Tuesday, 8 November 2005
Recollections of Oppenheimer and Schwinger
Edward Gerjuoy, U. Pittsburgh, Physics & Astronomy
12:05 pm, 817R Cathedral of Learning
Abstract: The career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who
was born 100 years ago (on April 22, 1904), recently has been celebrated
in a two-day Los Alamos Symposium, wherein I recalled my experiences
as a Ph.D. student of Oppenheimer's in Berkeley, California during
the period August 1938 to January 1942. I shall recount some of
these recollections, concentrating on conveying a portrait of Oppenheimer
as creator and inspiration of probably the most important pre-war
United States school of theoretical physics. During a portion of
this period (the 1940 academic year) Julian Schwinger, who shared
the 1965 Nobel Prize for the development of the modern formulation
of quantum electrodynamics and deservedly has been termed a genius,
was employed as what today would be termed Oppenheimer's post doc.
Therefore, especially because Schwinger now seems almost forgotten
although he died a mere eleven years ago (on July 16, 1994), I also
will recall some of Schwinger's interactions with Oppenheimer and
Oppenheimer's students including myself, in an attempt to convey
some comprehension of Schwinger's amazing theoretical physics talents.
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