Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac (1902 - 1984) was a British theoretical physicist widely regarded as one of the principal founders of quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. His 1928 relativistic wave equation for the electron unified quantum theory with special relativity and led him to predict the existence of antimatter. [1] He shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrodinger for the discovery of new and productive forms of atomic theory. [2]
Early life and education
Dirac was born on 8 August 1902 in Bristol, England, to a Swiss-born father and an English mother. He attended Cotham School and studied electrical engineering at the University of Bristol, afterwards taking a further degree in mathematics there. [3] In 1923 he moved to the University of Cambridge, where he completed his doctorate in 1926 under the supervision of Ralph Fowler.
Career
At Cambridge, Dirac made rapid contributions to the emerging quantum theory, developing a general mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics. In 1930 he published The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, an influential textbook that remained a standard reference for generations of physicists. In 1932 he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a chair once held by Isaac Newton, a position he retained until 1969. [3]
The Dirac equation and antimatter
In 1928 Dirac formulated a relativistic wave equation for the electron, now known as the Dirac equation, which naturally accounted for the particle's intrinsic spin. Its solutions implied the existence of a counterpart with the same mass as the electron but opposite charge; this antiparticle, the positron, was detected experimentally in 1932, confirming his prediction of antimatter. [1] His work helped lay the foundations of quantum field theory, and his name endures in Fermi-Dirac statistics and the Dirac delta function.
Later years and legacy
Dirac received many honours, including the Royal Society's Copley Medal in 1952 and the Order of Merit in 1973. In 1971 he moved to the United States, joining Florida State University, where he continued to work until his death in Tallahassee, Florida, on 20 October 1984. [2] He is commemorated by a plaque in Westminster Abbey, and the annual Dirac Medal is awarded in his honour. He is remembered as one of the most influential physicists of the twentieth century.
