphorescence

and radiation

and radioactive decay

and radioactive half life

and scattering experiments

and transmutation

Alpher, Ralph

aluminum

The Amazing Colossal Man
(1955)

American Institute of Physics

amorphous carbon

amplification

angular momentum. See also intrinsic angular momentum (spin)

anti-Semitism

antigravity

arc reactor

argon

Aristotle

Armageddon 2419 A.D.
(Nowlan)

arms race

Arness, James

artificial intelligence

Asimov, Isaac

The Atom

atom smashers (particle accelerators)

atomic energy

The Atomic Kid
(1954)

atomic-light-emission spectra

and Bohr model

in comic books

and de Broglie matter waves

described

and magnetic resonance imaging

and matter waves

and particle spin

and the Schrödinger equation

and transition rates

and the ultraviolet catastrophe

and uncertainty principle

and wave functions

atomic weapons.
See
nuclear weapons

atomic weights

The Attack of the Giant Leeches
(1959)

audio recordings

automobiles

barium

Barker, Floyd

Batman

batteries

The Beast of Yucca Flats
(1961)

Bednorz, Johannes

The Beginning of the End
(1957)

The Beginning or the End
(1947)

bell curve

Bell Labs

and lasers

and semiconductor diodes

and solar cells

and transistors

beryllium

Bester, Alfred

beta particles

and Cerenkov radiation

decay of

and light exposure on metals

and particle decay

and radioactive decay