Book Description

In this fascinating personal account, a senior member of the French scientific community reflects on physics and nuclear research as practiced in the 20th century. A long-standing member of the French Academy of Science and past president of the French Physical Society, Abragam is known for his pioneering work in nuclear physics. In addition to summing up in nontechnical language the discoveries he has made in this area, Abragam. reflects on decades of involved research, providing insights into the nature of the physical world and the process of scientific discovery. He concludes his personal reflections with a remembrance of three great physicists--J.H. Van Vleck, Claude Bloch and Felix Bloch--who shaped and encouraged his scientific work. A moving, thoughtful consideration of a lifetime of distinguished scientific achievement, Reflections of Physicist provides stimulating reading for anyone interested in modern science.