Quantum mechanics/Timelines

Founding work

c 1805: Thomas Young's double-slit experiment demonstrating the wave nature of light. 1896: Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity. 1897: Joseph John Thomson's cathode ray tube experiments (discovers the electron and its negative charge). 1850 - 1900: The study of black body radiation, which gave the unexplainable UV catastrophe. 1900: The study of black body radiation led Max Planck to quantization of energy; full explanation of spectrum, including the ultraviolet (UV). 1905: The photoelectric effect: Explained by Einstein using the concept of photons, particles of light with quantized energy. 1909: Robert Millikan's oil-drop experiment, which showed that electric charge occurs as quanta (whole units). 1911: Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment disproved the plum pudding model of the atom which suggested that the mass and positive charge of the atom are almost uniformly distributed. 1913: Niels Bohr's explanation of stationary states of hydrogen atom 1920: Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach conduct the Stern-Gerlach experiment, which demonstrates a doublet nature of spectra, later interpreted as spin. 1924: Louis de Broglie extends the particle-wave duality to cover all particles Werner Heisenberg invents matrix mechanics Erwin Schrödinger formulates his wave function equation; proves equivalence with matrix 1927: Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer demonstrate the wave nature of the electron in the Electron diffraction experiment. 1935: The EPR paper by Einstein and two collaborators points out an important, and previously non-understood implication of quantum mechanics 1955: Clyde L. Cowan and Frederick Reines confirm the existence of the neutrino in the neutrino experiment. 1961: Claus Jönsson`s double-slit experiment with electrons. 1964: J. S. Bell's theorem proves that so-called 'local' theories cannot predict quantum outcomes 1980: The Quantum Hall effect, discovered by Klaus von Klitzing. The quantized version of the Hall effect has allowed for the definition of a new practical standard for electrical resistance and for an extremely precise independent determination of the fine structure constant. 1982: Alain Aspect's group at the University of Orsay confirm Bell's prediction, and prove Einstein was wrong