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<p>The aim of this paper is to study the historical roots of Lemaître’s famous Primeval Atom Hypothesis (PAH) which are in fact not at all unique. We show that the PAH was linked to his early interests in quantum themes and concepts (Heisenberg uncertainty relations, Eddington-Dirac spinors, etc.) which he studied around 1930, but also to his researches on singularities in General Relativity and above all to this passion for Cosmic Rays, which stimulated his thought in Physics (Celestial Mechanics, for example) but also in Mathematics (numerical analysis, computing science, etc.) The second aim of this paper is to understand the epistemological status of this hypothesis. This status as well as the meaning of the Primeval Atom was evolving during Lemaître’s life. The PAH was never precisely described mathematically in the field of <i>cosmology</i> but acted as a <i>cosmogonical</i> image, generating many fruitful intuitions and stimulating many technical researches.</p>

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The origin(s) and meaning(s) of the primeval atom hypothesis: quantum physics meets Lemaître’s cosmology

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月30日

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  • Dominique Lambert

摘要

The aim of this paper is to study the historical roots of Lemaître’s famous Primeval Atom Hypothesis (PAH) which are in fact not at all unique. We show that the PAH was linked to his early interests in quantum themes and concepts (Heisenberg uncertainty relations, Eddington-Dirac spinors, etc.) which he studied around 1930, but also to his researches on singularities in General Relativity and above all to this passion for Cosmic Rays, which stimulated his thought in Physics (Celestial Mechanics, for example) but also in Mathematics (numerical analysis, computing science, etc.) The second aim of this paper is to understand the epistemological status of this hypothesis. This status as well as the meaning of the Primeval Atom was evolving during Lemaître’s life. The PAH was never precisely described mathematically in the field of cosmology but acted as a cosmogonical image, generating many fruitful intuitions and stimulating many technical researches.