1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 213: Li Qiwei is invited to attend the conference for one place

Ever since Ridgway called for the organization of the first Bruce Conference, he has never been idle.

Physicists from various countries invited him to make academic visits and give speeches in the name of school exchanges.

The real purpose is obvious.

Even Nagaoka Hantaro from the Land of Sakura sent a telegram with earnest words.

Nagaoka was very self-aware and did not invite Li Qiwei to give lectures at the Imperial University of Tokyo, which was unrealistic.

However, after flattering Li Qiwei in the telegram, he hinted in a subtle and shameful way that he wanted to receive an invitation to the first Bruce Conference.

Today, there is no physicist or physicist in the world who is not concerned about this conference.

If Nagaoka were qualified to participate, he would definitely be the number one in the academic world after returning to his country, and his position would be unshakable.

So, you can imagine how anxious he was, like an ant on a hot pan.

In response to this, Li Qiwei only wanted to say three words to him: You’re dreaming.

But in the end I still responded formally: Your research is quite interesting.

There was only Nagaoka in Asia, but many people in Europe invited him.

Many of them have a certain relationship with Li Qiwei, which makes him feel a kind of happy trouble.

Being too famous is not a good thing!

However, Li Qiwei decided to visit the people he thought he needed to see.

So, for the next month, Gregory and others worked hard to research and organize the paper.

And their dear Professor Bruce went on a trip at public expense on the pretext of an academic visit.

In this regard, King's College London Vice-President Karp expressed his full support.

Now Cap is very glad that he went to see Thomson, and very glad that Thomson recommended Bruce.

The other party had only been at King's College for a few months, and he had already caused such a big thing.

In today's scientific field around the world, everyone knows the name of King's College London.

In the past, almost no one outside the UK knew about this school.

However, now, many exchange groups from other schools come to King's College for exchange visits every day.

Other departments also benefited from it.

After all, the influence of this ultra-high-end physics conference is no longer limited to the physics circle, but radiates to the entire education field and even the political field.

Karp was so tired that he could hardly breathe every day, but he was still very happy.

Because fame means status, and status means funding.

Now when he goes to the Education Grants Committee to beg for alms, he stands straighter.

He also experienced the same refreshing feeling as Vice-President Cardwell of Cambridge University.

Karp held Ridgway's hand and said in a cheesy tone:
"Professor Bruce, I hope you can go out and communicate more, promote the educational culture of our King's College, and attract more outstanding talents to join us."

"Young talents like Bohr are exactly what our school urgently needs."

The more places Ridgway went, the more people knew about King's College.

Li Qiwei accepted seven doctoral students at once. In Cap's eyes, it was like treating King's College as his own home.

Give your due diligence and work hard instead of being like some professors who just want to use the school's resources for free and don't want to teach any students.

Li Qiwei silently pulled his hand away and said with a smile, "Mr. Principal, don't worry, I won't bring shame to the reputation of our King's College."

"Bohr and other young men will be busy with meetings during this period, and we hope that the school can pay more attention to them."

Cap laughed loudly and said, "Oh, Professor Bruce, don't worry, I won't let the heroes down."

He was eager for Li Qiwei to make a request.

Making a request means you want to stay here, while not saying anything means you are disappointed and want to leave.

If Li Qiwei suddenly decided to leave now, Karp felt that he would definitely be scolded to death by the people on the school management committee.

After giving instructions and briefings to several of his doctoral students, Li Qiwei, under the protection of Li San, embarked on a journey of travel, not academic exchange.

It is necessary to meet several Nobel Prize winners individually.

Since someone publicly supports him, Li Qiwei must treat him with courtesy.

United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark.
Li Qiwei has traveled almost all over Europe.

Thanks to the fact that he had walked this route several times before, he was familiar with it this time, so he saved a lot of time.

Wherever he went, Li Qiwei was warmly welcomed.

All the teachers and students in the school stared at the legendary physicist with wide eyes.

Any random move by the other party can cause a collective climax and a storm in the physics community.

Especially the young students admire him very much.

I feel that if I can achieve this level in academic work, I will have no regrets in my life.

Li Qiwei did not let people down. He not only gave passionate speeches wherever he went, but also communicated with the other party.

But when someone asked him who would be invited, Li Qiwei just laughed and avoided the question.

This aroused everyone's curiosity even more.

In addition to Europe, Professor Michelson from the United States also sent a gorgeous invitation.

