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The interview ranges from Inglis’ youth and family origins to his current (1977) activities. Topics include his student days (Amherst College 1924-28, Ann Arbor 1928-31), contact with European physicists and rising Nazism (1932-13), the physics departments at Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, Princeton, and Johns Hopkins in the 1930’s, and the last of these in the 1940’s; atomic spectroscopy, ferromagnetism, uses of the vector model, shift from atomic to nuclear spectroscopy, the Thomas precession and spin-orbit coupling in nuclei, shell and droplet models for nuclei, intermediate coupling model for light nuclei, the earth’s magnetic field, wind-dynamos and nuclear reactors; Los Alamos during World War II, Argonne Laboratory in the 1950’s and 60’s; expression of social concern, especially in relation to the nuclear arms race, in the 1950’s through the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the political victimization of Donald Flanders, the Federation of American Scientists, congressional testimony concerning Lewis Strauss’ (nominee for Sec. of Commerce) experiences at Pugwash Conferences, obstacles to slowing or reversing the arms race.
The interview ranges from Inglis’ youth and family origins to his current (1977) activities. Topics include his student days (Amherst College 1924-28, Ann Arbor 1928-31), contact with European physicists and rising Nazism (1932-13), the physics departments at Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, Princeton, and Johns Hopkins in the 1930’s, and the last of these in the 1940’s; atomic spectroscopy, ferromagnetism, uses of the vector model, shift from atomic to nuclear spectroscopy, the Thomas precession and spin-orbit coupling in nuclei, shell and droplet models for nuclei, intermediate coupling model for light nuclei, the earth’s magnetic field, wind-dynamos and nuclear reactors; Los Alamos during World War II, Argonne Laboratory in the 1950’s and 60’s; expression of social concern, especially in relation to the nuclear arms race, in the 1950’s through the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the political victimization of Donald Flanders, the Federation of American Scientists, congressional testimony concerning Lewis Strauss’ (nominee for Sec. of Commerce) experiences at Pugwash Conferences, obstacles to slowing or reversing the arms race.
Solid state physics in its early days in Arnold Sommerfeld’s and Werner Heisenberg’s groups, where Peierls was a student in the late 1920s. Sommerfeld’s group compared to Heisenberg’ s group; interaction between experimentalists and theoreticians in Germany, in England and in the U.S.; Peierls’s thesis work on heat conductivity in non-metallic crystals (suggested by Wolfgang Pauli), done in Zurich in 1920 and defended at Universitat Leipzig; the application of the Heitler-London approach in other works (especially Felix Bloch, Arnold Sommerfeld); attempt to state the first use of names and concepts: energy bands, theory of solid bodies; the periods of optimism in the history of physics; the “accidental” change of fields because of Nazism (Hans Bethe). Significant papers on absorption spectra, diamagnetism, phase changes and statistical foundations, published in the 1930s: reasons for selecting these topics; inspirational contributions in the work; responses; associated circumstances and events. Lev Landau and his work also discussed at length.
Solid state physics in its early days in Arnold Sommerfeld’s and Werner Heisenberg’s groups, where Peierls was a student in the late 1920s. Sommerfeld’s group compared to Heisenberg’ s group; interaction between experimentalists and theoreticians in Germany, in England and in the U.S.; Peierls’s thesis work on heat conductivity in non-metallic crystals (suggested by Wolfgang Pauli), done in Zurich in 1920 and defended at Universitat Leipzig; the application of the Heitler-London approach in other works (especially Felix Bloch, Arnold Sommerfeld); attempt to state the first use of names and concepts: energy bands, theory of solid bodies; the periods of optimism in the history of physics; the “accidental” change of fields because of Nazism (Hans Bethe). Significant papers on absorption spectra, diamagnetism, phase changes and statistical foundations, published in the 1930s: reasons for selecting these topics; inspirational contributions in the work; responses; associated circumstances and events. Lev Landau and his work also discussed at length.