Serendipitous Discovery in Physics: Was it merely a fluke?

Описание: Introduction

In modern physics, there have been a few serendipitous experimental findings that revolutionized the way we view nature. We will first discuss Thomas Kuhn’s theory of explaining the development of science as alternating periods of Revolutionary and Normal Science. Then, we will switch gears into specific examples of recent accidental findings and discuss the background of these realizations. Finally, we will conclude by discussing an alternative way to view scientific development.

Speaker
Kyeong-Yoon (Yoony) Baek completed his Bachelor of Science in Physics and Philosophy at Seoul National University, South Korea. He is in his first year of PhD in the Department of Physics at Harvard University under the supervision of Prof. Julia Mundy. His research in the Mundy group focuses on synthesizing oxide materials in the form of thin films through molecular beam epitaxy. He is particularly interested in making magnetic quantum materials. When he is not synthesizing materials in the lab, he enjoys listening to classical music and playing the piano.


Glossary of Important Terms
Paradigm: Universally recognized scientific achievements that, for a time, provide model problems and solutions to a community of practitioners.
Normal Science : Day-to-day research that scientists conduct in order to fill in the gaps in scientific knowledge that are found within the dominant paradigm.
Superconductivity : Physical property observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux is expelled from the material.
Cuprate : Layered materials, consisting of superconducting planes of copper oxide, separated by layers containing ions such as lanthanum, barium, strontium, etc.
Hall Effect : Production of a potential difference across a conductor that is transverse to an electric current and to an applied magnetic field perpendicular to the current.
Pluralism : Condition or system where two or more paradigms coexist.


Resources to learn more
Hasok Chang, Inventing Temperature : Measurement and Scientific Progress, Oxford University Press, 2004

Interview article of Thomas Kuhn by Scientific American, What Thomas Kuhn Really Thought About Scientific “Truth”:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...


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