John A. Wheeler and Spacetime Charles W Misner University of Maryland & ICRAnet Pescara

John A. Wheeler John A. Wheeler and Spacetime and Spacetime

Charles W MisnerCharles W MisnerUniversity of MarylandUniversity of Maryland

& ICRAnet Pescara& ICRAnet Pescara

John A Wheeler’s John A Wheeler’s

rescue of rescue of Einstein’sEinstein’sgravitation gravitation

theorytheory

oror

11 June 2008 3ICRANet, Pescara, Italy

J A Wheeler J A Wheeler phasesphases

Particles/nuclear 1933-1955Particles/nuclear 1933-1955

Fields/general relativity 1953-Fields/general relativity 1953-19771977

Quantum Fundamentals/ “It from bit” Quantum Fundamentals/ “It from bit” 1977--1977--


Wheeler timelineWheeler timeline Born 9 July 1911Born 9 July 1911 Ph.D. Johns Hopkins (Herzfeld) 1933Ph.D. Johns Hopkins (Herzfeld) 1933 Bohr Institute 1934-35Bohr Institute 1934-35 Married Janette Hegner 10 June 1935Married Janette Hegner 10 June 1935 Asst. Prof. Princeton 1938Asst. Prof. Princeton 1938 Bohr-Wheeler nuclear fission paper 1939Bohr-Wheeler nuclear fission paper 1939 A-bomb, Hanford Washington 1942-45A-bomb, Hanford Washington 1942-45 H-bomb 1950-1952H-bomb 1950-1952 Moved to Austin, Texas, 1976Moved to Austin, Texas, 1976 Retired from Texas 1986Retired from Texas 1986 Died 13 April 2008Died 13 April 2008


2003 Einstein PrizetoJohn A. WheelerPrinceton University(retired)


Wheeler the TeacherWheeler the Teacher

Teaching to learnTeaching to learn Inspiration firstInspiration first Enthusiasm from current researchEnthusiasm from current research Questions trump answersQuestions trump answers Students produce physicsStudents produce physics








S. Fred SingerS. Fred Singer


Tullio ReggeTullio Regge


Raymond MjolsnessRaymond Mjolsness


Bob EuwemaBob Euwema


Barry MalikBarry Malik


Kip ThorneKip Thorne


J. Peter VajkJ. Peter Vajk


James W. York, Jr.James W. York, Jr.


Demetrios ChristodoulouDemetrios Christodoulou


Remo RuffiniRemo Ruffini


Robert WaldRobert Wald


Sergio HojmanSergio Hojman


Jim IsenbergJim Isenberg


Claudio TeitelboimClaudio Teitelboim


John A. WylerJohn A. Wyler


William H. PressWilliam H. Press


Larry SmarrLarry Smarr

John A WheelerJohn A Wheelerand the and the

recertificationrecertificationof GR as true of GR as true

physicsphysics


GR 1927--1950GR 1927--1950

1927—1933 Cosmology: Lemaitre, de 1927—1933 Cosmology: Lemaitre, de Sitter, Hubble, EinsteinSitter, Hubble, Einstein

Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann 1938, Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann 1938, Einstein & Straus 1945Einstein & Straus 1945

Unified Field theories (mostly weak Unified Field theories (mostly weak maths)maths)

Lichnerowicz, Landau & Lifshitz, Lichnerowicz, Landau & Lifshitz, Bergmann, Infeld, Synge [see Bergmann, Infeld, Synge [see Kennefick histoy]Kennefick histoy]


Bad KharmaBad Kharma

Caltech professor to Kip Thorne as Caltech professor to Kip Thorne as Kip departs for Princeton: GR has Kip departs for Princeton: GR has little relevance … look elsewhere for little relevance … look elsewhere for interesting physics.interesting physics.

Novikov’s wife given advice: Novikov’s wife given advice: relativity is a backwater … Igor relativity is a backwater … Igor should leave it. should leave it.

[KST p268][KST p268]


Post WWII GR leadersPost WWII GR leaders

WheelerWheeler SciamaSciama ZeldovichZeldovich BondiBondi Choquet-BruhatChoquet-Bruhat SchildSchild DeWittDeWitt


Wheeler 1950sWheeler 1950s

““Mass without Mass” – GeonsMass without Mass” – Geons field energy can be confined by gravity field energy can be confined by gravity massive objects don’t need particles massive objects don’t need particles nonlinear GR does new things nonlinear GR does new things

““Charge without Charge” – wormholes, Charge without Charge” – wormholes, topology, lead to Finkelstein & topology, lead to Finkelstein & Beckedorff geometrical views of Beckedorff geometrical views of “Schwarzschild singularity”“Schwarzschild singularity”

Brill wave initial conditionsBrill wave initial conditions


JAW 1950s themeJAW 1950s theme

““Daring conservativism”:Daring conservativism”: Explore the equations of physics for Explore the equations of physics for

what they have to say.what they have to say. Don’t just ask them for details about Don’t just ask them for details about

things you’ve already seen.things you’ve already seen.


““Daring conservativism” Daring conservativism” hijacked by Hugh Everett hijacked by Hugh Everett

IIIIII Everett imposed on Wheeler’s principles Everett imposed on Wheeler’s principles

by presenting an annoying application of by presenting an annoying application of them to the interpretation of Quantum them to the interpretation of Quantum MechanicsMechanics

Wheeler, impressed by Everett’s logic, and Wheeler, impressed by Everett’s logic, and appalled by his deviation from Bohr’s appalled by his deviation from Bohr’s viewpoint, gave Everett his Ph.D. while viewpoint, gave Everett his Ph.D. while seeking common ground with Bohr.seeking common ground with Bohr.

Bohr, as expected, didn’t hear Everett who Bohr, as expected, didn’t hear Everett who found time to solve practical problems.found time to solve practical problems.


Wheeler 1950sWheeler 1950s Encouraged Weber’s wave detectorsEncouraged Weber’s wave detectors Regge-Wheeler perturbations of SchwarzschildRegge-Wheeler perturbations of Schwarzschild Sciama, Penrose visit PrincetonSciama, Penrose visit Princeton

New ExperimentsNew Experiments Pound Rebke 1959 redshiftPound Rebke 1959 redshift Dicke experimental gravity group formedDicke experimental gravity group formed


Wheeler early 1960sWheeler early 1960s

Collapse to a singularity must be Collapse to a singularity must be impossible (Note this brings impossible (Note this brings accepted physics, nuclear forces, into the accepted physics, nuclear forces, into the GR picture)GR picture)

Finkelstein, Beckedorff-Misner, give a Finkelstein, Beckedorff-Misner, give a picture of collapsepicture of collapse

Brill-Hartle: gravitational waves have Brill-Hartle: gravitational waves have energyenergy

Hahn-Lindquist: numerical relativity 1963Hahn-Lindquist: numerical relativity 1963


Gravitational Expansion Gravitational Expansion 1963-1977 1963-1977

Princeton group expands: Thorne, Princeton group expands: Thorne, York, Bekenstein, RuffiniYork, Bekenstein, Ruffini

Sciama, Misner, Schild, Thorne, Sciama, Misner, Schild, Thorne, Infeld, Chandrasekhar, Hawking, Infeld, Chandrasekhar, Hawking, Newman, … build research groupsNewman, … build research groups

““Texas” meetings, quasars, pulsars, Texas” meetings, quasars, pulsars, Weber claims, Kerr metric, Weber claims, Kerr metric, singularity Theorems, “no hair” singularity Theorems, “no hair” theorems, BH Thermodynamicstheorems, BH Thermodynamics


ReferencesReferences Wheeler/Ford, “Geons, Black Holes, …” Wheeler/Ford, “Geons, Black Holes, …”

(Norton 1998)(Norton 1998) Thorne, “Black Holes, …”, (Norton 1994)Thorne, “Black Holes, …”, (Norton 1994) Anon., ed., “Family Gathering”, 2 vol. Anon., ed., “Family Gathering”, 2 vol.

(privately distributed 1977: AIP, (privately distributed 1977: AIP, Princeton, Texas)Princeton, Texas)

Bartusiak, “Einstein’s Unfinished Bartusiak, “Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony” (J Henry Press 2000)Symphony” (J Henry Press 2000)

Kennefick, “… Gravitational Waves” Kennefick, “… Gravitational Waves” (Princeton U Pr 2007)(Princeton U Pr 2007)


More ReferencesMore References

Misner – Beckedorff on black holesMisner – Beckedorff on black holeshttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/4280http://hdl.handle.net/1903/4280

Everett biographyEverett biographyhttp://http://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/everettspace.mit.edu/home/tegmark/everett//http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/printPage.html?pageid=2http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/printPage.html?pageid=21782917829

Everett conferences Everett conferences http://users.ox.ac.uk/~everetthttp://users.ox.ac.uk/~everett http://http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/manyworldswww.perimeterinstitute.ca/manyworlds//

Documents

John A. Wheeler and Spacetime Charles W Misner University of Maryland & ICRAnet Pescara