Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and the principles of quantum mechanics
pp. 51-106
in: , The principles of quantum theory, from Planck's quanta to the Higgs boson, Berlin, Springer, 2016Abstract
The conceptual core of this chapter is Heisenberg's discovery of quantum mechanics, considered as arising from certain fundamental principles of quantum physics and as established by giving these principles a mathematical expression. The chapter also considers Bohr's 1913 atomic theory, a crucial development in the history of quantum theory ultimately leading to Heisenberg's discovery, and Schrödinger's discovery of wave mechanics, initially from very different physical principles. At the same time, Schrödinger had implicitly used some of the same principles that were expressly used by Heisenberg, thus meeting Heisenberg's program, against Schrödinger's own grain. After a general introduction given in Sect. 2.1, Sect. 2.2 considers some of the key aspects of Einstein's and Bohr's work in the old quantum theory, especially significant for the invention of quantum mechanics by Heisenberg and Schrödinger, discussed in Sects. 2.3 and 2.4, respectively. Sect. 2.5, by way of a conclusion, reflects on the new relationships between mathematics and physics established by quantum mechanics in nonrealist, RWR-principle-based, interpretations.