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The quantum theory of gravitation, effective field theories, and strings: yesterday and today Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-04-23 Alessio Rocci, Thomas Van Riet
This paper analyzes the effective field theory perspective on modern physics through the lens of the quantum theory of gravitational interaction. The historical part argues that the search for a theory of quantum gravity stimulated the change in outlook that characterizes the modern approach to the standard model of particle physics and general relativity. We present some landmarks covering a long
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Revisiting the Frisch–Peierls Memorandum Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-04-08 B. Cameron Reed
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The breakup of gas bubbles by a shock wave: brief historical background Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-28 Igor V. Minin, Oleg V. Minin
A gas–hydrate method of CO2 gas storage is one of the modern technologies for reducing it emissions into the atmosphere. The breakup of gas bubbles by a shock wave is an actual area of scientific and technological research. However, it is less known that such research began in the late 1950s in the USSR by Prof. Vladilen F. Minin. The paper presents the main discoveries related to the destruction of
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The development of computational methods for Feynman diagrams Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Robert V. Harlander, Jean-Philippe Martinez
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The 50th anniversary of the coupled channels Born approximation (CCBA) and the coupled reaction channels (CRC) theories of nucleon transfer reactions (a unique interplay between theory, experiment and computer technology, conducted during the most tumultuous period in modern American society) Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-01
Abstract Nucleon transfer reactions have played a fundamental role in understanding the single-particle components, shell structure and collective properties of atomic nuclei. The conventional distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) envisioned the nucleon transfer reaction as a one-step process, which proceeds directly from the ground state of the target nucleus to a state of the residual nucleus
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Addressing the problem of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA visibility in the scientific literature Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Pablo Barneo, Giuseppe Cabras, Pierre-Francois Cohadon, Livia Conti, Davide Guerra, Edoardo Milotti, Jerome Novak, Agata Trovato, Andrea Virtuoso
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How a falling apple could have helped Newton discover universal gravity Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Gennady Gorelik
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Analogue gravity and the Hawking effect: historical perspective and literature review Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-04 Carla R. Almeida, Maxime J. Jacquet
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Note on episodes in the history of modeling measurements in local spacetime regions using QFT Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-27 Doreen Fraser, Maria Papageorgiou
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From concrete quarks to QCD: a personal perspective Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-14 Chris Llewellyn Smith
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Matrix mechanics mis-prized: Max Born's belated nobelization Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-18 John L. Heilbron, Carlo Rovelli
We examine evaluations of the contributions of Matrix Mechanics and Max Born to the formulation of quantum mechanics from Heisenberg's Helgoland paper of 1925 to Born's Nobel Prize of 1954. We point out that the process of evaluation is continuing in the light of recent interpretations of the theory that deemphasize the importance of the wave function.
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Orthodox or dissident? The evolution of Bohm’s ontological reflections in the 1950s Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 Andrea Oldofredi
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A history of the relation between fluctuation and dissipation Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-22 Olivier Darrigol
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George Gamow and Ralph Alpher: a review of their cosmological collaboration as mentor and protégé 1942–1955 Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-08-23 Victor S. Alpher, Simon A. Mitton
George Antonovich Gamow (1904–1968) and Ralph Asher Alpher (1921–2007) were associates from 1942 until 1968. In this paper, we examine an intense period of collaboration at George Washington University. Our inquiry pivots on a collection of 53 letters and postcards in the Library of Congress (LoC) that Alpher received from Gamow during his absences from Washington DC. In order to set our examination
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Correction: The end of the particle era? Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-08-23 Robert Harlander, Jean-Philippe Martinez, Gregor Schiemann
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On the gravitational effects of light Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-07-27 Alessio Rocci
Translation of and Commentary on Léon Rosenfeld’s “Über die Gravitationwirkungen des Lichtes”, Zeitschrift für Physik 65: 589–599 (1930). Originally published in German. Submitted for publication on September 26, 1930. See [1] the Comments with References section before reading this English translation. The gravitational field generated by an electromagnetic field is calculated using of laws of quantum
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The end of the particle era? Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-06-02 Robert Harlander, Jean-Philippe Martinez, Gregor Schiemann
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Anatoly Vlasov heritage: 60-year-old controversy Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-05-16 Alexander M. Gabovich, Vladimir I. Kuznetsov
We analyzed remarkable stories linked to the famous Anatoly Vlasov equations in plasma physics. Their creation, modification, and application are interesting from the scientific viewpoint. We also show the relations between those equations dealing with electromagnetism and analogous Jeans equations describing, in particular, gravitational instability in astrophysics. The second half of the essay is
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R. Fürth’s 1933 paper “On certain relations between classical statistics and quantum mechanics” [“Über einige Beziehungen zwischen klassischer Statistik und Quantenmechanik”, Zeitschrift für Physik, 81 143–162] Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-05-15 Luca Peliti, Paolo Muratore-Ginanneschi
