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麦克斯韦

作者:佚名  人气: 2411 次  时间:2004年10月07日  星级:

麦克斯韦

麦克斯韦 麦克斯韦(1831-1879)是继法拉第之后,集电磁学大成的伟大科学家。他依据库仑、高斯、欧姆、安培、毕奥、萨伐尔、法拉第等前人的一系列发现和实验成果,建立了第一个完整的电磁理论体系,不仅科学地预言了电磁波的存在,而且揭示了光、电、磁现象的本质的统一性,完成了物理学的又一次大综合。这一理论自然科学的成果,奠定了现代的电力工业、电子工业和无线电工业的基础。
麦克斯韦1831年6月出生于英国爱丁堡,他的父亲原是律师,但他的主要兴趣是在制作各种机械和研究科学问题,他这种对科学的强烈爱好,对麦克斯韦一生有深刻的影响。麦克斯韦10岁进入爱丁堡中学, 14岁在中学时期就发表了第一篇科学论文《论卵形曲线的机械画法》,反映了他在几何和代数方面的丰富知识。16岁进入爱丁堡大学学习物理,三年后,他转学到剑桥大学三一学院。在剑桥学习时,打下了扎实的数学基础,为他尔后把数学分析和实验研究紧密结合创造了条件。他阅读了W.汤姆生的科学著作,他十分赞同法拉第提出的新观点,并且精心研究法拉第的《电学的实验研究》一书。他以法拉第的力线概念为指导,透过这些似乎杂乱无章的实验记录,看出了它们之间实际上贯穿着一些简单的规律。于是,他发表了第一篇电磁学论文《论法拉第的力线》。在这篇论文中,法拉第的力线概念获得了精确的数学表述,并且由此导出了库仑定律和高斯定律。这篇文章还只是限于把法拉第的思想翻译成数学语言,还没有引导到新的结果。1862年他发表了第二篇论文《论物理力线》,不但进一步发展了法拉第的思想,扩充到磁场变化产生电场,而且得到了新的结果:电场变化产生磁场,由此预言了电磁波的存在,并证明了这种波的速度等于光速,揭示了光的电磁本质。这篇文章包括了麦克斯韦研究电磁理论达到的主要结果。1864年他的第三篇论文《电磁场的动力学理论》,从几个基本实验事实出发,运用场论的观点,以演绎法建立了系统的电磁理论。1873年出版的《电学和磁学论》一书是集电磁学大成的划时代著作,全面地总结了19世纪中叶以前对电磁现象的研究成果,建立了完整的电磁理论体系。这是一部可以同牛顿的《自然哲学的数学原理》、达尔文的《物种起源》和赖尔的《地质学原理》相媲美的里程碑式的著作。
麦克斯韦在总结前人工作的基础上,引入位移电流的概念,建立了一组微分方程。这方程组确定电荷、电流(运动的电荷)、电场、磁场之间的普遍联系,是电磁学的基本方程,麦克斯韦方程组表明,空间某处只要有变化的磁场就能激发出涡旋电场,而变化的电场又能激发涡旋磁场。交变的电场和磁场互相激发就形成了连续不断的电磁振荡即电磁波。麦克斯韦方程还说明,电磁波的速度只随介质的电和磁的性质而变化,由此式可证明电微波在以太(即真空)中传播的速度,等于光在真空中传播的速度。这不是偶然的巧合,而是由于光和电磁波在本质上是相同的。光是一定波长的电磁波,这就是麦克斯韦创立的光的电磁学说。
麦克斯韦被大多数近代物理学家看作是19世纪的科学家,但他对20世纪的物理学影响很大,他与牛顿和爱因斯坦齐名。1931年爱因斯坦在麦克斯韦生辰百年纪念会上曾指出:麦克斯韦的工作“是牛顿以来,物理学最深刻和最富有成果的工作”,从而使物理现实的概念得到了改变。麦克斯韦提出的电磁辐射的概念和他的场方程组,是根据法拉第的电力线和磁力线的实验观察提出来的,从而引出了爱因斯坦的狭义相对论,并建立了质量和能量的等效性原理。使麦克斯韦成为历史上最伟大的科学家之一的工作是他关于电磁学的研究,麦克斯韦说,他最重要的工作是把法拉第的物理观点用数学表达出来。麦克斯韦曾表示电磁波是能在实验室内产生的,这种可能性首先由赫兹在1887年实现了,这时麦克斯韦以去世8年。所以,具有广泛应用价值的无线电工业实际上来源于麦克斯韦的著述。在电磁理论以外,麦克斯韦在物理学其他领域中也有重大贡献。20多岁时麦克斯韦曾写过一篇有关土星的论文证实土星外围的那些换都是由一块块不相粘附的物质组成的,100多年以后当一架“航行者”太空推测器到达土星周围时,证实了这一理论。1871年麦克斯韦被推选为卡文迪什讲座教授。他设计了卡文迪什实验室,而且亲自监督施工。
麦克斯韦的主要科学贡献在电磁学方面,同时在天体物理学、气体分子运动论、热力学、统计物理学等方面,都作出了卓越的成绩。正如量子论的创立者普朗克(Max Plank l858—1947)指出的:“麦克斯韦的光辉名字将永远镌刻在经典物理学家的门扉上,永放光芒。从生地来说,他属于爱丁堡;从个性来说,他属于剑桥大学;从功绩来说,他属于全世界”。

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