Women in the History of Quantum Physics
Beyond Knabenphysik

This engaging book recovers the stories of sixteen women who made significant contributions to the development of quantum physics.

Patrick Charbonneau (Edited by), Michelle Frank (Edited by), Margriet van der Heijden (Edited by), Daniela Monaldi (Edited by)

9781009535830, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 June 2025

486 pages
17.8 x 25 x 3.1 cm, 1.01 kg

'This volume firmly establishes that women have for a long time made substantial contributions to quantum physics … Something this book does especially well is combine the sometimes conflicting aims of history of science and biography. We learn not only about the trajectories of these women's careers, but also about the scientific developments they were a part of ... the book treats each of these women as not only whole human beings, but also integral players in a complex history of one of the most successful and debated physical theories in history … Placing these stories side by side yields something greater than the sum of its parts. It challenges the idea that physics is the work of lone geniuses by revealing the collective infrastructures of knowledge-making, much of which has historically relied not only on women's labour - and did they labour - but on their intellectual rigour and originality.' Jennifer Carter, Physics World

Capturing the stories of sixteen women who made significant contributions to the development of quantum physics, this anthology highlights how, from the very beginning, women played a notable role in shaping one of the most fascinating and profound scientific fields of our time. Rigorously researched and written by historians, scientists, and philosophers of science, the findings in this interdisciplinary book transform traditional physics historiography. Entirely new sources are included alongside established sources that are examined from a fresh perspective. These concise biographies serve as a valuable counterweight to the prevailing narrative of male genius, and demonstrate that in the history of quantum physics, women of all backgrounds have been essential contributors all along. Accessible and engaging, this book is relevant for a wide audience including historians, scientists and science educators, gender theorists and sociologists.

Introduction Patrick Charbonneau, Michelle Frank, Margriet van der Heijden and Daniela Monaldi
1. The spectrum of He+ as a proving ground for Bohr's Model of the atom: a legacy of Williamina Fleming's astrophysical discovery Maria McEachern and Bretislav Friedrich
2. H. Johanna van Leeuwen: the other scientist behind the Bohr–Van Leeuwen theorem Miriam Blaauboer and Margriet van der Heijden
3. Hertha Sponer, Maven of quantum spectroscopy Elise Crull
4. Angular and career momentum: what Lucy Mensing contributed to physics and why she left the field Gernot Münster and Michel Janssen
5. Discouraging Jane: Dewey among the lucky generation of US physicists Adriana Minor
6. Laura Chalk and the stark effect Daniela Monaldi
7. Elizabeth Monroe Boggs: from quantum chemistry to the Manhattan project Patrick Charbonneau
8. Excelsior! John Wheeler, Katharine Way, and the role of women in the exploration of the microcosm Stefano Furlan
9. Sonja Ashauer from São Paulo to Cambridge: a journey to quantum electrodynamics Barbra Miguele and Ivã Gurgel
10. Untangling entanglement history: early quantum contributions of Chien-Shiung Wu Michelle Frank
11. From quantum physics to ethics: Grete Hermann on Heisenberg's Cut Andrea Reichenberger
12. Women take the lead: a physics laboratory under the dictatorship in Portugal, 1940s–1960s Ana Simões and Maria Paula Diogo
13. Carolyn Parker's electronic frequencies Charnell Chasten Long
14. The Chew–Low–Salzman method and Freda Friedman Salzman: a physicist between nuclear and social interactions Jens Salomon
15. Out of the ivory tower: Maria Lluïsa Canut and X-ray crystallography Marta Jordi Taltavull
16. Ana María Cetto Kramis: light in quantum mechanics and open science Mar Rivera Colomer
Index.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX]