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Niels Bohr

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Niels Bohr was a Danish physicist who introduced the Bohr model of the atom in 1913 and became the leading architect of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory, which holds that a quantum system's properties are genuinely indeterminate until measured and that the wavefunction's apparent collapse upon measurement is the correct physical account, not merely a description of observer ignorance. He won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics and led the influential Institute for Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen that gave the interpretation its name.

Facts
Birth Year
1885 1
Death Year
1962 1
Field
Physics 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Quantum Theory, Theories

Why this is disputed. Bohr's Copenhagen interpretation, developed from the 1920s at his Copenhagen institute, holds that a quantum system's properties are indeterminate until measured and that wavefunction's collapse on measurement is the correct physical account; it remains the interpretation most often taught as standard.

Sources
1. Niels Bohr (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
Niels Henrik David Bohr (; Danish: [ˈne̝ls ˈpoɐ̯ˀ]; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.
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1. Niels Bohr (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Quantum TheoryView the Source
International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry, 1927 Solvay Conference
Quote, Associated With: International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry, 1927 Solvay Conference
with Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr as leading figures
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Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
Associated With: Quantum Theory

Everett's 1957 relative state formulation, the many-worlds interpretation, holds that the wavefunction never collapses at all: every possible measurement outcome occurs, each in its own branching universe, which removes the special, observer-dependent role measurement plays in the Copenhagen interpretation this edge carries. Carried here as a live, unresolved foundational disagreement rather than a settled historical dispute: working physicists remain divided between Copenhagen, many-worlds and other interpretations today, and this atlas asserts no resolution.

A dissenting reading, from Hugh Everett IIIHugh Everett III (Wikipedia), Wikipedia
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