Women in the History of Quantum Physics
Women in the History of Quantum Physics
Michelle Frank
Margriet van der Heijden, Eindhoven University of Technology
Daniela Monaldi, York University, Toronto
Capturing the stories of sixteen women who made significant contributions to the development of quantum physics, this anthology highlights how, from the very beginning, women played a notable role in shaping one of the most fascinating and profound scientific fields of our time. Rigorously researched and written by historians, scientists, and philosophers of science, the findings in this interdisciplinary book transform traditional physics historiography. Entirely new sources are included alongside established sources that are examined from a fresh perspective. These concise biographies serve as a valuable counterweight to the prevailing narrative of male genius, and demonstrate that in the history of quantum physics, women of all backgrounds have been essential contributors all along. Accessible and engaging, this book is relevant for a wide audience including historians, scientists and science educators, gender theorists and sociologists.
- Challenges existing stereotypes associated with quantum physics, namely that physicists are men, and that scientific genius is a masculine trait
- Offers insight into the reasons for the invisibility of women in the history of science, examining the complex forces which sustain the heroic myth of fundamental science as the creation of solitary male prodigies
- Uses a broad definition of quantum physics to include old quantum theory and associated philosophical conundrums to highlight the richness and diversity of scientific discovery of the last century
Product details
No date availableAdobe eBook Reader
9781009535847
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Table of Contents
- Introduction Patrick Charbonneau, Michelle Frank, Margriet van der Heijden and Daniela Monaldi
- 1. The spectrum of He+ as a proving ground for Bohr's Model of the atom: a legacy of Williamina Fleming's astrophysical discovery Maria McEachern and Bretislav Friedrich
- 2. H. Johanna van Leeuwen: the other scientist behind the Bohr–Van Leeuwen theorem Miriam Blaauboer and Margriet van der Heijden
- 3. Hertha Sponer, Maven of quantum spectroscopy Elise Crull
- 4. Angular and career momentum: what Lucy Mensing contributed to physics and why she left the field Gernot Münster and Michel Janssen
- 5. Discouraging Jane: Dewey among the lucky generation of US physicists Adriana Minor
- 6. Laura Chalk and the stark effect Daniela Monaldi
- 7. Elizabeth Monroe Boggs: from quantum chemistry to the Manhattan project Patrick Charbonneau
- 8. Excelsior! John Wheeler, Katharine Way, and the role of women in the exploration of the microcosm Stefano Furlan
- 9. Sonja Ashauer from São Paulo to Cambridge: a journey to quantum electrodynamics Barbra Miguele and Ivã Gurgel
- 10. Untangling entanglement history: early quantum contributions of Chien-Shiung Wu Michelle Frank
- 11. From quantum physics to ethics: Grete Hermann on Heisenberg's Cut Andrea Reichenberger
- 12. Women take the lead: a physics laboratory under the dictatorship in Portugal, 1940s–1960s Ana Simões and Maria Paula Diogo
- 13. Carolyn Parker's electronic frequencies Charnell Chasten Long
- 14. The Chew–Low–Salzman method and Freda Friedman Salzman: a physicist between nuclear and social interactions Jens Salomon
- 15. Out of the ivory tower: Maria Lluïsa Canut and X-ray crystallography Marta Jordi Taltavull
- 16. Ana MarÃa Cetto Kramis: light in quantum mechanics and open science Mar Rivera Colomer
- Index.
