One Hundred Years of Gauge Theory

This book presents a multidisciplinary guide to gauge theory and gravity, with chapters by the world’s leading theoretical physicists, mathematicians, historians and philosophers of science. The contributions from theoretical physics explore e.g. the consistency of the unification of gravitation and quantum theory, the underpinnings of experimental tests of gauge theory and its role in shedding light on the relationship between mathematics and physics. In turn, historians and philosophers of science assess the impact of Weyl’s view on the philosophy of science.   Graduate students, lecturers and researchers in the fields of history of science, theoretical physics and philosophy of science will benefit from this book by learning about the role played by Weyl’s Raum-Zeit-Materie in shaping several modern research fields, and by gaining insights into the future prospects of gauge theory in both theoretical and experimental physics. Furthermore, the book facilitates interdisciplinary exchange and conceptual innovation in tackling fundamental questions about our deepest theories of physics. Chapter “Weyl’s Raum-Zeit-Materie and the Philosophy of Science” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com  

Silvia De Bianchi is Ramón y Cajal Fellow at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain. Her research interests cover epistemological questions emerging in Hermann Weyl's scientific and philosophical works. She is interested in developing methodologies that integrate the history and philosophy of science and in exploring how models work in scientific practice. Currently, she is leading the ERC StG project PROTEUS "Paradoxes and Metaphors of Time in Early Universe(s)".Claus Kiefer is Professor of theoretical physics at the University of Cologne. He does research on quantum gravity and the foundations of quantum theory as well as black holes and more general cosmological questions. In 2009, his essay, "Does Time Exist in Quantum Gravity?", was awarded second prize by the Foundational Questions Institute, New York. In 2012, his essay, "Can Effects of Quantum Gravity Be Observed in the Cosmic Microwave Background?" (written together with Manuel Krämer), was awarded first prize by the Gravity Research Foundation, Wellesley Hills, USA.