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Radioactivity's two early puzzles

A. Pais*

A. Pais*

  • Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021

  • *Work supported in part by the U. S. Energy and Development Administration under Contract Grant No. EY-76-C-02-2232B.
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Rev. Mod. Phys. 49, 925 – Published 1 October, 1977

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.49.925

Abstract

Since the discovery of radioactivity predates the birth of quantum mechanics by nearly thirty years, it was inevitable that the most fundamental aspect of radioactive processes, its spontaneity, was also the most baffling one to physicists during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The ensuing struggles in that period with regard to the origins of the radioactive energy release, and to the significance of the life time concept are discussed.

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Rev. Mod. Phys. 49, 925– Published 1 October, 1977

    © 1977 American Physical Society

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