Cosmology between the Wars: The Nernst-Macmillan Alternative

Kragh, Helge

doi:10.1177/002182869502600201

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The older conception of an eternally regenerating universe in the style of the nineteenth century continued to be discussed, quite independent of the oscillating models based on relativistic cosmology. Although these ideas were separate from mainstream cosmology and ignored by most physicists and astronomers, they enjoyed a considerable public support and were advocated by a few scientists of distinction (Jaki 1979: 342-345;Kragh 1995).…”

Section: Richard Tolman and Cosmic Entropymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyclic Models of the Relativistic Universe: The Early History

Kragh

2018

Einstein Studies

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Within the framework of relativistic cosmology oscillating or cyclic models of the universe were introduced by A. Friedmann in his seminal paper of 1922. With the recognition of evolutionary cosmology in the 1930s this class of closed models attracted considerable interest and was investigated by several physicists and astronomers. Whereas the Friedmann-Einstein model exhibited only a single maximum value, R. Tolman argued for an endless series of cycles. After World War II, cyclic or pulsating models were suggested by W. Bonnor and H. Zanstra, among others, but they remained peripheral to mainstream cosmology. The paper reviews the development from 1922 to the 1960s, paying particular attention to the works of Friedmann, Einstein, Tolman and Zanstra. It also points out the role played by bouncing models in the emergence of modern big-bang cosmology.Although the general idea of a cyclic or oscillating universe goes back to times immemorial, it was only with the advent of relativistic cosmology that it could be formulated in a mathematically precise way and confronted with observations. Ever since Alexander Friedmann introduced the possibility of a closed cyclic universe in 1922, it has continued to attract interest among a minority of astronomers and physicists. At the same time it has been controversial and widely seen as speculative, in part because of its historical association with an antireligious world view. According to Steven Weinberg, "the oscillating model … nicely avoids the problem of Genesis" and may be considered philosophically appealing for that reason (Weinberg 1977: 154). In spite of many problems and a generally bad reputation, cyclic models never vanished from the scene of cosmology. Indeed, they have recently experienced a remarkable revival, especially

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Section: Richard Tolman and Cosmic Entropymentioning

confidence: 99%

Cyclic Models of the Relativistic Universe: The Early History

Kragh

2018

Einstein Studies

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“…During the 1920s and 1930s Nernst developed his ideas into an elaborate theory of astro physics and cosmology, but the theory was widely seen as speculative and had very little impact on mainstream science (Kragh 1995). One reason was undoubtedly that Nernst denied the expansion of the universe, which became widely accepted after about 1931.…”

Section: 25mentioning

confidence: 99%

Walther Nernst: grandfather of dark energy?

Kragh

2012

Astronomy &Amp; Geophysics

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“…Historical and other works that deal with Nernst's cosmological and astrophysical views include Kragh (1995), Bartel and Huebener (2007, pp. 306-326), Browne (1995), and Huber and Jaakkola (1995).…”

Section: Nernst's Cosmic Quantum-ethermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For other early attempts to estimate the temperature of space, or (anachronistically) the temperature of the cosmic background radiation, see Assis and Neves (1995). 72 For these aspects, see Kragh (1995) and Bartel and Huebener (2007). considered to be comparable to at least 7 × 10 30 erg/cm 3 . … One gets an impression of the forces that govern the ether when one recalls that the pressure which comes into play by keeping together the electric charge in an electron is of the order 7 × the heat death of the universe.…”

Section: More Clearly Than Earliermentioning

confidence: 99%

Preludes to dark energy: zero-point energy and vacuum speculations

Kragh

2011

Arch. Hist. Exact Sci.

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According to modern physics and cosmology, the universe expands at an increasing rate as the result of a "dark energy" that characterizes empty space. Although dark energy is a modern concept, some elements in it can be traced back to the early part of the twentieth century. This paper examines the origin of the idea of zero-point energy and in particular how it appeared in a cosmological context in a hypothesis proposed by Walther Nernst in 1916. The hypothesis of a zero-point vacuum energy attracted some attention in the 1920s, but without attempts to relate it to the cosmological constant that was discussed by Georges Lemaître in particular. Only in the late 1960s was it recognized that there is a connection between the cosmological constant and the quantum vacuum.As seen in retrospect, many of the steps that eventually led to the insight of a kind of dark energy occurred isolated and uncoordinated. Content

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Cosmology between the Wars: The Nernst-Macmillan Alternative

Cited by 10 publications

References 27 publications

Cyclic Models of the Relativistic Universe: The Early History

Cyclic Models of the Relativistic Universe: The Early History

Walther Nernst: grandfather of dark energy?

Preludes to dark energy: zero-point energy and vacuum speculations

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