Biographical Memoirs Volume 74 (1998) / Chapter Skim
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Eugene Paul Wigner
Eugene Paul Wigner
Pages 364-388
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chemistry, for which he was awarclec! the Nobel Prize in physics for 1963, his scientific work encompasses!
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There is, for example, the Wigner-Eckart theorem for the aciclition of angular momenta, the Wigner effect in nuclear reactors, the Wigner correlation energy, as well as the Wigner crystal in solicis, the Wigner force, the Breit-Wigner formula in nuclear physics, and the Wigner distribution in the quantum theory of chaos. His collection of essays Symmetries and Reflections2 provides an insightful view of the many intellectual matters that concernec!
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was a somewhat younger student, John von Neumann, who came from a wealthy banking family en c! who incleec!
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When he discussed the matter with his father, the latter was not entirely pleased, although he recognized the intensity of his son's desire to become a professional scientist. Finally, his father decided to let his son return to Berlin, where the latter learned that Michael Polanyi had been instrumental in having the offer extended.
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This lee! him to discuss the issue with von Neumann, who, after pondering the problem briefly, recommenclec!
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withcirew essentially permanently from professional work, so that Wigner found himself with a position with no formal responsibilities. He clic!
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be achiever! if John von Neumann wouIc!
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In any event, both Wigner en c! von Neumann fount!
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the physics departments were sufficiently pleaser! with the arrangement involving von Neumann en c!
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the early measurements of neutron-proton scattering, the properties of the cleuteron, the connection between the saturation property of nuclear bincling energies en c! the short range nature of the inter-nucleon force, and the symmetry properties of the force.
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In 1940 Wigner clevelopec! the algebra of angular momentum recoupling, using group theoretical methods prior to Racah's algebraic analysis in 1942.
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to focus attention on nuclear physics. Among other things, they proposer!
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von Neumann, as a result of the so-callec! Munich Peace Pact in the autumn of 193S, that the Seconc!
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in charge of a theoretical group that would follow developments and explore future possibilities. A strong chemistry group, which conic!
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a small auxiliary staff, Wigner focuses! his attention on the design of large watercoolecI, graphite, natural uranium reactors that wouIc!
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They also hac! to design the uranium fuel rocis, determining whether they were to be hollow rods cooled internally or solid slugs cooled externally, all of which was accompanies!
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Many valuable months wouic! be lost while the inexperienced Dupont group became intimately familiar with the science en c!
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above. In the meantime, there was a great clear of legislative activity in Washington about the way the national nuclear energy program shouic!
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fully the it-matrix theory of nuclear reactions en c! became a founcIing father of the quantum theory of chaos.
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short range of the nuclear forces. The it-matrix theory of nuclear reactions arose out of Wigner's prewar work on the Breit-Wigner formula en c!
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an infinite Hermitian matrix that possessed random matrix elements. In this case the random matrix elements were relater!
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This incluclecI, for example, the annual meetings of Nobel Prize recipients at a private estate on Lake Constance. He also became the leacler of free-ranging philosophical cliscussion groups that met more or less annually uncler the auspices of the Unification Church.
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unclerstancling of the forces between funciamental particles. Posterity will long remember Wigner for giving powerful new tools to the theoretical physicist, as well as for his comparably basic work on the clevelopment of nuclear reactors.
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Vol. I: Eugene Paul Wigner: A Biographical Sketch; Applied Group Theory; Mathematical Papers.
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