Über die gleichzeitige Wirkung von gekreuzten homogenen elektrischen und magnetischen Feldern auf das Wasserstoffatom. I. Offprint from Z. der Phys. Kramers's copy

Publisher Information: 1924.

Klein, Oskar (1894-1977). Über die gleichzeitige Wirkung von gekreuzten homogenen elektrischen und magnetischen Feldern auf das Wasserstoffatom. I [all published]. Offprint from Zeitschrift für Physik 22 (1924). 109-118pp. 229 x 155 mm. Original printed wrappers, slightly toned. Very good. From the library of H. A. Kramers (1894-1952), with his pencil signature on the front wrapper.

First Edition, Offprint Issue of Klein’s paper exposing a fundamental difficulty with pre-1925 quantum theory. This copy is from the library of H. A. Kramers, one of the major architects of quantum theory.

In September 1923 Klein joined the faculty of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he worked with spectroscopist Harrison M. Randall to build up the university’s physics department; he remained at the university until the summer of 1925. “There was a special interest in molecular spectra at Ann Arbor. Randall had been working with Friedrich Paschen at Tübingen participating in these activities. Klein studied molecular interactions in terms of perturbation methods used by Bohr for the Stark effect. The outcome was [the present] paper on the simultaneous action on a hydrogen atom of crossed homogeneous electric and magnetic fields, which revealed a fundamental difficulty of the older quantum theory: that in this situation, transitions became possible from ‘allowed’ to ‘prohibited’ orbits. In his review of the state of quantum theory in 1925 (1926), Wolfgang Pauli concluded that this difficulty could be avoided only by a fundamental revision of the basic principles” (Dictionary of Scientific Biography). The second part of Klein’s paper was never published.

Book Id: 50984

Price: $1,750.00

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