History and Current Status of Atomic Theory - Development of Understanding of the Microstructure of Matter

Author: Guan Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book traces the history of atomism from ancient Greece, emphasizing its distinctions from other theories of material structure, and points out that the proposition of "infinite divisibility of matter" is neither in line with dialectics nor supported by any physical laws. The main part of the book narrates the revival of atomism, the development of kinetic theory of gases and statistical physics, the establishment of the atomic concept in physics, and then the discovery of atomic nuclei and elementary particles, as well as the new developments from quantum theory to quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, gauge theory, and all the way to M-theory. The central argument of the book is that human understanding of material structure has shifted from constitutionism to generationism, moving from the idea that matter is composed of pre-existing components to the concept that every physical process involves the disappearance of old particles and the generation of new ones. Additionally, not only are elementary particles in a constant state of generation and annihilation, but the entire universe, including particles, atoms, molecules, elements, and all macroscopic objects, is also continuously created from nothing. Even space and time have their own processes of coming into being from nothing.