false 520257 1 <p>In the 1930s, physics was in a crisis. There appeared to be no way to reconcile the new theory of quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of relativity. Several approaches had been tried and had failed. In the post-World War II period, four eminent physicists rose to the challenge and developed a calculable version of quantum electrodynamics (QED), probably the most successful theory in physics. This formulation of QED was pioneered by Freeman Dyson, Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, three of whom won the Nobel Prize for their work. In this book, physicist and historian Silvan Schweber tells the story of these four physicists, blending discussions of their scientific work with fascinating biographical sketches.</p><p>Setting the achievements of these four men in context, Schweber begins with an account of the early work done by physicists such as Dirac and Jordan, and describes the gathering of eminent theorists at Shelter Island in 1947, the meeting that heralded the new era of QED. The rest of his narrative comprises individual biographies of the four physicists, discussions of their major contributions, and the story of the scientific community in which they worked. Throughout, Schweber draws on his technical expertise to offer a lively and lucid explanation of how this theory was finally established as the appropriate way to describe the atomic and subatomic realms.</p> 508162 4 4 1994 QED and the Men Who Made It total:3|5:1|3:2| 3 11 6 0 5 0 false false Mon Nov 17 23:52:49 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 23:53:18 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Thu Aug 28 10:53:08 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 28 10:53:08 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu May 15 01:10:02 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 01:10:02 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sun May 05 00:00:00 -0700 1996 Mon Apr 21 14:33:38 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 14:33:38 -0700 2008 0 0 true false Wed Jan 02 18:59:55 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 18:59:57 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sat Dec 08 09:51:15 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 08 09:51:15 -0800 2007