|
Dear Colleagues:
Quantum physics, and more specifically quantum mechanics, may well
be argued to have constituted the major scientific revolution in
the twentieth century, with immense practical, social and philosophical
implications. While the practical applications of quantum mechanics
have literally changed our world, its many counterintuitive elements
have defied simple understanding and remain a topic of debate among
physicists and philosophers alike. Niels Bohr was the leader of the
quantum revolution, in more than one sense of the word. As
a physicist, he proposed his atomic model in 1913, subsequently perfecting
it and showing its immense predictive power. As an entrepreneur,
he established his Institute for Theoretical Physics in 1921, making
it the Mecca for the younger generation of physicists from all over
the world pursuing the implications of the quantum, under the guidance
of their leader and teacher, Niels Bohr. As a philosopher and teacher,
he was the principal person in formulating the “Copenhagen
Interpretation” of quantum mechanics, incorporating the complementarity
concept, which to Bohr had implications far beyond physics.
But Bohr’s achievements went much further. In physics, he made crucial
contributions not least to nuclear physics and the theory of collisions. From
1933 to 1940, he made his institute into a temporary haven for young physicists
no longer welcome in Germany for reasons of race or politics. After his escape
from Nazi-occupied Denmark in October 1943, he contributed to the development
of the atomic bomb in America. At the same time, he pursued his own mission
to convince British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the American U.S. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt that they should inform the Soviet Union of the atomic
bomb project in order to avoid a nuclear arms race after the war. After the war,
Bohr continued his efforts for what he called an “Open World”, as
evidenced, for example, in his Open Letter to the United Nations from 1950. While
Bohr’s orientation was thus genuinely international, he felt great obligation
to Denmark, the land that he loved and never considered leaving, in spite of
many tempting offers from abroad. In Denmark, especially in the postwar years,
he came to hold iconic status.
All of these aspects of Niels Bohr’s varied life and work are documented
in the Niels Bohr Collected Works, the first and last volumes
of which were originally published in 1972 and 2006, respectively. During this
long interval, many of the volumes have sold out, so that it has so far never
been possible at any one time to obtain the entire set. The present complete
limited edition of the Niels Bohr Collected Works has been produced
to remedy this situation and to give individuals and libraries the opportunity
to acquire all the volumes at once. As an extra bonus, it includes a new index
volume (Vol. 13), allowing the reader to find his or her way around in the
thousands of pages constituting the series.
The project to publish the Niels Bohr Collected Works was conceived
by Bohr’s close collaborator Léon Rosenfeld (1904–1974), a
physicist, historian of science and Bohr’s close and long-time collaborator.
Upon Rosenfeld’s death, another of Bohr’s colleagues, Jens Rud Nielsen
(1894–1979), temporarily took responsibility for the publication. In 1977,
Erik Rüdinger (1934–2008) was assigned Rosenfeld’s combined
tasks as leader of the Niels Bohr Archive and General Editor of the Niels
Bohr Collected Works. At the centennial of Bohr’s
birth in 1985, the Niels Bohr Archive, which previously had led an unofficial
existence in offices provided by the Niels Bohr Institute, was established formally
as an independent institution under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Education
on the basis of a deed of gift from Bohr’s widow, Margrethe, who had died
the year before. Rüdinger continued in his combined position, in the same
quarters, until 1989, when he sought new challenges elsewhere. The position was
then offered to me, and I have occupied it since.
The general organization of the material in this series is thematic rather than
strictly chronological. This allows for the presentation of each paper (or group
of papers) along with other relevant material — drafts, notes, letters
and other items. Since themes sometimes overlap, and since Bohr often treated
a number of topics in a single paper, it can be difficult to determine the volume
in which a given article is to be found. In a few particularly complicated cases,
it was even decided to present a paper or part of a paper in two volumes. To
help the reader locate where particular publications can be found in the series,
Vol. 12 includes a chronological bibliography of Bohr’s publications
with reference to where they appear in the Collected Works. Since
this bibliography, like the general index, pertains to the entire series, it
is also reproduced for the convenience of the reader in Vol. 13. While the Collected
Works is complete with regard to Bohr’s publications, both scientific
and otherwise, the manuscripts and letters included are the result of a careful
selection process. For the reader who wants to look further, an Inventory of
Relevant Manuscripts in the Niels Bohr Archive is provided in the individual
volumes.
With its natural emphasis on his scientific contributions, the Niels
Bohr Collected Works document all aspects of Bohr’s rich and eventful,
yet remarkably unified, life and work. Each of the twelve volumes is introduced
by its special editor — a physicist (some of whom knew Bohr personally)
or scholar with particular knowledge of the subject in question. The general
purpose of these introductions, allowing for the predilections of the individual
editors, has been to make historical and conceptual connections between Bohr’s
writings, while otherwise letting each of these writings speak for itself. In
order to help the reader place individual papers in the broader context of Bohr’s
life and scientific career, a brief biography of Niels Bohr has been provided
at the beginning of Vol. 1. All volumes are illustrated with rare photos,
and Bohr’s publications are supplemented with carefully selected manuscripts
and correspondence, which document the background for his work and his milieu.
Furthermore, each volume includes explanatory notes and a detailed subject index.
Niels Bohr was a painstaking writer — both in his published works and in
his private correspondence — who made every effort to ensure that his words
accurately reflected his thoughts. In this sense, the present complete edition
of the Niels Bohr Collected Works can facilitate a broader understanding
of Bohr’s accomplishments and a deeper appreciation of the intellectual
developments which made them possible.
Finn Aaserud
The Niels Bohr Archive
March 2008
|
|