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What’s in a name? Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-05-07 Beñat Monfort-Urkizu, Jaume Navarro
The development and evolution of the “Einstein–Æther Theory” (Æ-theory) shows that there is a field in cosmology where the word ether is being used again. It is unclear, however, whether this æther may be regarded in continuation with previous ethers, or it is an altogether new entity. The main goal of this paper is to understand the nature of this new ether in the context of previous instances of
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On the speed of light in a vacuum in the presence of a magnetic field Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-03-27 Jonathan Agil, Rémy Battesti, Carlo Rizzo
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IUCAA: genesis of a unique research centre Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2023-02-07 Saibal Ray, Utpal Mukhopadhyay, Samir Dhurde
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The JADE experiment at the PETRA $$e^+e^-$$ collider: history, achievements and revival Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-12-23 S. Bethke, A. Wagner
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A brief history of Florentine physics from the 1920s to the end of the 1960s Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-12-23 Roberto Casalbuoni, Daniele Dominici, Massimo Mazzoni
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Einstein’s Oxford cosmology blackboards: open portals to 1931 Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-11-16 Dwight E. Vincent, David R. Topper
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The emergence of protein dynamics simulations: how computational statistical mechanics met biochemistry Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-10-14 Daniele Macuglia, Benoît Roux, Giovanni Ciccotti
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Samuil Kaplan and the development of astrophysical research at the Lviv University Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-10-12 B. Novosyadlyj, B. Hnatyk, Yu. Kulinich, B. Melekh, O. Petruk, R. Plyatsko, M. Tsizh, M. Vavrukh, N. Virun
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Beyond the infrared: a centenary of Heinrich Rubens’s death Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-09-30 Iñigo González de Arrieta
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Fermi’s favorite figure: the history of the pseudopotential concept in atomic physics and neutron physics Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-09-09 Christopher R. Gould, Eduard I. Sharapov
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Schottky’s forgotten step to the Ising model Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-09-06 Reinhard Folk, Yurij Holovatch
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A history of observables and Hamilton–Jacobi approaches to general relativity Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-06-08 Donald Salisbury
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On the origin of the Gullstrand–Painlevé coordinates Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-05-09 N. K. Nielsen
Gullstrand’s and Oseen’s papers on the Gullstrand–Painlevé coordinates are translated from German into English, and their significance and their connection with Einstein’s Nobel prize are commented upon.
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The genesis of the CPT theorem Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-05-04 Alexander S. Blum, Andrés Martínez de Velasco
We reconstruct the genesis of the CPT theorem in quantum field theory from the first proofs of the spin-statistics theorem in 1939/1940 to the discovery of parity violation in 1957. Centrally, we highlight that the original motivation for pursuing the CPT theorem lay primarily in the attempt to identify the correct formulation of time reversal in relativistic quantum field theories.
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Internal dynamics in condensed matter, as studied by spin relaxation: some examples from 75 years Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-24 Erik B. Karlsson
The present year 2021 celebrates the 75th anniversary of the nuclear magnetic resonance method (NMR), which has had an immense importance for several branches of physics, chemistry and biology. The splitting of resonances and the shifts in their positions are seemingly inexhaustible sources of information for organic chemistry and biology. It was first introduced for the study of nuclear spins and
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EUROGRAV 1986–1989: the first attempts for a European Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatory Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-03-11 Adele La Rana
At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, on the eve of the great leap in scale from the resonant bars to the long-baseline interferometers LIGO and Virgo, the four European groups then engaged in the field of interferometric gravitational wave detection in Germany, UK, France and Italy tried to set up a common strategy, with the aim of establishing a network of three long-based antennas in Europe. The paper
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Hans Zocher and mineral liquid crystals Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-13 Anatoly S. Sonin, Natalia A. Churochkina, Andrei A. Sonin
We carry out a detailed analysis of the contribution of the outstanding liquid crystal scientist Hans Zocher to the study of mineral mesophases. The work is placed in the context of progress achieved by the liquid crystal scientists, who conducted research both before and after Zocher. The article also includes a brief scientific biography of Zocher.
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Indistinguishable elements in the origins of quantum statistics. The case of Fermi–Dirac statistics Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2022-01-05 Enric Pérez, Joana Ibáñez
In this paper, we deal with the historical origins of Fermi–Dirac statistics, focusing on the contribution by Enrico Fermi of 1926. We argue that this statistics, as opposed to that of Bose–Einstein, has been somewhat overlooked in the usual accounts of the old quantum theory. Our main objective is to offer a critical analysis of Fermi’s seminal paper and its immediate impact. Secondly, we are also
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Boltzmann’s reply to the Loschmidt paradox: a commented translation Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-11-26 Olivier Darrigol
Boltzmann’s reply to Loschmidt’s reversibility paradox (1877) has baffled many readers, owing to imprecise language and unproven assumptions. Based on a new translation and detailed commentary, it will be shown that this text nevertheless contains the essentials of a correct, insightful interpretation of thermodynamic irreversibility in statistico-mechanical context.
