Writing the Atom: Niels and Margrethe Bohr and the Construction of Quantum Theory

Abstract

This dissertation examines the material culture of quantum theoretical work from 1911 to 1927. It argues that the writing practices and the editorial rules Niels Bohr used in his own work and enforced at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen shaped the culture of theoretical physics and quantum theory itself. Each chapter uses oral histories, archived drafts, photographs, and personal and professional correspondence to reconstruct the writing practices of quantum physicists -- dictation, drawing, revising, and reading. Examining the contributions made in writing and editing work foregrounds different historical actors and scientific sites than those privileged within previous histories of quantum theory. It reveals the importance of Margrethe Bohr, Niels Bohr’s wife and amanuensis, and of his secretary Betty Schultz, to the creation of quantum theory. It also emphasizes that domestic spaces including the Bohr family home and summer vacation cottage were significant sites where scientific theories were disciplined. Chapter 2 addresses Bohr’s practice of using dialogue with a non-scientist to produce first drafts. These dictation/dialogue practices co-evolved with Bohr’s ideals for scientific communication and underscored the value Bohr placed on communicating to non-experts. Bohr’s dictation practices are particularly visible in how he defined the responsibilities of authors and readers in the creation of the meaning of a text. Chapter 3 reconstructs Bohr’s revision practices and the revision and editorial practices he enforced at his institute, especially those surrounding the 1913 article “On the Constitution of Atoms.” It uses theoretical tools from literary theorists, scholarly editors, and historians of science to argue for a new, cinematic way of reading scientific writing, which privileges neither the published version nor the original moment of discovery, situating the meaning of a work in the process not the final product. By examining the reception of Bohr’s theories, Chapter 4 reveals the importance of informal networks in the spread of quantum theory. Bohr’s use of interleaved pages to record feedback on published work suggests a writing process that does not stop at publication. The completed work, instead of remaining a fixed text, immediately becomes basis of a new draft.