New projects in particle physics

Recent results in the field of particle physics raise many questions on the elementary constituents of matter and their interactions. These cannot be answered, nor the latest theoretical predictions verified, without accelerators operating at higher energies. Pending world-wide collaboration for the construction of a gigantic accelerator, individual nations are engaged in an increasingly competitive race to construct such machines. The author describes the main assemblies under construction or currently planned in Western Europe, the USA and the USSR, and discusses the technical, financial, political, and, by no means least, human problems involved.     

The crisis in particle physics

A set of eleven methodological and sociological criteria is developed to judge the state of health of research in a given area of science. They pertain to the close interaction of theory and experiment, the degree of cumulativeness of research, the presence of conceptually new ideas, the role of mathematics in research, the extent of the unification of our understanding, the degree of economy and simplicity, applicability, laissez-faire attitude in the scientific community, critique within the community, aesthetic satisfaction, and the state of morale. Then a brief status report is presented, in laymen's terms, of the experimental, theoretical, and phenomenological aspects of elementary particle (high energy) physics, it is concluded that experimental efforts have been skilled and in many ways successful, but the phenomenological work is characterized by many different and even contradictory insights, all useful in some ways, and failures in other ways. Progress on the theoretical side, in terms of a basic understanding of high energy phenomena, has been extremely modest, and even the experimental efforts have suffered considerably from the low state of phenomenology and theory. It is then suggested that progress is likely to depend on assuring the optimal use of methodology and a wise structuring of the sociological factors in the high energy community, since methodology and sociology leave much to be desired at the present in this community. Specifically, several measures are suggested to improve the situation, including reforms in communication, external peer review, and the strengthening of internal critique.     

雷电物理学研究新进展

雷电产生的高电压、大电流、强电磁辐射等对电力、通信和航空航天等部门会造成很大危害。随着高新技术的发展及大量微电子器件的应用,这种危害的后果越显严重,因而雷电物理及雷害防护研究,引起了有关部门及学者的高度重视。但由于雷电发生的时间和空间随机性很大,雷电的激发及发展过程又涉及到电磁学、分子物理学、等离子物理学等一系列复杂问题,所以迄今对雷电物理的许多方面认识还很不清楚。近年来发展起来的人工引发雷电技术,不仅为雷电物理的研究开辟了一条新途径,也为雷害机理及防护研究提供了良好的手段。“八五”期间,国家自…     

黄昆——中国固体物理和半导体物理的奠基人

黄昆先生是世界著名的物理学家和杰出的教育家,晶格动力学的奠基人和权威,“极化激元”概念的最早阐述者。黄昆的名字是与多声子跃迁理论、x光漫散射理论、晶格振动长波唯象方程、半导体超晶格光学声子模型联系在一起的。他致力于凝聚态物理的科学研究和教育,以勤奋、严谨、严于律己和诲人不倦而著称。他长期从事物理教学工作,是我国固体物理和半导体物理学科的一位开创者,培养了一大批中国物理学家和半导体技术专家。黄昆于1919年诞生在北京,祖籍浙江嘉兴。1932年秋至1936年夏,黄昆就读于通州潞河中学,并于1937年通过潞河中学向燕京大学的…