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E. Schrödinger’s 1931 paper “On the Reversal of the Laws of Nature” [“Über die Umkehrung der Naturgesetze”, Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, physikalisch-mathematische Klasse, 8 N9 144–153] Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-11-22 Raphaël Chetrite, Paolo Muratore-Ginanneschi, Kay Schwieger
We present an English translation of Erwin Schrödinger’s paper on “On the Reversal of the Laws of Nature‘’. In this paper, Schrödinger analyses the idea of time reversal of a diffusion process. Schrödinger’s paper acted as a prominent source of inspiration for the works of Bernstein on reciprocal processes and of Kolmogorov on time reversal properties of Markov processes and detailed balance. The ideas
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Half-a-century of gamma-ray astrophysics at the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-10-30 Volker Schönfelder, Jochen Greiner
Gamma-ray astronomy has been one of the prime scientific research fields of the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) from its beginning. Over the years, the entire gamma-ray energy range accessible from space was explored. The purpose of this review article is to summarise the achievements of the gamma-ray group at MPE during the last 50+ years. This covers a substantial part of
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The early years of quantum Monte Carlo (2): finite-temperature simulations Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-09-14 Mareschal, Michel
In this article, we present the second part of our historical survey on quantum Monte Carlo methods. We focus on the simulations performed at a finite temperature and based on Feynman’s path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics. We introduce the method and insist on the central role played by the description of the transition to superfluidity for Helium 4.
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How to model phase transitions? The changing approaches 1937–1970 Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-09-07 Niss, Martin
The paper aims at characterising and documenting a fundamental change in how phase transitions were modelled microscopically in the period 1937–1970. At first, physicists took what will be called a naturalistic approach to phase transitions such as the condensation of gases and the Curie point of ferromagnets. Here the purpose was to explain the phenomenon in question, i.e., to show that a model exhibits
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Henry Cavendish and the effect of gravity on propagation of light: a postscript Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-09-02 Lotze, Karl-Heinz, Simionato, Silvia
This paper is devoted to two hitherto unpublished original documents by Henry Cavendish (1731–1810) which provide insight into his calculations of the deflection of light by isolated celestial bodies. Together with a transcription of these documents, we comment on their contents in the present-day language of physics. Moreover, we compare them with a paper by Johann Georg von Soldner (1776–1833) on
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Chronicle of the discovery of the back-bending phenomenon in atomic nuclei: a personal recollection 50 years on Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-31 Ryde, Hans
A chronicle describing the historical context and the development of ideas and experiments leading to the discovery of the back-bending phenomenon in rapidly rotating atomic nuclei some 50 years ago is presented. The moment of inertia of some atomic nuclei increases anomalously at a certain rotational frequency, revealing important clues to our understanding of nuclear structure. I highlight the decisive
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A road map for Feynman’s adventures in the land of gravitation Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-26 Di Mauro, Marco, Esposito, Salvatore, Naddeo, Adele
Richard P. Feynman’s work on gravitation, as can be inferred from several published and unpublished sources, is reviewed. Feynman was involved with this subject at least from late 1954 to the late 1960s, giving several pivotal contributions to it. Even though he published only three papers, much more material is available, beginning with the records of his many interventions at the Chapel Hill conference
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Three Pathbreaking papers of 1966 revisited: their relevance to certain aspects of cosmological creation today Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-17 Narlikar, Jayant V.
