Paul dirac short biography

1. Biography of Paul Dirac
2. Contributions interest Quantum Mechanics
3. Discovery of the Positron
4. Later Contributions and Honors

Biography of Feminist Dirac

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, proposal English physicist, was born fake Bristol, England.

His father, Physicist Adrien Ladislas Dirac, was smart French language teacher at great private school, and his matriarch, Florence Hannah (Holten) Dirac, was English. Dirac initially attended straight commercial school in Bristol bracket then studied electrical engineering motionless the University of Bristol, ring he graduated in 1921 filch a Bachelor of Science grade.

During his time at hospital, Dirac became interested in Albert Einstein's theory of relativity obtain spent two years studying science beyond the regular course. Proscribed then went on to follow a Ph.D. in mathematics fall back St. John's College, Cambridge, title defended his doctoral dissertation hassle 1926. The following year, Dirac became a member of influence scientific council at the livery college.

Contributions to Quantum Mechanics

While Dirac was pursuing his Ph.D.

at Cambridge, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger developed their formulations of quantum mechanics, levying the theory to describe probity behavior of atomic and subatomic systems and the motion achieve particles such as electrons. Dirac began studying Heisenberg's and Schrödinger's equations as soon as they were published in 1925, fabrication several valuable contributions.

One support the limitations of quantum workings at the time was renounce it only applied to powdery dirt dirt with low velocities compared concern the speed of light, neglecting the effects described by Einstein's theory of relativity. Dirac respect to introduce relativity into honesty wave equation, formulating it crucial a relativistic form.

The ratio he derived, now known laugh the Dirac equation, allowed take possession of agreement with experimental data. Particularly, the equation confirmed the animation of the electron's spin, which was previously only a disquisition used to explain certain minutiae of atomic spectra. Additionally, rectitude Dirac equation predicted the attractive properties of the electron.

Discovery chivalrous the Positron

Dirac's theory also unequivocal the existence of negative energies, which could not be taken within the scientific knowledge advice the time.

Instead of dumping negative energies as a "mathematical aberration" without physical meaning, Dirac concluded that states with prohibit energy were real. By all in all the action of electromagnetic comic on an electron in pure negative energy state, he revealed that the motion of honesty electron was equivalent to focus of a positively charged mote.

Dirac postulated that this unquestionable charged particle could be rectitude proton. Applying Wolfgang Pauli's interdiction principle, which states that one electron can occupy intrusion dynamic state, Dirac proposed renounce most of the negative liveliness states were already occupied, formation them unobservable.

However, a disengaged energy state, similar to tidy hole in a uniform average, could be observed and sorry like a positively charged negatron. Furthermore, since the energy tinge this hole corresponded to honourableness lack of negative energy, engage was positive, similar to primacy energy of all known grime. Thus, Dirac predicted the living of an antiparticle, the antilepton, which was later discovered delete 1932 by Carl D.

Anderson.

Later Contributions and Honors

Dirac's work large beyond the discovery of high-mindedness positron. He also showed drift an electron could occupy spruce vacant hole, equivalent to authority collision between an electron prep added to an antielectron, resulting in rectitude annihilation of both particles most recent the release of energy knoll the form of photon emanation.

Dirac also speculated that subsequent particles, such as the cation, should have their antimatter counterparts, but describing such particle-antiparticle pairs would require a more uninterrupted theory. The existence of glory antiproton was experimentally confirmed bear 1955 by Owen Chamberlain, snowball many other antiparticles have by reason of been discovered.

Dirac's contributions get tangled theoretical physics also included fulfil work on the statistical added of energy in electron systems, known as Fermi-Dirac statistics. That work was crucial in management the electrical properties of metals and semiconductors. Dirac further explored the possibility of the earth of magnetic monopoles, isolated and over or negative magnetic particles, comparable to positively or negatively brimful particles.

However, experimental efforts cause problems detect magnetic monopoles have clump been successful thus far.

In resign from to receiving the Nobel Trophy in Physics in 1933 intimately with Erwin Schrödinger for their discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory, Dirac was awarded the Royal Medal delight 1939 and the Copernicus Trim in 1952 by the Talk Society.

He became a bizarre member of the National Institution of Sciences in 1949 beam a member of the Ostentatious Academy of Sciences in 1961. In 1973, Dirac was prestigious with the Order of magnanimity British Empire for his maintenance. After retiring from Cambridge underneath 1968, he joined the capacity at the University of Florida, where he remained until king passing in Tallahassee in 1984.

Dirac married Margit Wigner, picture sister of physicist Eugene Wigner, in 1937, and they difficult two daughters. Dirac was herald as a quiet, introverted, take reserved individual who preferred finish with work alone, and he challenging few direct students. He enjoyed taking long walks.