Scientists / Open questions

Max Born

Quantum mechanics; lattice dynamics

1954 Nobel Prize in Physics

20 questions

Completing and deciding Born's 1949 reciprocity theory of elementary particles: the principle selecting the self-reciprocal F-functions, interactions, and the physical validity of $x\leftrightarrow p$ symmetry
Determining crystal force constants from measured X-ray thermal diffuse scattering: inversion limits, Raman-proper contributions, and practical obstacles (Born's 1942 program)
Cluster-expansion description of condensation for continuum fluids: does the Mayer/virial singularity coincide with gas-liquid coexistence, and can the cluster formalism reach the condensed phase?
Pure magnetic-dipole singularities in Born's unitary theory of field and matter: existence, principled generalization, or no-go
The spinning-electron solution in Born's nonlinear electrodynamics and the concurrent determination of the absolute field constant b
Higher-order near-equilibrium fluctuations and dynamical equilibria with several absolute constants of the motion in the Born–Green kinetic theory of thermodynamics
Determining the cutoff parameter $b$ and detecting the predicted deviations from quantum electrodynamics in the Born–Cheng–Green reciprocity theory of electrodynamics
What determines the distribution of apeirons in Born-Peng's quantum mechanics of fields (1944-1946)?
Deriving the fine-structure constant (Born's 'mysterious number 137'): the open core of the 1935 unitary field-theory program
The electromagnetic mass of the electron in Born–Infeld nonlinear electrodynamics: the absolute-field constant, the point-charge dynamics, and the quantum many-particle theory
Controlled closure of the Yvon-Born-Green hierarchy for dense liquids with realistic pair potentials (surviving core of the Born-Green 1946 kinetic-theory program)
Born's 1936 unitary field theory of matter: selecting the nonlinear electromagnetic Lagrangian and representing elementary particles with spin and intrinsic moments
Completing Born's finite-precision predictability limit for classical mechanics: arbitrary conjugate-spread products
Completing Born and Peng's statistical mechanics of fields ('apeiron' theory): deriving the number of apeirons, particle masses and collision cross-sections, and universal divergence regularization
Completing Born's reciprocity theory of elementary particles: deriving the fine-structure constant, the coupling constants, and the mass spectrum
A complete, consistent relativistic quantum theory founded on Born's principle of reciprocity
Completing Born and Infeld's 1934 nonlinear field theory: deciding the action by its consequences, extending it to gravitation, and integrating it with quantum theory
Born's 1958 conjecture on the loss of predictability in nonlinearly coupled classical fields: smearing of angle variables and sharpening of action variables
Mass and charge eigenvalues in the canonical quantization of the Born–Infeld new field theory
Born's three-dimensional lattice-stability problem: classifying when long-wave (elastic) stability implies all-wave (dynamical) stability, the necessity of his sign conditions, and stability at finite temperature

Back to open problems

Completing and deciding Born's 1949 reciprocity theory of elementary particles: the principle selecting the self-reciprocal F-functions, interactions, and the physical validity of x↔px\leftrightarrow px↔p symmetry

Determining crystal force constants from measured X-ray thermal diffuse scattering: inversion limits, Raman-proper contributions, and practical obstacles (Born's 1942 program)

Cluster-expansion description of condensation for continuum fluids: does the Mayer/virial singularity coincide with gas-liquid coexistence, and can the cluster formalism reach the condensed phase?

Pure magnetic-dipole singularities in Born's unitary theory of field and matter: existence, principled generalization, or no-go

The spinning-electron solution in Born's nonlinear electrodynamics and the concurrent determination of the absolute field constant b

Higher-order near-equilibrium fluctuations and dynamical equilibria with several absolute constants of the motion in the Born–Green kinetic theory of thermodynamics

Determining the cutoff parameter bbb and detecting the predicted deviations from quantum electrodynamics in the Born–Cheng–Green reciprocity theory of electrodynamics

What determines the distribution of apeirons in Born-Peng's quantum mechanics of fields (1944-1946)?

Deriving the fine-structure constant (Born's 'mysterious number 137'): the open core of the 1935 unitary field-theory program

The electromagnetic mass of the electron in Born–Infeld nonlinear electrodynamics: the absolute-field constant, the point-charge dynamics, and the quantum many-particle theory

Controlled closure of the Yvon-Born-Green hierarchy for dense liquids with realistic pair potentials (surviving core of the Born-Green 1946 kinetic-theory program)

Born's 1936 unitary field theory of matter: selecting the nonlinear electromagnetic Lagrangian and representing elementary particles with spin and intrinsic moments

Completing Born's finite-precision predictability limit for classical mechanics: arbitrary conjugate-spread products

Completing Born and Peng's statistical mechanics of fields ('apeiron' theory): deriving the number of apeirons, particle masses and collision cross-sections, and universal divergence regularization

Completing Born's reciprocity theory of elementary particles: deriving the fine-structure constant, the coupling constants, and the mass spectrum

A complete, consistent relativistic quantum theory founded on Born's principle of reciprocity

Completing Born and Infeld's 1934 nonlinear field theory: deciding the action by its consequences, extending it to gravitation, and integrating it with quantum theory

Born's 1958 conjecture on the loss of predictability in nonlinearly coupled classical fields: smearing of angle variables and sharpening of action variables

Mass and charge eigenvalues in the canonical quantization of the Born–Infeld new field theory

Born's three-dimensional lattice-stability problem: classifying when long-wave (elastic) stability implies all-wave (dynamical) stability, the necessity of his sign conditions, and stability at finite temperature

Completing and deciding Born's 1949 reciprocity theory of elementary particles: the principle selecting the self-reciprocal F-functions, interactions, and the physical validity of $x\leftrightarrow p$ symmetry

Determining the cutoff parameter $b$ and detecting the predicted deviations from quantum electrodynamics in the Born–Cheng–Green reciprocity theory of electrodynamics