J.P. Vigier – författare

Jean-Pierre Vigier continually labeled one of les heretiques de la science, l’eternel resistant et le patriarche is yet a pillar of modern physics and mathematics, with one leg firmly planted in theory and the other in empiricism spanning a career of nearly 60 years with a publication vitae quickly approaching 400! He wrote of his mentor Louis de Broglie “Great physicists fight great battles”, which perhaps applies even more so to 1 Jean-Pierre Vigier himself . If fortune allows a visit to Paris, reported to be the city of love, and certainly one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world; one has been treated to a visual and cultural feast. For example a leisurely stroll from the Musee du Louvre along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe would instill even the least creative soul with the entelechies of a poets muse. It is perhaps open to theoretical interpretation, but if causal conditions have allowed one to be a physicist, visiting Paris, one may have taken opportunity to visit the portion of the old Latin quarter in place Jussieu where Pierre et Marie Curie Universite, reported to be ‘the best university in France’, is stationed.

THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE QUANTUM THEORY OF LIGHT In August of 1995, a group of over 70 physicists met at York University for a three-day symposium in honour of Professor Jean-Pierre Vigier. The attendance included theoretical and experimental physicists, mathematicians, astronomers and colleagues concerned with issues in the philosophy of science. The symposium was entitled "The Present Status of the Quantum Theory of Light" in accordance with Professor Vigier's wishes but in fact encompassed many of the areas to which Professor Vigier has contributed over his long and distinguished career. These include stochastic interpretations of quantum mechanics, particle physics, and electromagnetic theory. The papers presented at the symposium have been arranged in this proceedings in the following approximate order: ideas about the nature of light and photons, electrodynamiCS, the formulation and interpretation of quantum mechanics, and aspects of relativity theory. Some of the papers presented deal with alternate interpretations of quantum phenomena in the tradition of Vigier, Bohm et al. These interpretations reject the account given in purely probabilistic terms and which deems individual quantum events to be acausal and not amenable to any analysis in space-time terms. As is well known, Einstein and others also rejected the purely statistical account of quantum mechanics. As stressed by Professor Vigier at the symposium, the current experimental situation now allows for the first time for individual quantum events to be studied, e. g.

The Symposium entitled: Causality and Locality in Modern Physics and As­ tronomy: Open Questions and Possible Solutions was held at York University, Toronto, during the last week of August 1997. It was a sequel to a similar sym­ posium entitled: The Present Status of the Quantum Theory of Light held at the same venue in August 1995. These symposia came about as a result of discussions between Professor Stanley Jeffers and colleagues on the International Organizing Committee. Professor Jeffers was the executive local organizer of the symposia. The 1997 symposium attracted over 120 participants representing 26 different countries and academic institutions. The broad theme of both symposia was the enigma of modern physics: the non-local, and possibly superluminal interactions implied by quantum mechanics, the structure of fundamental particles including the photon, the reconciliation of quantum mechanics with the theory of relativity, and the nature of gravity and inertia. Jean-Pierre Vigier was the guest of honour at both symposia. He was a lively contributor to the discussions of the presentations. The presentations were made as 30-minute lectures, or during an evening poster session. Some participants did not submit a written account of their presentation at the symposium, and not all of the articles submitted for the Proceedings could be included because of the publisher's page limit. The titles and authors of the papers that had to be excluded are listed in an appendix.

Jean-Pierre Vigier continually labeled one of les heretiques de la science, l’eternel resistant et le patriarche is yet a pillar of modern physics and mathematics, with one leg firmly planted in theory and the other in empiricism spanning a career of nearly 60 years with a publication vitae quickly approaching 400! He wrote of his mentor Louis de Broglie “Great physicists fight great battles”, which perhaps applies even more so to 1 Jean-Pierre Vigier himself . If fortune allows a visit to Paris, reported to be the city of love, and certainly one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world; one has been treated to a visual and cultural feast. For example a leisurely stroll from the Musee du Louvre along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe would instill even the least creative soul with the entelechies of a poets muse. It is perhaps open to theoretical interpretation, but if causal conditions have allowed one to be a physicist, visiting Paris, one may have taken opportunity to visit the portion of the old Latin quarter in place Jussieu where Pierre et Marie Curie Universite, reported to be ‘the best university in France’, is stationed.

This volume contains the proceedings of a symposium held in honour of Jean-Pierre Vigier at York University, Toronto, Canada, in August 1997. The topics of the contributions range from quantum mechanics and its interpretation, to particle physics, electromagnetic theory, relativity and gravity, and the relationship between inertia and the zero-point electromagnetic oscillations that constitute the vacuum. The fifty-two articles are arranged under the following categories: astrophysics-cosmology, the Aharonov-Bohm effect, electrodynamics, gravitation and inertia, light and photons, mathematical physics, particle physics and quantum theory. Audience: This book will be of interest to graduate-level students and researchers.

