George Placzek

Author : Shifman Misha,Gottvald Ales
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789813236936

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George Placzek by Shifman Misha,Gottvald Ales Pdf

This book presents the first detailed biography of George Placzek -- an outstanding physicist, a participant in the Manhattan Project who stood at the very inception of nuclear physics and the subsequent development of the nuclear bomb in the course of the WWII. In the 1930s, George Placzek was known as an adventurous person with a sharp sense of humor, a tireless generator of novel physics ideas which he generously shared with his colleagues. Born in Brno (now Czech Republic) into a wealthy Jewish family, he lost all his relatives to Holocaust, casting a tragic shadow on his life. Placzek's scientific career began in the late 1920s when the quantum revolution was almost over, but nuclear physics was still at its infancy. He established personal and scientific relations with the creators of quantum mechanics, such as Heisenberg in Leipzig and Niels Bohr in Copenhagen. In Rome, he worked with Fermi, and in Copenhagen he became a part of Bohr's nuclear physics team which dominated nuclear theory at that time. The scope of Placzek's pilgrimage around world physics centers in the 1930s was unique among his colleagues. In January 1939, George Placzek managed to emigrate from Europe to the US, and became a part of the British Mission within the Manhattan Project. His physical insights were instrumental in advancing from the basic discoveries on nuclear chain reactions to the Trinity experiment, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This book is a unique compilation of a large number of previously unknown and unpublished documents from private and university archives, police reports, etc. Placzek's correspondence with the leadership of the Hebrew University in 1934, the 1937 NKVD interrogation files of Konrad Weisselberg, recollections of Ella Andriesse as well as the Zurich Police report of 1956 detailing the circumstances of Placzek's death in a Zurich hotel are illuminating as they shed light on poorly known pages of his life.

Author : Mila Rechcigl
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 1243 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2020-11-18
Category : Reference
ISBN : 9781728371597

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American Learned Men and Women with Czechoslovak Roots by Mila Rechcigl Pdf

Apart from a few articles, no comprehensive study has been written about the learned men and women in America with Czechoslovak roots. That’s what this compendium is all about, with the focus on immigration from the period of mass migration and beyond, irrespective whether they were born in their European ancestral homes or whether they have descended from them. Czech and Slovak immigrants, including Bohemian Jews, have brought to the New World their talents, their ingenuity, their technical skills, their scientific knowhow, and their humanistic and spiritual upbringing, reflecting upon the richness of their culture and traditions, developed throughout centuries in their ancestral home. This accounts for the remarkable success and achievements of these settlers in their new home, transcending through their descendants, as this monograph demonstrates. The monograph has been organized into sections by subject areas, i.e., Scholars, Social Scientists, Biological Scientists, and Physical Scientists. Each individual entry is usually accompanied with literature, and additional biographical sources for readers who wish to pursue a deeper study. The selection of individuals has been strictly based on geographical ground, without regards to their native language or ethical background. This was because under the Habsburg rule the official language was German and any nationalistic aspirations were not tolerated. Consequently, it would be virtually impossible to determine their innate ethnic roots or how the respective individuals felt. Doing it in any other way would be a mere guessing, and, thus, less objective.

Author : Aleš Gottvald,Misha Shifman
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 395 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Nuclear physicists
ISBN : 9813236922

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George Placzek by Aleš Gottvald,Misha Shifman Pdf

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2024-06-30
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9789814479356

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Sir Rudolf Peierls by Anonim Pdf

Author : Miloslav Rechcigl Jr.
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 695 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-02
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781546238904

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Czechs Won't Get Lost in the World, Let Alone in America by Miloslav Rechcigl Jr. Pdf

This book features a panorama of the lives of selected personalities, whose roots had origin in the Czech lands and who, in the US, reached extraordinary success and who, with their activities, substantially influenced the growth and development of their new homeland. It is a saga of plain, as well as powerful, people whose influence and importance often exceeded the borders of the US. A great portion of included individuals may be unknown to readers since it concerns persons whose Czech origin was usually not known. The book covers the total period from the times of the discovery of New World to the end of the twentieth century. During the selection, little concern was given to nationalistic or ethnographic criteria, the only prerequisite was that the respected individuals were either born on the territory of the Czech lands or were descendants of emigrants from the Czech lands. The image on the front cover is a portrait of Augustine Herman, Lord of Bohemia Manor, the first documented Czech immigrant in the United States. The portrait comes from his famous Map of Maryland and Virginia, dated 1670. The colorful story of his life would be unbelievable if made into a movie. Pioneer, merchant, explorer, surveyor, map maker, patriot, rebel, diplomat, and finally Lord! Read more about him in the book.

