Bell, Jon Stewart

Professor Whitaker ^{['' i '' 1]} from the University of Queens for several years studied the biography and scientific activities of a distinguished graduate of this university. The further presentation is based on a biographical article written by him in 2002 and available on the Internet ^[3] . This article lists the sources (over 20) used by Whitaker himself. These data are complemented by a memorable essay written by Yakiv and Shimoni in 2001 ^[4] .

Childhood

John Stuart Bell was born on June 28, 1928 in Belfast , Northern Ireland , to a poor Irish family. Since his father’s name was also John, his relatives always called him by the second name Stewart. In addition to John Stewart, John's father and mother Annie ^[2) had three children: the eldest daughter Ruby and the younger sons David and Robert.

Mother dreamed of giving children a good education, because, in her opinion, only a learned man could get to a better life and, as she said, “wear a Sunday suit all week long” ^[5] . John Stuart was among the top students in elementary school. “Maybe I was not the best, but out of three or four above in the classroom” ^[5] . He began studying at Ulsterville Avenue School at Ulsterville Avenue School , then went to school at Fane Street School . At 11, instead of 14, he passed all exams for continuing secondary education.

However, 1920–1930 was the time of the greatest unemployment in Belfast, its shipbuilding and repair shipyards were practically empty, which led to a general decline in the economy in the city ^[6] . Due to lack of funds, it was decided that only John Stewart, as the most talented of the children, will continue his education after primary school. At that time, full school education was not compulsory, and only elementary school was free.

The cost of education in the prestigious high schools of Belfast, even for one child, turned out to be too expensive for the family, so John Stewart enrolled at Belfast Technical High School ( Belfast Technical High School , while the approximate equivalent of the technical school ). This school, however, had academic accreditation, that is, with its diploma it was possible to take exams at the university.

When John Stewart started high school, the UK had already entered World War II . The war revived the economy of Belfast, which became a major construction and repair shipyard of the Navy . However, this made the city the goal of regular German bombing. The Easter night raid on April 15, 1941 became especially destructive . Then about 200 Luftwaffe bombers dropped tons of conventional and incendiary bombs on the city and shipyards. 955 people were killed, 1,500 injured, half of the city, including most industrial facilities, was destroyed. Fortunately, the trouble has bypassed the Bell family. No one was injured; their home and school survived, where classes soon continued.

Youth

After successfully completing a technical school in 1944, 16-year-old Bell worked as a laboratory assistant at the physics department of the University of Queens for a year. The faculty professors Karl Emeleus ^{['' i '' 3]} and Dr. Robert Sloan ^{['' i '' 4]} sympathized with the gifted youth. They not only allowed him to use the faculty library, but also allowed to listen to general first-year lectures.

Finally, in 1945, funds for training were collected, and John Stuart Bell became a student of the Physics Department of the University of Queens. He brilliantly studied and in 1948 graduated with honors from the faculty with a specialization in experimental physics . At the same time, his interest in quantum mechanics was born - not to its practical application, but to the deep meaning of its provisions. In an interview with Jeremy Bernstein , shortly before his sudden death, Bell recalls being “stunned” by Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle :

It looked as if you could take such and such a measurement - and then the position is determined, or such and such measurement - and then the impulse is defined. It sounded like you can do it the way you want it. Only some time later, I realized that it was a question not of desire, but of equipment. I had to wade to this. In the available books and lectures this was not explained clearly enough. I remember arguing about it with one of my teachers, Dr. Sloan. I was excited and practically accused him of dishonesty. He, too, became very hot and said: “You are going too far.”

Original Text (Eng.)

This is the momentum is well defined. It was so-called if you wanted. It was only slowly that I realized. The apparatus has produced this situation. But it was a bit of a fight. It was not very clear. I remember the doctor sloane, about that. I was getting very heated and accusing him, more or less, of dishonesty. He was getting very heated too and said, “You're going too far“.

The funds allowed Bell to study for another year, and he, again with honors, received a diploma in mathematical physics . On this course, the German scientist Paul Ewald , who fled from the Nazi regime, was his leader , founder of X-ray analysis .

Early career

Bell would prefer to immediately begin work on his doctoral thesis and come to grips with the theory of quantum mechanics. Financial considerations, however, forced him to practice, and he went to work for the British Department of Atomic Energy Research in Harvele from where he was soon transferred to the development group of the accelerator in Malvern . There he met his future wife, Mary Ross, a physicist and mathematician from Scotland . They became husband and wife four years later, in 1954. Their marriage was strong, but childless. As specialists in related fields, they helped each other in life and in work. In the preface to his book “Expressible and Inexpressible in Quantum Mechanics” ^{['' i '' 5]} , published in 1987, Bell wrote: ^[7] : “Here again, I want to express my warm thanks to Mary Bell. When I look through these papers, I see it everywhere. ”

In 1951, Bell received a one-year leave to continue his education. He conducted it at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Prof. Peierls . There he formulated his own version of the CPT invariance theorem. However, earlier theorems of this kind had already been independently proposed by Lüders and Pauli , who got the status of pioneers.

