Einstein, 1905-2005: Poincare seminar 2005

Thibault Damour, Olivier Darrigol, Vincent Rivasseau3764374357, 9783764374358, 9783764374365

The Poincar? Seminar is held twice a year at the Institute Henri Poincar? in Paris. The goal of this seminar is to provide up-to-date information about general topics of great interest in physics. Both the theoretical and experimental results are covered, with some historical background. Particular care is devoted to the pedagogical nature of the presentation. This volume is devoted to Einstein’s 1905 papers and their legacy. After a presentation of Einstein’s epistemological approach to physics, and the genesis  of special relativity, a centenary perspective is offered. The geometry of relativistic spacetime is explained in detail. Single photon experiments are presented, as  a spectacular realization of Einstein’s light quanta hypothesis. A previously unpublished lecture by Einstein, which presents an illuminating point of view on statistical physics in 1910, at the dawn of quantum mechanics, is reproduced. The volume ends with an essay on the historical, physical and mathematical aspects of Brownian motion.