Author : Edoardo Amaldi,Giovanni Battimelli,Giovanni Paoloni
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 784 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Science
ISBN : 9810223692

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20th Century Physics by Edoardo Amaldi,Giovanni Battimelli,Giovanni Paoloni Pdf

In this important volume, major events and personalities of 20th century physics are portrayed through recollections and historiographical works of one of the most prominent figures of European science. A former student of Enrico Fermi, and a leading personality of physical research and science policy in postwar Italy, Edoardo Amaldi devoted part of his career to documenting, both as witness and as historian, some significant moments of 20th century science. The focus of the book is on the European scene, ranging from nuclear research in Rome in the 1930s to particle physics at CERN, and includes biographies of physicists such as Ettore Majorana, Bruno Touschek and Fritz Houtermans.Edoardo Amaldi (Carpaneto, 1908 - Roma, 1989) was one of the leading figures in twentieth century Italian science. He was conferred his degree in physics at Rome University in 1929 and played an active role (as a member of the team of young physicists known as ?the boys of via Panisperna?) in the fundamental research on artificial induced radioactivity and the properties of neutrons, which won the group's leader Enrico Fermi the Nobel Prize for physics in 1938. Following Fermi's departure for the United States in 1938 and the disruption of the original group, Amaldi took upon himself the task of reorganising the research in physics in the difficult situation of post-war Italy. His own research went from nuclear physics to cosmic ray physics, elementary particles and, in later years, gravitational waves. Active research was for him always coupled to a direct involvement as a statesman of science and an organiser: he was the leading figure in the establishment of INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics) and has played a major role, as spokesman of the Italian scientific community, in the creation of CERN, the large European laboratory for high energy physics. He also actively supported the formation of a similar trans-national joint venture in space science, which gave birth to the European Space Agency. In these and several other scientific organisations, he was often entrusted with directive responsibilities. In his later years, he developed a keen interest in the history of his discipline. This gave rise to a rich production of historiographic material, of which a significant sample is collected in this volume.

Author : Alberto Giovannini
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 591 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789810243302

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Sammlung by Alberto Giovannini Pdf

This important volume describes the wide-ranging scientific activities of L‚on Van Hove, through commentaries by his colleagues and a selection of his most influential papers and documents. The reprinted papers are grouped by topic, starting from his early work in mathematics and theoretical and statistical physics, up to his very last contributions in elementary particle physics and multiparticle dynamics. Van Hove's career as teacher, director and science advisor in many European institutions is presented in sketches by friends and coworkers. A selection of his speeches and documented thoughts on science completes the volume.

Author : Miloslav Rechcigl Jr.
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2018-06-19
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781546238935

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American Jews with Czechoslovak Roots by Miloslav Rechcigl Jr. Pdf

This is a pioneering, comprehensive bibliography of existing publications relating to American Jews with ancestry in the former Czechoslovakia and its successor states, the Czech and the Slovak Republics, which has never before been attempted. Since only a few studies have been written on the subject, the present work has been extended to include biobibliography, in which area a plethora of papers and monographs exist. Consequently, this compendium can also be viewed as a comprehensive listing of biographical sources relating to American Jews with the Czechoslovak roots. As the reader will find out, they have been involved, practically, in every field of human endeavor, in numbers that surprise. As for the definition of Jews, the present work encompasses not only the individuals that have professed in Judaism but also the descendants of the former Jews who originally lived on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia, regardless of the generation or where they were born.

Author : Edoardo Amaldi
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 148 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2013-01-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642328558

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The Adventurous Life of Friedrich Georg Houtermans, Physicist (1903-1966) by Edoardo Amaldi Pdf

The physicist Friedrich Houtermans (1903-1966) was an essential promoter and proponent of the development of physics in Berne. He introduced a number of activities in the field of elementary particles, with a special focus on the physics of cosmic rays, and important contributions in applied physics. This biography of Houtermans was written by Edoardo Amaldi and was almost finished just before his unexpected death in 1989. The editors have only corrected typographical errors and have introduced only minimal text changes in order to preserve the original content. Additionally they have collected and included unpublished pictures and memories from Houtermans’ students and collaborators. The text is the result of a thorough and intensive study on Houtermans’ life and character carried out by Edoardo Amaldi. It is more than a biography, since the figure of Houtermans is set in a historical perspective of Europe between the two world wars. This book will be of great interest to historians and historians of science.