However, the leave was extended for the time needed to prepare and defend a thesis. In 1956, Bell defended his thesis on the analysis of CPT-invariance and received the title of PhD . The support of Peierls, acquired over the years, which helped Bell on his return to Harvel to become a new elementary particle research group, turned out to be valuable.

Bell and his wife worked in Harvel until 1960, but they less and less liked the steady transition of all project activities from basic research to applied questions of nuclear physics. Therefore, both did not hesitate to accept the offer from CERN and moved to Switzerland .

Switzerland, CERN

At CERN, Bell's official specialization was particle physics and quantum field theory , but his theory of quantum mechanics remained his real passion, and it was precisely his achievements in this field that brought him main fame. Inspired by Bohm ’s ideas ^[8] (see Bohm’s Interpretation ), Bell continued his analysis of the EPR paradox and in 1964 formulated his inequalities ^[9] . Bell's original formulation was an idealized concept, on the basis of which variants of inequalities for physical experiments were constructed. These are, first of all, the Bell – Clauser – Horn and Clauser – Horne – Shimoni – Holt inequalities ^[10] .

Describing the situation that had developed around the mid-1960s around the EPR paradox in particular and the theory of quantum physics in general, Bell ironically calls it the “Why worry?” Approach ⁽¹¹ Why worry? ) ^[11] :

It may be said that by trying to look beyond the formal predictions of quantum theory, we only create trouble for ourselves. It is useless to look at the observed phenomena: wasn’t this a lesson to be learned before it became possible to create quantum mechanics? More than this, this particular example of ^{['' i '' 6]} once again teaches us that the whole experiment device should be considered as a whole. We should not try to analyze it in separate parts, with separately spaced portions of uncertainty. By resisting the impulse to analyze and localize, we avoid mental discomfort.
This, as I understand it, is the orthodox view formulated by Bohr in his answer ^{[7] to} Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. Many are very satisfied with him.

Original Text (Eng.)

We are just making trouble for ourselves. It is not possible to learn how to get it. Try to find out more about this. Mental discomfort can be avoided.
This is a form, as it has been formulated by him, for Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. Many people are quite content with it.

Bell was not alone in his doubts about the Copenhagen interpretation , but he was the first to dare to break the taboo on analyzing the physical picture of the world offered by this interpretation and on further analyzing the EPR paradox. John Clauser , the first to experiment with Bell’s inequality, later recalled that by asking questions about the EPR paradox in the 1950s, he would most likely have made himself unemployed. Questions about the fundamentals of quantum mechanics at the time, he said, were a sign of bad taste ^[12] .

In 1982, Bell expressed his position even more clearly ^[13] :

Why then did Born not tell me about this “ wave-pilot ”? If only to indicate its inaccuracy. Why didn't von Neumann consider it? Even more extraordinary, why after 1952 ^{['' i '' 8]} and, more recently, even in 1978 ^{['' i '' 9],} people are engaged in proving “impossibility”? ... Why is the pilot wave ignored in the textbooks? Shouldn't it be taught - not as the only way out, but as an antidote against the reigning complacency? To show us that nebula, subjectivity and indeterminism are not imposed by experimental facts, but by conscious theoretical choice.

Original Text (Eng.)

But why did you have a pilot wave? ? Why did von Neumann not consider it? More extraordinarily, why did people go after 1952, and as recently as 1978? ... Why? It should not be taught, should it not be a rule? It’s a theoretical choice?

Recognition and sudden death

Bell was admitted to the Royal Society of London back in 1972, but true recognition and awards came to him only in the late 80s. In 1987 he was elected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . This is followed by the Medal and the Dirac Award from the Institute of Physics (1988), the Hughes Medal (1989), the Heinemann Award (1989). Finally, Bell was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Physics. ^{[ when? ]} , but the application was withdrawn due to the death of the nominee. According to the rules of the Nobel Committee, the prize is awarded only alive.

John Stuart Bell died suddenly from a stroke at the hospital in Geneva on October 1, 1990, at the age of 62. He was buried at home in Belfast ^{['' i '' 11]} .

In 2009, the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Control ( Eng. Center for Quantum Information & Quantum Control ) of the University of Toronto established .

• Quantum intricacy
• Socks burtleman
• The paradox of Einstein - Podolsky - Rosen
• Bell's theorem

Comments

References to sources

• Bell JS Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics. - 2004. - ISBN 9780521523387 .
• Bell JS, Bell M., Gottfried K., Veltman M. John S. Bell on the foundations of quantum mechanics. - 2001. - ISBN 9789810246884 .
• Bell JS, Bertlmann RA, Zeilinger A. Quantum [un] speakables: from Bell to quantum information. - 2002. - ISBN 9783540427568 .