Seeds of History Sown on Selter Island , Duff
3
Seeds II hiSIIPI slwn In Sheller Island In the first four days of June 1947, a four-day conference was held at Shelter Island, bringing together 23 top-notch physicists in what turned out to be a landmark meeting. At this conference Willis Lamb announced that he and his student, R. C. Retherford, had for the first time measured an effect of the self- energy of the electron in the hydrogen atom. On the train going back to Schenectady, Hans Bethe made a rough calculation of the Lamb shift. By the following year, other physicists who attended the Shelter Island confer- ence had made a relativistic calcula- tion of the Lamb shift: Lamb with his student Norman Kroll, Victor Weiss- kopf with his student Bruce French, and also, using new, obviously relativis- tic methods, Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger. Feynman's meth- ods have enormously simplified calcu- lations in quantum field theory ever since; they were simple and elegant enough to allow a systematic treatment of the infinities. (Meanwhile in Japan, earlier than and independently of the conference, Sin-Itiro Tomonaga had also developed an obviously relativistic method.) Another noteworthy develop- ment at the Shelter Island conference was Robert Marshak's two-meson hy- pothesis. Soon after, the pion was discovered experimentally. This June, most of the veterans of the 1947 Shelter Island conference met again at Shelter Island in a three-day meeting organized by Nicola Khuri, who has a summer home there. In addition, many of the best known younger theorists attended. The agen- da was quantum field theory and the fundamental problems of physics. In the keynote address, Murray Gell- Mann said that quantum electrody- namics was invented around 1929 and never changed. "But just after the Shelter Island meeting it was under- stood to be renormalizable and to give definite predictions to every order in perturbation theory." The theory has now "been generalized to include the strong and weak interactions along with electromagnetism-with quarks and neutrinos along with the electron, and the mysterious three families. Otherwise it's the same theory." In- stead of one dimensionless parameter, it has very many. "After 35 years of trying, theorists have been unable to invent any scheme for rendering a plausible theory finite or renormalizable unless they can do so in perturbation theories." Gell-Mann said he remembers many occasions when it was announced that somebody had succeeded in solving that problem, just as mathematicians are told all the time that somebody has proven Rie- mann's conjecture. In fact, the day before the conference began, And~e Martin told Gell-Mann the following probably apocryphal story: Before giv- ing a speech in Berlin, Hilbert had sent a telegram saying that he had proven Riemann's conjecture. Then he ar- rived, and the audience was very disap- pointed in the speech because he said nothing about having proved Rie- mann's conjecture. It turned out he had sent the telegram in case he was killed on the way, during his first airplane trip. Gell-Mann went on to express hope that a unified theory could be found, including gravitation, that would be finite in perturbation theory and have no dimensionless parameters or very few. Candidates might be superstring theory or N = 8 supergravity. A look at the impact of the first Shelter Island conference was provided by Bethe, Weisskopf, Lamb, Tom Kino- shita, Yoichiro Nambu and Marshak, with occasional remarks from some of the other 1947 participants. Other speakers included Steven Weinberg on calculation of fine-struc- ture constants; Isadore Singer on global geometry in 9uantum field theory; T. D. Participants at the historic first Shelter Island conference, which was held 1 through 4 June 1947. For those unable to identify all the physicists shown, see the key on page 123. PHYSICS TODAY / SEPTEMBER 1983 67
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Transcript of Seeds of History Sown on Selter Island , Duff
Altitude Observatory in Colorado(1957-58)and Sacramento Peak Obser-vatory (1958-59). In 1960he took up anappointment at the National Bureau ofStandards in Boulder, Colorado, wherehe stayed for four years. In 1964 hebecame professor at Hawaii, and in1967,when the Institute for Astronomywas formed, he was named Director.Under his leadership, the Instituteconstructed two major telescopes atMauna Kea and developed this moun-taintop into an international center forground-based astronomy. The Insti-tute has also built important observingfacilities on Haleakala. Jefferies' re-search has been in solar physics, radia-tive transfer, and in the formation andanalysis of stellar spectra.
The National Optical Astronomy Ob-servatories, which will have headquar-ters in Tucson, has been formed toenhance scientific synergism amongthe AURA-managed observatories andto foster the exchange of technicalinformation, to achieve economies ofscale and integrated budget manage-ment, and to use the organizationalstrengths of the three centers. Underthe reorganization, whose details Jef-feries will formulate, a new center foradvanced instrumental developmentswill also be initiated.
Reaenll leek new Secrelar,lor Smilhlonian
. '"'-
The Regents of the Smithsonian Insti-tution are searching for a successor tothe current Secretary, who heads theInstitution. S. Dillon Ripley will retireSeptember 1984. Physicists shouldsend their confidential suggestions forthis influential position as soon aspossible to William G. Bowen, Chair-man, Search Committee, c/o James H.Hobbins, SI-215 Smithsonian Institu-tion, Washington, DC 20560.
Searchbeainl lor Panollk,replacemenlal SLAG
Wolfgang Panofsky, director of theStanford Linear Accelerator since 1961,will step down effective 30 August 1984.While remaining at Stanford as a ten-ured professor of physics, Panofsky isrelinquishing his duties at SLAC inkeeping with an informal agreementamong SLAC administrators to stepdown soon after reaching age 65. (Pan-ofsky turns 65 in August 1985.)
As SLACis administered by Stanfordunder a contract from the Departmentof Energy, the new director will beappointed by the Stanford Board ofTrustees, subject to DOE approval. Asearch committee has been formed,headed by the Stanford provost, AlbertHastorf.
..
Seeds II hiSIIPI slwn In Sheller IslandIn the first four days of June 1947, afour-day conference was held at ShelterIsland, bringing together 23 top-notchphysicists in what turned out to be alandmark meeting. At this conferenceWillis Lamb announced that he and hisstudent, R. C. Retherford, had for thefirst time measured an effectof the self-energy of the electron in the hydrogenatom. On the train going back toSchenectady, Hans Bethe made arough calculation of the Lamb shift.By the following year, other physicistswho attended the Shelter Island confer-ence had made a relativistic calcula-tion of the Lamb shift: Lamb with hisstudent Norman Kroll, Victor Weiss-kopf with his student Bruce French,and also, using new, obviously relativis-tic methods, Richard Feynman andJulian Schwinger. Feynman's meth-ods have enormously simplified calcu-lations in quantum field theory eversince; they were simple and elegantenough to allow a systematic treatmentof the infinities. (Meanwhile in Japan,earlier than and independently of theconference, Sin-Itiro Tomonaga hadalso developed an obviously relativisticmethod.) Another noteworthy develop-ment at the Shelter Island conferencewas Robert Marshak's two-meson hy-pothesis. Soon after, the pion wasdiscovered experimentally.
This June, most of the veterans of the1947 Shelter Island conference metagain at Shelter Island in a three-daymeeting organized by Nicola Khuri,who has a summer home there. Inaddition, many of the best knownyounger theorists attended. The agen-da was quantum field theory and thefundamental problems of physics. Inthe keynote address, Murray Gell-Mann said that quantum electrody-namics was invented around 1929 andnever changed. "But just after theShelter Island meeting it was under-stood to be renormalizable and to givedefinite predictions to every order in
perturbation theory." The theory hasnow "been generalized to include thestrong and weak interactions alongwith electromagnetism-with quarksand neutrinos along with the electron,and the mysterious three families.Otherwise it's the same theory." In-stead of one dimensionless parameter,it has very many.
"After 35 years of trying, theoristshave been unable to invent any schemefor rendering a plausible theory finiteor renormalizable unless they can do soin perturbation theories." Gell-Mannsaid he remembers many occasionswhen it was announced that somebodyhad succeeded in solving that problem,just as mathematicians are told all thetime that somebody has proven Rie-mann's conjecture. In fact, the daybefore the conference began, And~eMartin told Gell-Mann the followingprobably apocryphal story: Before giv-ing a speech in Berlin, Hilbert had senta telegram saying that he had provenRiemann's conjecture. Then he ar-rived, and the audience was very disap-pointed in the speech because he saidnothing about having proved Rie-mann's conjecture. It turned out hehad sent the telegram in case he waskilled on the way, during his firstairplane trip.
Gell-Mann went on to express hopethat a unified theory could be found,including gravitation, that would befinite in perturbation theory and haveno dimensionless parameters or veryfew. Candidates might be superstringtheory or N = 8 supergravity.
A look at the impact of the firstShelter Island conference was providedby Bethe, Weisskopf, Lamb, Tom Kino-shita, Yoichiro Nambu and Marshak,with occasional remarks from some ofthe other 1947 participants.
Other speakers included StevenWeinberg on calculation of fine-struc-ture constants; Isadore Singer on globalgeometry in 9uantum field theory; T. D.
Participants at the historic first Shelter Island conference, which was held 1 through 4 June1947. For those unable to identify all the physicists shown, see the key on page 123.
PHYSICS TODAY / SEPTEMBER 1983 67
Lee on time as a dynamical variable,discrete mechanics and random-latticefield theory; Roman Jackiw on semi-classical and topological methods infield theory; Gerard 't Hooft on theambiguity of the equivalence principleand Hawking temperature; Bruno Zu-mino on supersymmetry and supergra-vity; Paul West on finite theories insupersymmetry; Michael Duff on su-
perunification from 11dimensions; Ste-phen Adler on ~nduced gravity; Ste-phen 'Hawking Ion the cosmologicalconstant; A. D. Linde on the chaoticinflationary universe; Alan Guth onthe inflationary universe; JohnSchwarz on superstrings; Edward Wit-ten on the fermion quantum number inKaluza-Klein theory; and RichardFeynman on how QCD works. - GBL
... From left: SidneyDrel!, John Wheeler,Hans Bethe at coffee
- break.
~ Francis Low
T Edward Witten
T Freeman Dyson.. Inrear are members of a filmcrew that videotaped theconference.
.
! I\
... Stephen Hawking and(behind)NicolaKhuri ~
68 PHYSICS TODAY / SEPTEMBER 1983
~
<IIIFrom left: John Wheeler, T. D.Lee, Linus Pauling, MarvinGoldberger on the terrace of thePridwin, also the site of the firstShelter Island conference.
... Fr;1-mleft: Francis Low, YuvalNe'eman, Murray Gell-Mann,Frederick Seitz
... Richard Feynman
PHYSICS TODAY / SEPTEMBER 1983 69
