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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 3: Max Planck-Symposium III

GP 3.1: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 28. Februar 2008, 14:00–14:30, H 0106

Pursuing an idea: Planck's quantum theory of ideal gas — •Massimiliano Badino — MPI für Wissenschaftsgeschichte (badino@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de)

While N. Bohr and A. Sommerfeld were revolutionizing atomic theory by applying the quantum hypothesis to the orbits of the hydrogen atom, an equally important development was taking place in gas theory. M. Planck, A. Einstein, W. Nernst, H. A. Lorentz and a number of minor physicists like H. Tetrode and O. Sackur joined their forces toward a common task: to understand the fundamental meaning of the constant h. During this endeavor, general thermodynamics, kinetic theory, heat radiation theory and probability partecipated to the creation of a train of thought that eventually led to the quantum theory of ideal gas, the concept of indistinguishability and Bose-Einstein statistics. In this general framework, Planck's contribution stood out as the formally clearest and deepest. Unsurprisingly, it was Schrödinger's point of reference on his way to wave mechanics. In this paper, Planck's articles on quantum ideal gas will be presented and their formal and conceptual continuity with his radiation theory will be especially stressed. A particular attention will be paid to Planck's usage of Gibbs' approach to statistical mechanics and to the issues related to the combinatorial foundation of entropy.