What Really Happened Between Bohr and Heisenberg in 1941? – with Jim Al-Khalili & Rob Sunderland
Unbaffled with Jim Al-Khalili
90,121 views
What was it actually like to be at the centre of the quantum revolution? On a recent trip to Copenhagen, Jim stopped by one of the most important places in the history of modern physics – the Niels Bohr Institute. Founded by Niels Bohr, the institute became a meeting place for some of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, including Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli and Erwin Schrödinger.
Jim Al-Khalili is joined by Rob Sunderland from the Niels Bohr Archive to explore the fascinating history of the institute, what life was like among the physicists who developed quantum mechanics and why the collaborative atmosphere became known as the ‘Copenhagen Spirit’. The story eventually takes us to one of the most intriguing episodes in the history of physics – the wartime meeting between Bohr and Heisenberg in 1941, when their friendship and scientific collaboration collided with the development of the atomic bomb.
What did Heisenberg actually say to Bohr? What did Bohr think he had said? How much of the often-cited story comes from later attempts to remember – or rewrite – what happened? Jim and Rob dig into the surviving letters, the myths and the historical archive of this extraordinary place.
Chapters
0:00 How the Niels Bohr Institute began
3:30 Did Bohr really have Carlsberg beer on tap?
5:02 The Copenhagen Spirit
6:37 Bring your tiny cannon to lectures
7:25 Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle
10:25 Bohr, Heisenberg and the atomic bomb
12:55 Bohr's letters
15:54 Did Bohr and Heisenberg ever reconcile?
Patreon Membership
Becoming a Member on Patreon helps support the channel and fund our videos. Join us for early access to videos, bonus content and our infinite thanks: Patreon: Unbaffled
Infinite thanks to our Patreon Unbafflers
John F Taylor
Maria Sputnik
Thanks to
• Rob Sunderland – Head Archivist, Niels Bohr Archive
• Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Images
• Niels Bohr Archive, University of Copenhagen
Follow us on social media
Facebook: UnbaffledScience
Instagram: unbaffledscience
TikTok: unbaffledscience
https://bsky.app/profile/jimalkhalili...
About Unbaffled
Some ideas are hard to wrap your head around, but science doesn't have to be baffling. Unbaffled helps curious people, like you, develop an intuitive understanding of the science that shapes our world. Presented by Professor Jim Al-Khalili, we’re bringing you clear explanations of topics across science, technology and maths that will leave you informed and amazed.
Monthly videos. Subscribe to be unbaffled.
#Unbaffled #JimAlKhalili #science #quantummechanics #physics #NielsBohr #Heisenberg #historyofscience
20 Comments
Knowing what Bohr had accomplished in the early 20th century and the history of the institute, it was awesome wandering the corridors and entering rooms with blackboards that had been filled with chalk formulas by a dozen of the real giants of science 80 years earlier.
Thanks for the effort and keep up the good work.
I have seen the Freyn Play at its Debut in - Copenhagen and the later Film, using his Carlsberg Home for years as a set. We also still have the "nuclear waste" present from his Test Reactor Facility at Risø, by Roskilde Fjord (Also the finding place for our famous Viking Ships in Roskilde!).
And we have problems finding a "safe deposit" for it. The "Eternal problem" of Nuclear Power!
What Really Happened Between Bohr and Heisenberg in 1941? – with Jim Al-Khalili & Rob Sunderland
Unbaffled with Jim Al-Khalili
90,121 views
What was it actually like to be at the centre of the quantum revolution? On a recent trip to Copenhagen, Jim stopped by one of the most important places in the history of modern physics – the Niels Bohr Institute. Founded by Niels Bohr, the institute became a meeting place for some of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, including Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli and Erwin Schrödinger.
Jim Al-Khalili is joined by Rob Sunderland from the Niels Bohr Archive to explore the fascinating history of the institute, what life was like among the physicists who developed quantum mechanics and why the collaborative atmosphere became known as the ‘Copenhagen Spirit’. The story eventually takes us to one of the most intriguing episodes in the history of physics – the wartime meeting between Bohr and Heisenberg in 1941, when their friendship and scientific collaboration collided with the development of the atomic bomb.
What did Heisenberg actually say to Bohr? What did Bohr think he had said? How much of the often-cited story comes from later attempts to remember – or rewrite – what happened? Jim and Rob dig into the surviving letters, the myths and the historical archive of this extraordinary place.
Chapters
0:00 How the Niels Bohr Institute began
3:30 Did Bohr really have Carlsberg beer on tap?
5:02 The Copenhagen Spirit
6:37 Bring your tiny cannon to lectures
7:25 Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle
10:25 Bohr, Heisenberg and the atomic bomb
12:55 Bohr's letters
15:54 Did Bohr and Heisenberg ever reconcile?
Patreon Membership
Becoming a Member on Patreon helps support the channel and fund our videos. Join us for early access to videos, bonus content and our infinite thanks: Patreon: Unbaffled
Infinite thanks to our Patreon Unbafflers
John F Taylor
Maria Sputnik
Thanks to
• Rob Sunderland – Head Archivist, Niels Bohr Archive
• Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Images
• Niels Bohr Archive, University of Copenhagen
Follow us on social media
Facebook: UnbaffledScience
Instagram: unbaffledscience
TikTok: unbaffledscience
https://bsky.app/profile/jimalkhalili...
About Unbaffled
Some ideas are hard to wrap your head around, but science doesn't have to be baffling. Unbaffled helps curious people, like you, develop an intuitive understanding of the science that shapes our world. Presented by Professor Jim Al-Khalili, we’re bringing you clear explanations of topics across science, technology and maths that will leave you informed and amazed.
Monthly videos. Subscribe to be unbaffled.
#Unbaffled #JimAlKhalili #science #quantummechanics #physics #NielsBohr #Heisenberg #historyofscience