Author : Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr.
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 906 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2015-07-23
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781504920711

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Czech It Out by Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr. Pdf

Czech it Out: Czech American Biography Sourcebook provides a wealth of information on a variety of sources relating to biographical information on notable Americans with Czech roots. Besides the national figures, also included are information sources on significant individuals at the state, regional, and local levels. Beyond that, we saw it fit to also incorporate ethnic information sources, which frequently contain a wealth of information on pioneer settlers and individuals active at the community level. Having in mind the interests of genealogists in individual families and their descendents, a listing has also been provided on family histories and genealogies. Even though Czechs have been living in the US practically since colonial times, no composite biographical dictionary exists about the accomplished Czech Americans. Biographical information about them is scattered in a plethora of sources, which are difficult to find and some are not readily accessible. The present author, who, literally, devoted several decades of his life to the study of Czech-American history, has canvassed hundreds of sources at national and local levels to identify, not only notable individuals but also pioneer settlers who played a significant role in the growth and development of the US. This publication should fill a great void in literature until a comprehensive biographical compendium about Czech Americans has been written.

Author : Victor Weisskopf
Publisher : Plunkett Lake Press
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2019-08-15
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The Joy of Insight: Passions of a Physicist by Victor Weisskopf Pdf

In the 1930s, Victor Weisskopf worked with leading European physicists such as Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac and Wolfgang Pauli. His memoir recounts in simple language how quantum mechanics revolutionized physics and our understanding of matter. Weisskopf takes us to Los Alamos where he worked on the atom bomb during World War II after fleeing the Nazis, to CERN which he led in the early 1960s, and to MIT’s physics department where he taught until his retirement. Weisskopf also recounts his efforts towards nuclear disarmament and tells of his lifelong love of music and passion to understand and explain physics. “[Weisskopf’s] memoir provides a bright tile in the mosaic that our descendants will study in seeking to understand his scientific generation... A warm and frequently witty memoir by an extraordinarily gifted thinker and caring human being.” — Timothy Ferris, The New York Times “Weisskopf’s voice comes through clearly in the book ... a voice that has tried to infuse our century with the idealism and humanism that it so often has lacked... The Joy of Insight is much more than Weisskopf’s autobiography: It is a first-hand account of the intellectual and political forces that shaped the 20th century.” — Science “His account of [Los Alamos], where an isolated, tightly enclosed social world contrasted with the excitement and suspense of unprecedented research and invention, is the best yet written.” — The Atlantic “The Joy of Insight is an inspiring personal memoir by one of the most thoughtful scientists of our time... [A] stimulating book by and about a passionate physicist.” —Boston Globe “[Weisskopf] emerges in this autobiography as a man of gentle wisdom and quiet grace, confident in the idea that physics can provide not only 'the joy of insight,' but also a model of how life should be lived.” — The Sciences

Author : Peter Goodchild
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 520 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0674016696

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Edward Teller by Peter Goodchild Pdf

Goodchild unravels the complex web of harsh early experiences, character flaws, and personal and professional frustrations that lay behind the paradox of "the father of the H-bomb."

Author : Rudolf Peierls
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 376 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2014-07-14
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781400854615

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Bird of Passage by Rudolf Peierls Pdf

Here is the intensely personal and often humorous autobiography of one of the most distinguished theoretical physicists of his generation, Sir Rudolf Peierls. Born in Germany in 1907, Peierls was indeed a bird of passage," whose career of fifty-five years took him to leading centers of physics--including Munich, Leipzig, Zurich, Copenhagen, Cambridge, Manchester, Oxford, and J. Robert Oppenheimer's Los Alamos. Peierls was a major participant in the revolutionary development of quantum mechanics in the 1920s and 1930s, working with some of the pioneers and, as he puts it, "some of the great characters" in this field. Originally published in 1985. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author : Gordon Fraser
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2012-02-23
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191627514

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The Quantum Exodus by Gordon Fraser Pdf

It was no accident that the Holocaust and the Atomic Bomb happened at the same time. When the Nazis came into power in 1933, their initial objective was not to get rid of Jews. Rather, their aim was to refine German culture: Jewish professors and teachers at fine universities were sacked. Atomic science had attracted a lot of Jewish talent, and as Albert Einstein and other quantum exiles scattered, they realized that they held the key to a weapon of unimaginable power. Convinced that their gentile counterparts in Germany had come to the same conclusion, and having witnessed what the Nazis were prepared to do, the exiles were afraid. They had to get to the Atomic Bomb first. The Nazis meanwhile had acquired a more pressing objective: their persecution of the Jews had evolved into extermination. Two dreadful projects - the Bomb and the Holocaust - became locked a grisly race.

Author : Emilio Segre
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0226744736

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Enrico Fermi, Physicist by Emilio Segre Pdf

Student, collaborator and lifelong friend of Enrico Fermi, Emilio Segrè presents a rich, well-rounded portrait of the scientist, his methods, intellectual history, and achievements. Explaining in nontechnical terms the scientific problems Fermi faced or solved, Enrico Fermi, Physicist contains illuminating material concerning Fermi's youth in Italy and the development of his scientific style. Emilio Segre was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1959.