Pions to Quarks: Particle Physics in the 1950s

NOV 01, 1988

As high‐energy nuclear physics became particle physics, revolutions occurred not only in models and technique but also in social organization.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881136

Laurie M. Brown

Max Dresden

Lillian Hoddeson

The years 1947 to 1963, here freely referred to as “the fifties,” form a well‐marked period in the history of particle physics, not only in scientific discoveries, but also in technical developments, the scale and cost of projects, and social organization.

This article is only available in PDF format

References

1. L. M. Brown, L. Hoddeson, eds., The Birth of Particle Physics, Cambridge U.P., New York (1983).
2. C. M. G. Lattes, H. Muirhead, G. P. S. Occhialini, C. F. Powell, Nature 159, 694 (1947).https://doi.org/NATUAS
3. G. D. Rochester, in Early History of Cosmic Ray Studies, Y. Sekido, H. Elliot, eds., Reidel, Dordrecht, The Netherlands (1985), p. 299.
See also C. Peyrou, J. Phys. (Paris) 43, suppl. to no. 12, 7 (1982).https://doi.org/JOPQAG
4. H. L. Anderson, J. de Phys. (Paris) 43, suppl. to no. 12, 101 (1982).
H. L. Anderson, Rev. Mod. Phys. 27, 269 (1955).https://doi.org/RMPHAT
5. M. S. Livingston, J. P. Blewett, Particle Accelerators, McGraw‐Hill, New York (1962), p. 3.
6. E. M. McMillan, Phys. Rev. 68, 143 (1945). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
V. Veksler, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 43, 329 (1944); https://doi.org/DANKAS
english translation in C. R. Acad. Sci. USSR 44, 393 (1944).
7. E. D. Courant, M. S. Livingston, H. Snyder, Phys. Rev. 88, 1190 (1952).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
8. D. Greenberg, The Politics of Pure Science, New American Library, New York (1967).
L. Greenbaum, A Special Interest, U. of Michigan P., Ann Arbor (1971).
9. L. W. Alvarez, Science 165, 1071 (1969). https://doi.org/SCIEAS
J. Heilbron, R. W. Seidel, B. W. Wheaton, Lawrence and His Laboratory: Nuclear Science at Berkeley, 1931–1961, Office for History of Science and Technology, U. of Calif., Berkeley (1982).
J. Krige, D. Pestre, Hist. Studies Phys. Sci. 16, 255 (1986).
10. A. Needell, Hist. Studies Phys. Sci. 14, 93 (1983).
11. L. Hoddeson, Social Studies Sci. 13, 1 (1983).
12. E. Fermi, C. N. Yang, Phys. Rev. 76, 1739 (1949). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
S. Sakata, Prog. Theor. Phys. 16, 686 (1956).https://doi.org/PTPKAV
13. Y. Nambu, K. Nishijima, Y. Yamaguchi, Prog. Theor. Phys. 6, 615, 619 (1951). https://doi.org/PTPKAV
K. Aizu, T. Kinoshita, Prog. Theor. Phys. 6, 630 (1951). https://doi.org/PTPKAV
H. Miyazawa, Prog. Theor. Phys. 6, 631 (1951). https://doi.org/PTPKAV
S. Oneda, Prog. Theor. Phys. 6, 633 (1951). https://doi.org/PTPKAV
A. Pais, Phys. Rev. 86, 663 (1952).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
14. M. Gell‐Mann, A. Pais, Phys. Rev. 97, 1387 (1955). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
A. Pais, O. Piccioni, Phys. Rev. 100, 1487 (1955). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
R. H. Good, R. P. Matsen, F. Muller, O. Piccioni, W. M. Powell, H. S. White, W. B. Fowler, R. W. Birge, Phys. Rev. 124, 1223 (1961).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
15. J. Ballam, V. L. Fitch, T. Fulton, K. Huang, R. R. Rau, S. B. Treiman, eds., High Energy Nuclear Physics: Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Rochester Conference, Interscience, New York (1956), section VIII.
16. T.‐D. Lee, C. N. Yang, Phys. Rev. 104, 254 (1956).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
17. W. Pauli, Collected Scientific Papers, vol. 1, R. Kronig, V. F. Weisskopf, eds., Wiley Interscience, New York (1964), p. 13.
18. T.‐D. Lee, R. Oehme, C. N. Yang, Phys. Rev. 106, 340 (1957).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
19. C.‐S. Wu, E. Ambler, R. W. Hayward, D. D. Hoppes, R. P. Hudson, Phys. Rev. 105, 1413 (1957). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
R. Garwin, L. M. Lederman, M. Weinrich, Phys. Rev. 105, 1415 (1957). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
J. I. Friedman, V. L. Telegdi, Phys. Rev. 105, 1681 (1957).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
20. J. H. Christenson, J. W. Cronin, V. L. Fitch, R. Turlay, Phys. Rev. Lett. 13, 138 (1964).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
21. T.‐D. Lee, C. N. Yang, Phys. Rev. 105, 1671 (1957). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
A. Salam, Nuovo Cimento 5, 299 (1957). https://doi.org/NUCIAD
L. D. Landau, Nucl. Phys. 3, 127 (1957). https://doi.org/NUPHA7
R. Gatto, Phys. Rev. 106, 168 (1957).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
22. R. Marshak, E. C. G. Sudarshan, Phys. Rev. 109, 1860 (1958). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
R. P. Feynman, M. Gell‐Mann, Phys. Rev. 109, 193 (1958). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
J. Sakurai, Nuovo Cimento 7, 649 (1958).https://doi.org/NUCIAD
23. S. S. Gerstein, Ya. B. Zel’dovich, Sov. Phys. JETP 2, 576 (1956).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
24. F. Reines, C. L. Cowan, Phys. Rev. 92, 830 (1953). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
C. L. Cowan, F. Reines, F. B. Harrison, H. W. Kruso, A. D. McGuire, Science 124, 103 (1956). https://doi.org/SCIEAS
G. Danby, J.‐M. Gaillard, K. Goulianos, L. M. Lederman, N. Mistry, M. Schwartz, J. Steinberger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 9, 36 (1962).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

More about the authors

Laurie M. Brown, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

Max Dresden, State University of New York, Stony Brook.

Lillian Hoddeson, University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign.