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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 2: History of Theoretical Physics

GP 2.4: Talk

Monday, March 16, 2026, 17:45–18:15, KH 02.019

Foundations of quantum mechanics and the Milan School (1950s–1960s): conceptual issues and historical perspectives — •Luisa Lovisetti and Marco Giliberti — Department of Physics “Aldo Pontremoli”, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

The Department of Physics at the University of Milan developed an early and distinctive interest in the conceptual and formal development of quantum mechanics, reflected in both its teaching programme and research activities. As early as the A.Y. 1926–27, lectures on matrix and wave mechanics were delivered by A. Pontremoli, making Milan one of the first Italian universities to introduce quantum mechanics into its curriculum. From the late 1950s onward, at a time when the pragmatic “Shut up and calculate” attitude was becoming increasingly dominant, a group of Milan-based physicists engaged deeply with foundational issues, contributing to the international debate on the foundations of quantum theory. A central role in this effort was played by G.M. Prosperi and his 1962 paper Quantum Theory of Measurement and Ergodicity Conditions (co-authored with A. Daneri and A. Loinger), which addressed the measurement problem within the conceptual framework developed by P. Jordan and G. Ludwig. The paper sparked a wide debate among leading physicists and also attracted significant attention from historians and philosophers of quantum theory. Drawing on the 1962 paper and subsequent responses, this presentation aims to illustrate a fundamental step of the historical development of the Milan School’s foundational research and to explore its impact on the broader history of quantum mechanics.

Keywords: Foundations of quantum mechanics; Quantum measurement problem; History of quantum physics; G.M. Prosperi; Milan School of physics