Abstract
We analyze the paper “The wave mechanics of \(\alpha \)-ray tracks” Mott (Proc R Soc Lond A 126:79–84, 1929), published in 1929 by N. F. Mott. In particular, we discuss the theoretical context in which the paper appeared and give a detailed account of the approach used by the author and the main result attained. Moreover, we comment on the relevance of the work not only as far as foundations of Quantum Mechanics are concerned but also as the earliest pioneering contribution in decoherence theory.
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Notes
Sir Nevill Francis Mott (30 September 1905 to 8 August 1996) was an English physicist. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1977 for his work on the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems. The award was shared with P. W. Anderson and J. H. Van Vleck (for further details see e.g. B. Pippard, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 44, 314–328, 1998).
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Communicated by : T. Sauer.
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Figari, R., Teta, A. Emergence of classical trajectories in quantum systems: the cloud chamber problem in the analysis of Mott (1929). Arch. Hist. Exact Sci. 67, 215–234 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00407-012-0111-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00407-012-0111-z