Call for Papers

The deadline for abstract submissions has expired. Program and abstracts of selected talks are available on this website.

Building upon the momentum generated by two previous conferences in Berlin (2007) and in Utrecht (2008), this meeting will bring together historians, philosophers, and scientists who work on the emergence and the development of quantum physics and related disciplines from the days of the old quantum theory until the present. The conference aims at combining a genuinely historical perspective with a broader understanding of the foundations and implications of quantum physics. The thematic horizon extends from the classical traditions that quantum physics is rooted in, through the genesis of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, to the history of its appropriation in newly-emerging fields of research up to the present day.

We invite contributions with a historical focus, dealing with aspects such as:

• the theoretical, mathematical and experimental practices of quantum physics, as well as their mutual relation
• the institutional, socio-cultural and political processes which shaped and were shaped by quantum physics
• the philosophical and foundational questions which were raised about quantum physics and the conflicting answers given to them.

Particularly welcome are proposals connecting several of these aspects.

Please submit an abstract of up to 500 words by January 15, 2010, to the organizing committee: hq_3@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de

A small number of travel stipends will be given to junior scholars with especially interesting submissions that are unable to secure financial support otherwise. Please indicate your interest in a travel stipend with your submission.