Nina Byers

Nina Byers (January 19, 1930 – June 5, 2014) was an American theoretical physicist and professor of physics and astronomy, known for the Byers–Yang theorem. In 1982 she was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Quotes

Emmy Noether proved two deep theorems, and their converses, on the connection between symmetries and conservation laws. Because these theorems are not in the mainstream of her scholarly work, which was the development of modern abstract algebra, it is of some historical interest to examine how she came to make these discoveries. The present paper is an historical account of the circumstances in which she discovered and proved these theorems which physicists refer to collectively as Noether's Theorem. The work was done soon after Hilbert's discovery of the variational principle which gives the field equations of general relativity. The failure of local energy conservation in the general theory was a problem that concerned people at that time, among them David Hilbert, Felix Klein, and Albert Einstein. Noether's theorems solved this problem. With her characteristically deep insight and thorough analysis, in solving that problem she discovered very general theorems that have profoundly influenced modern physics.
- (1998) . "E. Noether's Discovery of the Deep Connection Between Symmetries and Conservation Laws". arXiv:physics/9807044v2 [physics.hist-ph]. DOI:10.48550/arXiv.physics/9807044.

In 1943 fear that the German war machine might use atomic bombs was abating and among physicists another fear was taking its place - that of a postwar nuclear arms race with worldwide proliferation of nuclear weapons. Manhattan Project scientists and engineers began to discuss uses of nuclear energy in the postwar world. Niels Bohr, Leo Szilard, James A. Franck and others launched a concerted effort to lay groundwork for international control of the technology. Realizing the devastation nuclear weapons could cause and that they could be made and delivered much more cheaply than conventional weapons of the same power, they tried to persuade policy makers to take into account long range consequences of using atomic bombs and not base their decisions on short range military expediency alone. They met with little success. The scientists' main message, unheeded then and very relevant now, is that worldwide international agreements are needed to provide for inspection and control of nuclear weapons technology. Their memoranda and reports remain as historic documents eloquently testifying to their concern.
- (2002) . "Physicists and the 1945 Decision to Drop the Bomb". arXiv:physics/0210058v1 [physics.hist-ph]. DOI:10.48550/arXiv.physics/0210058.

Enrico Fermi lived from 1901 to 1954, a period of great progress in physics and a period in which opportunities for women to study and work in institutions of higher learning increased significantly in Europe and North America. Though there are a few examples of women who made important contributions to physics in the 18th century such as Emilie du Chatelet and Laura Bassi, it was only in Fermi's time that the number began to increase significantly. It is remarkable that almost immediately after they gained entrance to laboratories and universities, among them appeared women of great creative ability who made lasting contributions to physics. This talk is mainly about some of these whose scientific lives are not as well known as their contributions deserve — Emmy Noether, Marietta Blau, Irene Joliot-Curie, Lise Meitner. Additionally, some outstanding women whose work played a role in Enrico Fermi's life in physics are noted - Ida Tacke Noddack, Tatiana Ehrenfest-Afanaseva, Leona Woods Marshall Libby, and Maria Goeppert Mayer.
- (February 2003) "Women in Physics in Fermi's Time". arXiv:physics/0302035v2 [physics.hist-ph]. (Invited talk presented at Celebration of the Centennial of the Birth of Enrico Fermi, The Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome 2001 (to be published in the Proceedings); 16 pages with 10 photos)

Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard worked together at Columbia in 1939-40, just after nuclear fission was discovered, to ascertain the feasibility of a nuclear chain reaction, and then on the construction of the first nuclear reactor. Szilard believed a nuclear bomb could be built, and that the Germans may be doing so, but Fermi was sceptical. The Anglo-American project to build a bomb began late in 1941 after Oliphant brought the Frisch-Peierls memorandum to the attention of U. S. physicists. Szilard recalled "On matters scientific or technical there was rarely any disagreement [but] Fermi and I disagreed from the very start of our collaboration about every issue that involved not science but principles of action in the face of the approaching war. If the nation owes us gratitude — and it may not — it does so for having stuck it out together as long as was necessary." As the war with Germany was drawing to a close and the successful construction of the atomic bombs was well underway, these two men took opposing positions regarding use of the bombs.
- (June 2003) "Fermi and Szilard". arXiv:physics/0207094v3 [physics.hist-ph]. DOI:10.48550/arXiv.physics/0207094.

Although she was primarily a particle theorist, her most important work may well be her contribution to our understanding of superconductivity. She was a trailblazer for women in physics and, in her retirement, led the effort to chronicle the contributions of women to physics in the 20th century.
- Lindley Winslow, Roberto Peccei, and Steven Moszkowski, (January 2015) "Obituary. Nina Byers". Physics Today. DOI:10.1063/PT.3.2663.