Tuesday 4 December 2012

Happy Birthday Werner Karl Heisenberg!

Tomorrow marks 111the Birthday of Werner Karl Heisenberg (5 December 1901 – 1 February 1976). He was a German theoretical physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1932 "for the creation of quantum mechanics". Perhaps his most famous work is the uncertainty principle published in 1927. He also made important contributions in other fields such as magnetism. What he may not be known for is his effort in planning the first West German nuclear reactor at Karlsruhe, together with a research reactor in Munich, in 1957. Here are some good links about him and his work:
"Heisenberg’s influence and that of his colleagues is evidenced by their twofold impact on the important field of West German nuclear policy: support of nuclear energy and opposition to nuclear weapons. In 1955 the Western allies granted the Federal Republic full sovereignty all restrictions upon West German research. Heisenberg and his colleagues immediately launched a public campaign for a crash program in nuclear energy development. Under Heisenberg’s direction, Germany’s first nuclear reactor, a research model, was set up at Garching (near Munich) in 1957. At the same time, a major nuclear research section was established at Heisenberg’s Max Planck Institute under the direction of Karl Wirtz; it eventually relocated in Karlsruhe." from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Werner_Karl_Heisenberg.aspx

http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/scientists/wkheisenberg.htm

http://alsos.wlu.edu/qsearch.aspx?browse=people%2FHeisenberg%2C+Werner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Heisenberg

Oral history interview transcript with Werner Heisenberg - http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/4661_1.html(30 Nov. 1962)
http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/5027.html(16 June 1970)

Nobel Lecture by Werner Heisenberg - http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1932/heisenberg-lecture.html

http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/cou/ger/weap/wmd/nuc/sci/wh-ment30.html

A great video on Uncertainty Principle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw6dI7cguCg

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