David Layzer

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Raymond Layzer (born December 31, 1925 in Cleveland , Ohio - † August 16, 2019 in Belmont , Massachusetts ) was an American astrophysicist and cosmologist .

Layzer studied at Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in 1947 and a doctorate in 1950 in theoretical astrophysics. 1951/52 he was a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley , 1952/53 at Princeton University and from 1953 back at Harvard, where he became a lecturer in 1955 and professor of astronomy in 1960. From 1980 he was Donald H. Menzel Professor of Astrophysics.

According to Layzer, the arrow of time is associated with the development from special initial conditions in the universe and the subsequent increase in entropy as part of the expansion of the universe, with the expansion taking place faster than the process rates necessary for establishing a thermodynamic equilibrium of maximum entropy, so that the entropy of the universe is behind the maximum possible entropy constantly remained behind. This created space for the development of order in the universe (understood as negative entropy or information that was barely available in the initial state according to Layzer) and thus solves a fundamental paradox, since order is actually based on the second law in closed systems such as the universe should decrease.

Regarding the cause of free will, Layzer took the view that it is independent of the quantum mechanical uncertainty in the microscopic range. According to Layzer, independent of quantum mechanics, there are sources of unpredictability in the macroscopic area that have to do with the boundary and initial conditions of processes. According to Layzer, the same applies to the predictability of evolutionary development. In this sense, Layzer’s biology cannot be reduced to physics.

In addition to theoretical astrophysics and cosmology, he also dealt with atomic physics and ionospheric physics, population genetics and evolution, the measurement problem and the problem of free will in the context of quantum mechanics.

He was married from 1959 and had six children.

Layzer was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1963 .

Fonts (selection)

  • Cosmic Evolution and Thermodynamic Irreversibility, Pure and Applied Chemistry, Volume 22, 1970, pp. 457-468.
  • The arrow of time, Scientific American, December 1975
  • A Macroscopic Approach to Population Genetics, Journal of Theoretical Biology, Volume 73, 1978, pp. 769-788.
  • Genetic Variation and Progressive Evolution, American Naturalist, Volume 115, 1980, pp. 809-826.
  • Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and the Strong Cosmological Principle, in: Abner Shimony, Herman Feshbach (Eds.), Physics as Natural Philosophy, MIT Press 1982, pp. 240-262
  • Growth of Order in the Universe, in: BH Weber, DJ Depew, JD Smith (Eds.), Entropy, Information, and Evolution: New Perspectives on Physical and Biological Evolution, MIT Press 1988, pp. 23-40
  • Cosmogenesis. The growth of order in the universe, Oxford UP 1990
    • German translation by Anita Ehlers: The order in the universe. From the Big Bang to Human Consciousness, Insel 1995

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Birth and career data according to American Men and Women of Science , Thomson Gale 2004
  2. ↑ Obituary accessed on September 11, 2019
personal data
SURNAME Layzer, David
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Layzer, David Raymond; Layzer, David R.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cosmologist and astrophysicist
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Ohio
DATE OF DEATH 16th August 2019
Place of death Belmont , Massachusetts