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theory of relativity and accounted for Dirac once attended a luncheon with Eugene Wigner and Michael Polanyi. There was a lively discussion about science and society, during which Dirac did not say a word. Asked to speak up and give his opinion, he re-sponded, “There are always more people will-ing to speak, than willing to listen.”
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Dirac established the most general theory of quantum mechanics and discovered the relativistic equation for the electron, which now bears his name. The remarkable notion of an antiparticle to each particle - i.e. the positron as antiparticle to the electron - stems from his equation. He was the first to develop quantum field theory, which underlies...
Dirac soon showed that his equation had other, unexpected, impli cations for these particles. The equation predicted the existence of antiparticles, such as the positron and the negatively-charged antiproton, objects now well known in high-energy physics laborator ies. Indeed, all particles have corresponding antiparticles and almost all of them ar...
This new seminar looks at how to take your idea and turn it into a commercial success. • protecting your intellectual property securing funding approachingventure capitalists writing a business plan choosing a business model growingyour company preparing for acquisition or flotation Listen firsthand to the experiences of European optics start-ups, ...
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There, Dirac pursued his interests in the theory of general relativity, an interest he had gained earlier as a student in Bristol, and in the nascent field of quantum physics, under the supervision of Ralph Fowler. [66]
Dirac begins this chapter by introducing relativistic four-vectors x = (x 0, x 1, x 2, x 3) and discusses the Lorentz-invariant delta functions δ(x·x) and δ(x·x)x 0/|x 0|, both of which vanish except on the past and future light cones, where they are singular.*.
In the following sections I describe and discuss Dirac’s major contributions to the development of quantum theory, and thus to modern physics. My primary aim is to make the main ideas of Dirac’s principal contributions as accessible as possible, so that, for example,
Although Dirac made vastly important contributions to physics, it is important to realise that he was always motivated by principles of mathematical beauty. Dirac unified the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity theory, but he also is remembered for his outstanding work on the magnetic monopole, fundamental length, antimatter, the d ...
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Nov 1, 2009 · Dirac practiced theoretical physics for almost 60 years with a unique style: a sometimes baffling combination of intuition, imagination, rectilinear logic, and steam-hammer mathematical power. Graham Farmelo. Physics Today 62 (11), 46–50 (2009); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3265236. Share.
