Über die Streuung von Strahlung durch freie Elektronen nach der neuen relativistischen Quantendynamik von Dirac" in Zeitschrift für Physik Vol. 52, 1929, pp. 853-868. With: Gamow, George. "Zur Quantentheorie des Atomkerns" in Zeitschrift für Physik, Vol. 51, 1928, pp. 204-212. von Laue, Max. "Notiz sur Quantentheorie des Atomkerns" in Zeitschrift für Physik Vol. 52, 1929, pp. 726-734 by Klein, O; Y. Nishina WITH Gamow, George WITH von Laue, Max

FIRST EDITION of the Klein-Nishina formula, one of the first results obtained from the study of quantum electrodynamics. Consideration of relativistic and quantum mechanical effects allowed development of an accurate equation for the scattering of radiation from a target electron. The Klein-Nishina formula gives the differential cross section of photons scattered from a single free electron in lowest order of quantum electrodynamics. Volume 51, included here, contains the first application of quantum mechanics to the inner workings of the atom, and as such, the first successful explanation of the behavior of radioactive elements using quantum theory. "In 1928, Gamow described the theory of the alpha decay of a nucleus via tunneling -- the first successful explanation of the behavior of radioactive elements using quantum theory. According to classical physics, it takes an enormous amount of energy to pull apart the nucleus of an atom, and particles are confined to the nucleus because of the high energy requirement to escape the very strong potential. In quantum mechanics, however, there is a finite probability that the particle can "tunnel" through the potential and escape (alpha decay), as Gamow demonstrated from first principles through a relationship between the half-life of the particle and the energy of the emission" (physicsoftheuniverse). "The powerful but short-range force that holds the nucleus together defines a potential barrier, a hill of energy that the alpha particle has to either get over or go through. The alpha is therefore like a marble in a dog dish. Classically, if the alpha does not have enough energy to roll out of the dish, it will stay there forever. From the viewpoint of wave mechanics, the reason that a marble cannot roll out of a dog bowl is just that its wave function does not have a tail that extends outside the bowl, and this is because the de Broglie wavelength of an ordinary marble is much smaller than the marble itself. Gamow showed (by means of skillful approximation) that the tail of the alpha's wave packet extends outside the nucleus, so that there is a probability for the alpha to tunnel through the barrier. He thus defined the phenomenon of barrier penetration, which was soon found to occur in many quantum mechanical contexts. It is another example of quantum mechanics allowing something to happen that would be impossible classically (Peacock, The Quantum Revolution, 108). Max von Laue's paper in the second volume (52) provides a few mathematical corrections to Gamow's calculations. CONDITION & DETAILS: Berlin: Julius Springer. 4to. (9 x 6.5 inches; 225 x 163mm). Two full volumes. Zeitschrift für Physik Volumes 51 and 52. Handsomely bound in black cloth over marbled paper boards; library labels removed with slight ghosting visible. Both tightly and solidly bound. Interior is pristine. Near fine.