The new quantum mechanics, discovered, elaborated and interpreted during the crucial years 1925-1928, radically transformed the physics and philosophy of the 20th century. Dr. Beller is examining the intellectual and social history of the quantum revolution as a multi-levelled and dynamic network of scientific dialogues at that time. She aims to incorpore the very fact of the existence of the scientific community and the complex interaction among its members into a basic level of the formation of scientific knowledge. She will describe how theoretical ideas and philosophical commitments took shape during the complex process of negotiations. This research will bring to light the experimental aspect of the quantum revolution (1925-1928) and spell out the important impact of less central scientists, thus shedding light on the collective aspect of scientific creativity. Dr. Beller has studied many primary and secondary sources in the history of quantum physics, and has published a series of papers on this topic. Under this grant, she will examine additional primary documents available in the US and in archives in Austria and Germany.
