文档介绍：Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was one ofthe founders ofquantum
theory and the author ofmany ofits most important subsequent
developments. He is numbered alongside Newton. Maxwell. Einstein
and Rutherford as one ofthe greatest physicists ofall time.
This volume contains four lectures celebrating Dirac's life and
work. and the text ofan address by Stephen Hawking. which were
given on 13 November 1995 on the occasion ofthe d~dicationofa
plaque to him in Westminster Abbey. In the first lecture. Abraham Pais
describes from personal knowledge Dirac's character and his approach
to his work. In the second lecture. Maurice Jacob explains not only
how and why Dirac was led to introduce the concept ofantimatter,
but also its central role in modern particle physics and cosmology.
In the third lecture. David Olive gives an account ofDirac's work on
. ic monopoles and shows how it has had a profound influence
in the development offundamental physics down to the present day.
In the fourth lecture. Sir Michael Atiyah explains the widespread
significance ofthe Dirac equation in mathematics. its roots in algebra
and its implications for geometry and topology. Together the four
lectures in this volume give a unique insight into the relationship
between Dirac's character and his scientific achievements.
PAUL DIRAC
THE MAN AND HIS WORI{
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PAUL DIRAC
THE MAN AND HIS WORI<
ABRAHAM PAIS
Rockefeller University, New York
MAURICE JACOB
CERN. Geneva
DAVID I. OLIVE
University ofWales, Swansea
MICHAEL F. ATIYAH
Trinity College, Cambridge
Edited byPeter Goddard
<"';':"'! CAMBRIDGE
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© Abraham Pais. Mauric