Gaudenzi R. Historical Roots of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking: Steps Towards an Analogy

Springer, 2022. — 131 p. — (SpringerBriefs in History of Science and Technology)What are the thinking processes and knowledge resources involved in a complex discovery? How can the physics of solids, the physics of nuclei, and elementary particle physics cross-fertilise in spite of the widely differing domains and energy scales they deal with? This book addresses the questions by reconstructing and examining from the historical epistemological perspective the fascinating heuristic path to the concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking. This analysis especially brings to light the role that analogical reasoning and mathematical reformulations played in the discovery process, as well as the influence of the Japanese milieu and approach to physical problems.Introduction and a Few Words on the Methodology.
Traits of an Emerging Tradition: Modern Physics in Japan.
Yoichiro Nambu and the Collective Description of Many-particle Systems.
Elementary Particles as Excitations of a Solid Medium. Is the Universe a Superconductor?
Historical and Epistemological Reflections.