This article recalls three papers published by Fred Hoyle and Jayant V. Narlikar consecutively in 1966 in Proceedings of the Royal Society, London. These papers were largely overlooked at the time but a look back today more than fifty years later shows how relevant they might be even today. Fred Hoyle, one of the most imaginative astrophysicists of the twentieth century, gives examples of how his mind
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The thermodynamics of black holes: from Penrose process to Hawking radiation Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-05 Almeida, Carla Rodrigues
In 1969, Roger Penrose proposed a mechanism to extract rotational energy from a Kerr black hole. With this, he inspired two lines of investigation in the years after. On the one side, the Penrose process, as it became known, allowed a comparison between black-hole mechanics and thermodynamics. On the other, it opened a path to a quantum description of those objects. This paper provides a novel take
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Comment on Clebsch’s 1857 and 1859 papers on using Hamiltonian methods in hydrodynamics Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-02 Grimberg, Gérard, Tassi, Emanuele
The present paper is a companion of two translated articles by Alfred Clebsch, titled “On a general transformation of the hydrodynamical equations” and “On the integration of the hydrodynamical equations” (https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-021-00015-8, https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-021-00016-7). The originals were published in the “Journal für die reine and angewandte Mathematik” (1857 and
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On a general transformation of the hydrodynamical equations Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-02 A. Clebsch
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On the integration of the hydrodynamical equations Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-08-02 A. Clebsch
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Guglielmo Marconi, Augusto Righi and the invention of wireless telegraphy Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-07-28 Leone, Matteo, Robotti, Nadia
One of the major accomplishments of the late nineteenth-century applied physics was, as it is well known, the development of wireless telegraphy by Guglielmo Marconi, future Nobel laureate. In this paper, we will explore what scientific debt, if any, Marconi had toward another Italian physicist, internationally well known for his research on electromagnetic waves: Augusto Righi. This question will
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An inter-country comparison of nuclear pile development during World War II Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-06-24 B. Cameron Reed
Between the time of the discovery of nuclear fission in early 1939 and the end of 1946, approximately 90 “nuclear piles” were constructed in six countries. These devices ranged from simple graphite columns containing neutron sources but no uranium to structures as complex as the water-cooled 250-MW plutonium production reactors built at Hanford, Washington. This paper reviews and compares the properties
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The ADM version of GR at Sixty: a brief account for historians Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-06-22 S. Deser
I review the meaning of General Relativity, viewed as a dynamical field, rather than as geometry, as effected by the 1958-61“anti-geometrical” work of ADM. This very brief non-technical summary is intended for historians.
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The breakthrough of a quantum chemist by classical dynamics: Martin Karplus and the birth of computer simulations of chemical reactions Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-06-10 Daniele Macuglia, Benoît Roux, Giovanni Ciccotti
1964–1965 was an early, crucial period in Martin Karplus’ research—a time when, rather unexpectedly, he approached the problem of reactive collisions using a quasiclassical approximation with the aid of computer technologies. This marked a substantial departure from the quantum-chemical studies of nuclear magnetic resonance that had, until then, dominated his work. The historical perspective outlined
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The early years of quantum Monte Carlo (1): the ground state Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-06-08 Michel Mareschal
The history of the development of Monte Carlo methods to solve the many-body problem in quantum mechanics is presented. The relation starts with the early attempts on first available computers just after the war and extends until the years 80s with the celebrated calculation of the electron gas by Ceperley and Alder. Usage is made of an interview of David Ceperley by the author.
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Arguments against the flatness problem in classical cosmology: a review Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-04-26 Phillip Helbig
Several authors (including myself) have made claims, none of which has been convincingly rebutted, that the flatness problem, as formulated by Dicke and Peebles, is not really a problem but rather a misunderstanding. In particular, we all agree that no fine-tuning in the early Universe is needed in order to explain the fact that there is no strong departure from flatness, neither in the early Universe
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The Moore–Penrose inverse: a hundred years on a frontline of physics research Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-04-21 Oskar Maria Baksalary, Götz Trenkler
The Moore–Penrose inverse celebrated its 100th birthday in 2020, as the notion standing behind the term was first defined by Eliakim Hastings Moore in 1920 (Bull Am Math Soc 26:394–395, 1920). Its rediscovery by Sir Roger Penrose in 1955 (Proc Camb Philos Soc 51:406–413, 1955) can be considered as a caesura, after which the inverse attracted the attention it deserves and has henceforth been exploited
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Was physics ever deterministic? The historical basis of determinism and the image of classical physics Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-04-01 Marij van Strien
Determinism is generally regarded as one of the main characteristics of classical physics, that is, the physics of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. However, an inquiry into eighteenth and nineteenth century physics shows that the aim of accounting for all phenomena on the basis of deterministic equations of motion remained far out of reach. Famous statements of universal determinism, such as
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60 Years of neutral particle analysis: from early tokamaks to ITER Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-03-19 M. P. Petrov, V. I. Afanasyev, F. V. Chernyshev, P. R. Goncharov, M. I. Mironov, S. Ya. Petrov
Academician A. D. Sakharov’s idea concerning the emission of atomic flux from hot plasma (1951) inspired scientists of A. F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute to create the first in the world instrument called Neutral Atom Analyzer in 1960 and then in 1961 to use it successfully on the Alpha device (USSR, 1958–1963). Now the analysis of fluxes of fast atoms referred to as Neutral Particle Analysis
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The history of LHCb Eur. Phys. J. H (IF 1.0) Pub Date : 2021-03-19 I. Belyaev, G. Carboni, N. Harnew, C. Matteuzzi, F. Teubert
In this paper, we describe the history of the LHCb experiment over the last three decades, and its remarkable successes and achievements. LHCb was conceived primarily as a \({b} \)-physics experiment, dedicated to \(CP\) violation studies and measurements of very rare \({{b}} \) decays; however, the tremendous potential for \({c} \)-physics was also clear. At first data taking, the versatility of the