Werner Heisenberg was at the center of theoretical physics in Germany during much of the 20th century. He was the creator of quantum mechanics and the inventor of the uncertainty principle. He was a major contributor to the development of matrix mechanics, quantum field theory, and S-matrix formalism. Further, his life and activities touched some of the most turbulent events of recent German and World history. He was enlisted by various political regimes in Germany, from the Weimar Republic through the Third Reich and into the post-war Federal Republic of Germany. During World War II, he headed the Nazi sponsored atomic bomb project. Under this grant, Dr. Cassidy will complete his biography of Werner Heisenberg. This study will cover all phases of Heisenberg's life and work, integrating them to wider issues in history, science, philosophy, culture, and politics. He will examine primary sources in extensive archival records and hitherto unexamined private papers. This study promises greatly to enhance our understanding of the development of contemporary physics, the training of German elite scientists, and the role of physics in the government of Germany over a half century period.
