Thibault Damour Livres

On sait qu'Einstein a créé la physique du XXe siècle par ses travaux sur la relativité et les quanta. Mais que sait-on vraiment des idées essentielles apportées par Einstein ? Comment les a-t il trouvées ? Que doit-on retenir aujourd'hui des bouleversements conceptuels inaugurés par lui ? À travers le choix de scènes concrètes de la vie d'Einstein, ce livre donne à voir la formation de ses théories. II nous entraîne aussi dans une réflexion sur leur impact philosophique. Comment penser le temps après la théorie de la relativité, qui enlève tout sens au " maintenant " et montre que des jumeaux peuvent ne pas avoir le même âge ? Comment 'penser la réalité alors que la théorie quantique prédit que des objets spatialement séparés restent liés dans un " enchevêtrement " indiqué par Einstein et dont les conséquences observables ont été récemment vérifiées ? Le livre accompagne Einstein au long de sa vie et de son œuvre scientifique, et nous rappelle les applications journalières de ses idées : du principe du laser au système de positionnement par satellites en passant par la dispersion des aérosols dans l'atmosphère.

This book is the fourth in a series of lectures from the Séminaire Poincaré, aimed at physicists and mathematicians. The seminar provides current insights into significant topics in physics, covering both theoretical and experimental aspects along with historical context. Modeled after the Bourbaki seminar in mathematics, the Poincaré Seminar, held biannually at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris, features pre-prepared contributions. Emphasizing pedagogy, the presentations are designed to be accessible to a broad audience of scientists. This volume, from the seventh seminar in 2005, focuses on Einstein’s 1905 papers and their enduring impact. It begins with an exploration of Einstein’s epistemological approach and the development of special relativity, offering a centenary perspective. The geometry of relativistic spacetime is thoroughly explained, and single photon experiments are highlighted as a remarkable demonstration of Einstein’s light quanta hypothesis. Additionally, an unpublished lecture by Einstein from 1910 provides valuable insights into statistical physics at the onset of quantum mechanics. The volume concludes with an essay discussing the historical, physical, and mathematical dimensions of Brownian motion. This publication aims to benefit the community of physicists and mathematicians at both graduate and professional levels.

The bestselling French graphic novel about the mind-bending world of quantum physics Famous explorer Bob and his dog Rick have been around the world and even to the Moon, but their travels through the quantum universe show them the greatest wonders they've ever seen. As they follow their tour guide, the giddy letter h (also known as the Planck constant), Bob and Rick have crepes with Max Planck, talk to Einstein about atoms, visit Louis de Broglie in his castle, and hang out with Heisenberg on Heligoland. On the way, we find out that a dog - much like a cat - can be both dead and alive, the gaze of a mouse can change the universe, and a comic book can actually make quantum physics fun, easy to understand and downright enchanting.

This book is the sixth in a series of lectures from the Séminaire Poincaré, aimed at a broad audience of physicists and mathematicians. The seminar provides current insights into significant topics in physics, encompassing both theoretical and experimental perspectives, along with historical context. Modeled after the Bourbaki seminar in mathematics, the Poincaré Seminar occurs biannually at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris, featuring pre-prepared contributions. Emphasis is placed on the pedagogical quality of the presentations to ensure accessibility for a wide range of scientists. This volume, the ninth seminar held in 2006, focuses on Relativity and Experiment. It begins with a comprehensive introduction to general relativity by T. Damour and includes explorations of potential extensions by string theorist I. Antoniadis. The book compiles contemporary essays on experimental validations of general relativity, which is now robustly supported by experiments, including the precise timing of the double pulsar J0737-3039 discussed by M. Kramer, and satellite missions like Gravity Probe B described by J. Mester. Additionally, the ongoing search for gravitational waves is reviewed by J. Y. Vinet. The continued publication of this series aims to benefit the community of physicists and mathematicians at the professional and graduate student levels.