Abstract
This year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the papers by Niels Bohr introducing the atomic model that dominated twentieth century physics. Niels Bohr himself remained an influential participant in the development for almost 50 years, and his institute became a magnet for young researchers and an important center for the development of modern physics. From both a personal and a scientific perspective – being both a grandson of Niels Bohr and a physicist – I shall try to assess some of the characteristics of Bohr’s personality and his approach to science that made this possible.
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References
Bohr, N.: Speech at the banquet after receiving the Nobel Prize (December 1922). [13] vol. 4 p. 26.
Bohr, N.: On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules. Philosophical Magazine 26, 1 (1913).
Letter from Rutherford to Bohr 1913. [13] vol. 2, p. 112.
Bohr, N.: Mindeord over Christian Alfred Bohr. [13] vol. 12, p. 411. English translation p. 420.
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Weisskopf, V. F.: Physics in the Twentieth Century: Selected Essays. MIT Press (1972).
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My translation of a passage from a taped discussion between Niels, Aage and Margrethe Bohr, and others in 1959 (Niels Bohr Archive).
Bohr, N.: On the Quantum Theory of Line Spectra. D. Kgl. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skrifter, naturvidensk. og matem. Afd., 8. Række. IV.1 (1918).
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Aage Berleme in “Memories of Gammelholm Grammar School (1952)”. My translation.
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Bohr, N.: Open Letter to the United Nations, June 9th, 1950. J. H. Schultz Forlag, Copenhagen (1950). [13] vol. 11, p. 171.
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Bohr, T. (2016). Keeping Things Open. In: Darrigol, O., Duplantier, B., Raimond, JM., Rivasseau, V. (eds) Niels Bohr, 1913-2013. Progress in Mathematical Physics, vol 68. Birkhäuser, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14316-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14316-3_3
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