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Eugene Paul Wigner: A Towering Figure of Modern Physics

DEC 01, 1995
He was always ‘reasonable’ and believed that physics had a duty to provide a living picture of our world.
Physics Today

With the death on 1 January 1995 of Eugene Wigner, at the age of 92, we lost one of the towering figures who built the edifice of quantum mechanics. Both his scientific work and his personality have become legendary. His own recollections, recorded late in his long life, and his earlier book of “Reflections,” help give us insight into his singular view of science, his role as a teacher at Princeton, his strong personal style and the great depth and breadth of his scientific knowledge.

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References

  1. 1. The Recollections of Eugene P. Wigner as told to Andrew Szanton, Plenum, New York and London (1992).

  2. 2. E. P. Wigner, Symmetries and Reflections, reprint edition, Ox Bow, Woodbridge, Conn. (1979).

  3. 3. A. M. Weinberg, E. P. Wigner, The Physical Theory of Neutron Chain Reactors, Univ. Chicago P., Chicago (1958).

  4. 4. E. P. Wigner, Gruppentheorie und ihre Anwendung auf die Quantenmechanik der Atomspektren, F. Vieweg und Sohn, Braunschweig (1931).
    English translation by J. J. Griffin Academic, New York (1959).

  5. 5. J. vonNeumann, E. P. Wigner, Z. Physik. 47, 203 (1928)
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    J. vonNeumann, E. P. Wigner, 51, 844 (1928).

  6. 6. P. Jordan, E. P. Wigner, Z. Physik 47, 631 (1928).

  7. 7. F. Seitz, E. P. Wigner, Phys. Rev. 43, 804 (1933); https://doi.org/PHRVAO
    F. Seitz, E. P. Wigner, Phys. Rev. 46, 509 (1934).
    E. P. Wigner, Phys. Rev. 46, 1002 (1934).https://doi.org/PHRVAO

  8. 8. E. P. Wigner, Phys. Rev. 51, 106 (1937).https://doi.org/PHRVAO

  9. 9. E. P. Wigner, Ann. Math. 40, 149 (1939).https://doi.org/ANMAAH

  10. 10. E. P. Wigner, in Quantum Theory of Angular Momentum, L. C. Biedenharn, H. van Dam, eds., Academic, New York (1965).

  11. 11. L. Eisenbud, E. P. Wigner, Phys. Rev. 72, 29 (1947).https://doi.org/PHRVAO

  12. 12. E. P. Wigner, Ann. Math. 67, 325 (1958).https://doi.org/ANMAAH

  13. 13. Collected Works of Eugene Paul Wigner, Springer‐Verlag. Thus far, volumes I (1993), V (1992) and VI (1995) have appeared.

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This Content Appeared In
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Volume 48, Number 12

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