Hendrik Casimir (1909-2000) - photo 1

Hendrik Casimir (1909-2000)

Lot 57
09.12.2020 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 2 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 470273
Lot 57 | Hendrik Casimir (1909-2000)
Estimate value
£ 2 000 – 3 000
Hendrik Casimir (1909-2000)

To Samuel A. Goudsmit. 27 September [19]30

CASIMIR, Hendrick (1909-2000). Autograph letter signed (‘Henk Casimir’) to [Samuel A. Goudsmit] (‘Beste Sam’), n.p. [Copenhagen], 27 September [19]30.



In Dutch and English. 7½ pages, 278 x 208mm, pages numbered in autograph at top right (staple hole at top left of each leaf, 1cm tear at the top right of the final leaf). Provenance: Plotnick Library, Christie's New York, 4 October 2002, lot 50 (part).



A long scientific letter from the Dutch theoretical physicist Hendrik Casimir on spectroscopy, electron spin and matrices, making reference to his work on the Dirac equation and to his life in Copenhagen working alongside Niels Bohr, George Gamow, Lev Landau, and Leon Rosenfeld. '... it has become clear to me, especially because of some remarks from [Lev Davidovich] Landau, that application of Dirac's or Pauli's theory to a light-emitting electron (although giving the right order of magnitude for the doublet splitting) just isn't very useful. It seems preferable to treat the problem by introducing a current for both orbit and spin. Thus both spin and orbit each give rise to a magnetic field. When writing down the equations one has to take into account that J is a diagonal matrix. But for coupling between s and l no assumption is made. This converges also for s states and then gives the well-known result. One can be sure that one simply has to get the same result as with the Dirac theory, if one neglects relativity effects...'. Casimir goes on to offer an entertaining account of an automobile trip in the eastern United States, as well as news about his fellow members at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen: 'Here we have Gamov[sic], Rosenfelt and Landau. Landau, a young Russian, is astoundingly smart. Grossly unmannered but not un-entertaining. Also Bohr likes him very much [...] Of course we have again some pain-in-the-neck assignments. A Faraday lecture which has to be written is the most urgent. Tomorrow [Niels] Bohr and I will escape and see if we can get it done'.

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2020 – 09.12.2020
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>