The Lesser-Known Albert Einstein: Without a Trace of Relativity (History of Physics)

Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
1 The Sowing (Until 1905): The Annus Mirabilis
	1.1 The Young Einstein Bursts onto the Scientific Scene
	1.2 First Contributions: About Molecular Forces
		1.2.1 Capillarity and Molecular Forces (1901)
		1.2.2 Potential Differences and Molecular Forces (1902)
	1.3 Trilogy on Thermostatistics
		1.3.1 A Word on Probability
		1.3.2 Thermal Equilibrium and the Second Law of Thermodynamics (1902)
		1.3.3 Foundations of Thermodynamics (1903)
		1.3.4 Relevance of Statistical Fluctuations (1904)
	1.4 Gibbs’s Formulation Compared with Einstein’s
		1.4.1 Background, Premises, and Objectives
		1.4.2 Methods and Results
		1.4.3 Impact and Diffusion
	1.5 Energy Quanta and the Photoelectric Effect (1905)
		1.5.1 Planck’s Energy Quanta
		1.5.2 Einstein’s Energy Quanta: A Heuristic Point of View
	1.6 Molecular Constitution and Brownian Motion (1905‒1906)
		1.6.1 Avogadro’s Number and Brownian Motion
		1.6.2 Kinetic Theory of the Motion of Particles in Suspension (1905)
		1.6.3 Some Precisions
	1.7 Experimental Confirmation of Einstein’s 1905 Predictions
		1.7.1 Molecules Exist (Perrin, 1908‒1909)
		1.7.2 Reality of Energy Quanta (Millikan, 1916)
2 The Flowering (1906–1913): Einstein Introduces Himself to the Scientific Community
	2.1 From Bern to Zurich via Prague
	2.2 The Critique of Planck (1906)
	2.3 From Radiation to Matter: First Quantum Theory of Solids (1907)
	2.4 Quantum Refinements (1909–1910)
		2.4.1 A Highly Fruitful Gedankenexperiment
		2.4.2 On the Possible Dual Structure of Radiation
		2.4.3 Stochastic Fields and Quantum Theory
	2.5 Interlude with Luminescence
		2.5.1 Smoluchowski and His Interest in Fluctuations (1904–1908)
		2.5.2 Einstein on Critical Opalescence (1910)
	2.6 Einstein Before International Scientific Community: First Solvay Conference (1911)
		2.6.1 Development of the Conference: Some Interventions
		2.6.2 Einstein’s Communication
		2.6.3 Conclusions of the Conference and Einstein’s Opinions
	2.7 On the Necessity of Energy Quanta: Ehrenfest (1911) and Poincaré (1912)
		2.7.1 Ehrenfest (1911): “Weight Function” and the Necessity of Quanta
		2.7.2 Poincaré (1912): Mechanisms of Equilibrium and the Necessity for Quanta
		2.7.3 Two Very Different Impacts
	2.8 Law of the Photochemical Equivalent (Einstein, 1912)
	2.9 Specific Heat of Gases and Quantum Theory (1911–1913)
		2.9.1 Planck’s “Second Theory” and “Zero-Point Energy” (1911)
		2.9.2 Einstein and Stern (1913): On the Specific Heat of Hydrogen
		2.9.3 Ehrenfest’s Counterproposal (1913): Rotational Quantisation
3 The First Harvest (1914–1924): In Search of the Photon
	3.1 Wartime and Peacetime in Berlin
	3.2 Einstein, De Haas and Ampère’s Molecular Currents (1915–1916)
		3.2.1 Einstein and De Haas Experiment
		3.2.2 “Gyromagnetic Anomaly” and “Spinning Electrons”
	3.3 Birth of the Photon (1916–1917)
		3.3.1 New Elementary Processes (1912–1916)
		3.3.2 Reality of Quanta (1916–1917)
		3.3.3 On Directionality of Elementary Processes
	3.4 Digression: A New Quantisation Rule (1917)
		3.4.1 Quantisation Rules: Times of Splendour (1913–1916)
		3.4.2 Einstein’s Quantisation Rule of 1917
		3.4.3 First Impact: Epstein’s Criticism
		3.4.4 Influence of Einstein’s Rule on Louis De Broglie
		3.4.5 Einstein’s Rule and Wave Mechanics
	3.5 First Reactions to the Photon Concept. Alternative BKS
4 The Last Collection (1924–1925): Formulation of The First Quantum Statistics
	4.1 Fame and Unrest in Berlin
	4.2 A Shooting Comet: Bose, 1924
	4.3 From Photons to Molecules: Quantum Theory of Ideal Gases, 1924
	4.4 Loss of Independence in the New Statistics, 1925
	4.5 On the Association of a Wave Field to Molecules
	4.6 Digression: The Case of a Master Formula
	4.7 Additional Bases for the Quantum Theory of Ideal Gases, 1925
	4.8 From Quantum Gas Theory to Wave Mechanics. Schrödinger, 1926
		4.8.1 Schrödinger and the Quantum Theory of Ideal Monoatomic Gases
		4.8.2 Analogy Between Optics and Mechanics: Formulation of Wave Mechanics
5 Heterodox to the End: EPR, Cats and Entanglements
	5.1 A Long Lonely Road (1927–1955)
	5.2 The Beginning of the “Bohr–Einstein Debate”
		5.2.1 On the Fifth Solvay Conference, 1927
		5.2.2 Einstein and Bohr at the Fifth Solvay Conference
		5.2.3 First Phase of the Bohr–Einstein Debate, 1927–1930
	5.3 Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen Paper (EPR) of 1935
		5.3.1 Premises and Content
		5.3.2 EPR Conclusions
	5.4 First Reactions to EPR
		5.4.1 Bohr’s Reaction: The Notion of Complementarity
		5.4.2 Schrödinger Reaction: Entanglements and Cats, 1935
		5.4.3 Other Disquisitions: “Many Worlds” and “Wigner’s Friend”
	5.5 Last Approach: Einstein and “Hidden Variables”
		5.5.1 Einstein’s Interpretation of the Quantum Formalism
		5.5.2 A Theorem with Pedigree: Von Neumann, 1932
		5.5.3 Bohm’s Surprising Hidden Variables Model, 1952
		5.5.4 Last Word
6 An Unfinished Story: Bell’s Inequalities, Experiments and Loopholes
	6.1 Bell’s Proposal, 1964
	6.2 Aspect Experiment, 1982: Loopholes and Refinements
	6.3 What if Einstein…?
A Einstein and Marić, an Ignored Collaboration?
	A.1 A Statement of Objections
	A.2 Defence Case
	A.3 What Became of Mileva Marić?
B Albert Einstein (1879–1955). Brief Chronology
C The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein
References
Index