Two important events in the history of physical sciences occurred re­ cently: the fiftieth anniversary of Quantum Mechanics and the Jubilee of Louis de Broglie''s celebrated Thesis. These events occurred in the same period of time when the world honored de Broglie on the occa­ sion of his eightieth birthday. Some of de Broglie''s friends, former students, and some people who used to know him and appreciate his personality decided to prepare an international volume for this cele­ brated occasion. Such a task was not very easy. It is always simpler to contribute in honor of famous people whose works and impact were great on a tech­ nical and pragmatic level than to contribute in honor of a person whose achievements were not only dominant in physical sciences themselves, but also had many important implications for the development of the whole branch of philosophy of sciences. Louis de Broglie, the man to whom we owe among other things the most fundamental notion of duality between waves and particles, be­ longs in a way to the Einsteinian school of thought. He never accepted literally the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. To him it was clear that this interpretation makes quantum mechanics incomplete and highly non-deterministic. He always believed that since the duality between waves and particles was an experimental fact, there should be some manifestation of the Schrodinger wave itself in the realistic world. De Broglie had to struggle much for this idea, which he never gave up.

Two important events in the history of physical sciences occurred re­ cently: the fiftieth anniversary of Quantum Mechanics and the Jubilee of Louis de Broglie's celebrated Thesis. These events occurred in the same period of time when the world honored de Broglie on the occa­ sion of his eightieth birthday. Some of de Broglie's friends, former students, and some people who used to know him and appreciate his personality decided to prepare an international volume for this cele­ brated occasion. Such a task was not very easy. It is always simpler to contribute in honor of famous people whose works and impact were great on a tech­ nical and pragmatic level than to contribute in honor of a person whose achievements were not only dominant in physical sciences themselves, but also had many important implications for the development of the whole branch of philosophy of sciences. Louis de Broglie, the man to whom we owe among other things the most fundamental notion of duality between waves and particles, be­ longs in a way to the Einsteinian school of thought. He never accepted literally the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. To him it was clear that this interpretation makes quantum mechanics incomplete and highly non-deterministic. He always believed that since the duality between waves and particles was an experimental fact, there should be some manifestation of the Schrodinger wave itself in the realistic world. De Broglie had to struggle much for this idea, which he never gave up.

THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE QUANTUM THEORY OF LIGHT In August of 1995, a group of over 70 physicists met at York University for a three-day symposium in honour of Professor Jean-Pierre Vigier. The attendance included theoretical and experimental physicists, mathematicians, astronomers and colleagues concerned with issues in the philosophy of science. The symposium was entitled "The Present Status of the Quantum Theory of Light" in accordance with Professor Vigier's wishes but in fact encompassed many of the areas to which Professor Vigier has contributed over his long and distinguished career. These include stochastic interpretations of quantum mechanics, particle physics, and electromagnetic theory. The papers presented at the symposium have been arranged in this proceedings in the following approximate order: ideas about the nature of light and photons, electrodynamiCS, the formulation and interpretation of quantum mechanics, and aspects of relativity theory. Some of the papers presented deal with alternate interpretations of quantum phenomena in the tradition of Vigier, Bohm et al. These interpretations reject the account given in purely probabilistic terms and which deems individual quantum events to be acausal and not amenable to any analysis in space-time terms. As is well known, Einstein and others also rejected the purely statistical account of quantum mechanics. As stressed by Professor Vigier at the symposium, the current experimental situation now allows for the first time for individual quantum events to be studied, e. g.

THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE QUANTUM THEORY OF LIGHT In August of 1995, a group of over 70 physicists met at York University for a three-day symposium in honour of Professor Jean-Pierre Vigier. The attendance included theoretical and experimental physicists, mathematicians, astronomers and colleagues concerned with issues in the philosophy of science. The symposium was entitled "The Present Status of the Quantum Theory of Light" in accordance with Professor Vigier''s wishes but in fact encompassed many of the areas to which Professor Vigier has contributed over his long and distinguished career. These include stochastic interpretations of quantum mechanics, particle physics, and electromagnetic theory. The papers presented at the symposium have been arranged in this proceedings in the following approximate order: ideas about the nature of light and photons, electrodynamiCS, the formulation and interpretation of quantum mechanics, and aspects of relativity theory. Some of the papers presented deal with alternate interpretations of quantum phenomena in the tradition of Vigier, Bohm et al. These interpretations reject the account given in purely probabilistic terms and which deems individual quantum events to be acausal and not amenable to any analysis in space-time terms. As is well known, Einstein and others also rejected the purely statistical account of quantum mechanics. As stressed by Professor Vigier at the symposium, the current experimental situation now allows for the first time for individual quantum events to be studied, e. g.

The Symposium entitled: Causality and Locality in Modern Physics and As­ tronomy: Open Questions and Possible Solutions was held at York University, Toronto, during the last week of August 1997. It was a sequel to a similar sym­ posium entitled: The Present Status of the Quantum Theory of Light held at the same venue in August 1995. These symposia came about as a result of discussions between Professor Stanley Jeffers and colleagues on the International Organizing Committee. Professor Jeffers was the executive local organizer of the symposia. The 1997 symposium attracted over 120 participants representing 26 different countries and academic institutions. The broad theme of both symposia was the enigma of modern physics: the non-local, and possibly superluminal interactions implied by quantum mechanics, the structure of fundamental particles including the photon, the reconciliation of quantum mechanics with the theory of relativity, and the nature of gravity and inertia. Jean-Pierre Vigier was the guest of honour at both symposia. He was a lively contributor to the discussions of the presentations. The presentations were made as 30-minute lectures, or during an evening poster session. Some participants did not submit a written account of their presentation at the symposium, and not all of the articles submitted for the Proceedings could be included because of the publisher''s page limit. The titles and authors of the papers that had to be excluded are listed in an appendix.