Li Qiwei could only apologize for this, as he really didn't have time to go there.

In this era, the only way to travel from Britain to the United States is by boat.

From London, it takes about 10 days to reach the United States, depending on the ship.

The whole process takes twenty days, and if any minor problems arise in the meantime, a month will be gone.

However, he said in his reply that he would definitely go to the United States and pay a special visit.

This time, Li Qiwei's words were not polite.

He will definitely make a trip to the United States, and will even bring Zhang Maodong with him, as this is related to his next plans.

Thanks to the dividends of the two world wars, the United States emerged as a dark horse and became the world's number one power.

Countless large companies have also emerged.

There are countless wealth and resources there.

Moreover, one of the important ways in which the United States rose was that it attracted the vast majority of scientists in the world at that time.

They were provided with an excellent living environment, which was extremely rare in that war-torn era.

Ridgway even considered whether his science city could learn from the United States.

When the war broke out, he called on scientists from all over the world to seek refuge there and take advantage of the United States.

So, no matter what, he had to go to the United States in person to see what kind of style there was in this era.

And now, he is still concentrating on Europe.

The last stop of this academic exchange is Switzerland.

Swiss physicists, led by Einstein, gathered at the University of Bern to welcome Ridgway.

Even Grossman came over.

He received his PhD from Hilbert two years ago and is now an associate professor of mathematics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

The trio used to be young and full of vigor, but now they are all successful and have become professors.

Li Qiwei was filled with emotion. He shook hands with Einstein and Grossman vigorously, and then went to the conference room surrounded by the crowd.

Einstein introduced the welcoming people to Li Qiwei.

"This is Professor Weber of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology."

Li Qiwei nodded. Wasn’t this the mentor of Einstein when he first met him? Later, he didn’t pay attention to academics, which led to a bad relationship between Einstein and him.

It seems that the two have reconciled now.

"This is Professor Kleiner from the University of Zurich, and he was also my doctoral advisor."

This person can be said to be the first person to make a mistake and missed a peerless genius.

"This is Dr. Guillaume, Director of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures."

When Li Qiwei heard about this person, he became a little interested.

Because Guillaume won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1920.

However, his research results are worth pondering.

The reason for the Nobel Prize is: for the discovery of the importance of nickel-iron alloys for precision measurements in physics.

This guy's research direction is the properties of various alloys.

He discovered a nickel-iron alloy with a thermal expansion coefficient close to zero. It is also strong, corrosion-resistant, and anti-magnetic, making it a metal material with excellent performance.

It has similarities to the 1912 Physics Nobel Prize: for the invention of the automatic regulating valve for controlling gas accumulators in lighthouses and buoys.

It is one of the very few Nobel Prizes awarded for applied research rather than groundbreaking theories or phenomena.

As for whether this achievement is worthy of the Nobel Prize, everyone can only express their own opinions.

After the people present greeted Li Qiwei one by one, they began to have friendly academic exchanges.

During this time, Professor Kleiner felt mixed emotions as he watched Einstein and Ridgway chatting and laughing.

Once upon a time, he was very pessimistic about Einstein, thinking that this student was stubborn, rigid and inflexible.

Unexpectedly, in just a few years, the other party has grown to this level.

He even treated Bruce as a brother and an equal.

It is not at all like what the outside world says, that Einstein took advantage of Bruce's fame.

Einstein published many important papers entirely based on his own strength.

He will even become a professor soon, not an associate professor.

Einstein should definitely receive an invitation to this physics conference.

Kleiner felt mixed emotions. He wasn't sure if he would receive an invitation, but he was too embarrassed to ask directly.

However, Weber is different. This big guy speaks his mind and doesn't hide anything.

"Professor Bruce, how many people from Switzerland can attend this physics conference?"

As soon as he asked the question, everyone present held their breath, obviously caring very much about the result.

Li Qiwei didn't expect Weber to be so direct.

No wonder he had conflicts with Einstein. Two powder kegs together are bound to cause trouble.

"Professor Weber, I'm still collecting information for the specifics."

"Please rest assured that I will not miss any important results worthy of research."

Li Qiwei's words were very tactful, and the people present knew that such things could not be said in advance, so they had to give up.

But I don’t know what I’m thinking.

After the exchange meeting, Li Qiwei called Einstein and Grossman separately, and the three of them got together and went to the cafe where they first met to chat about their experiences over the years.

When talking about some funny things, the three of them laughed out loud, attracting the attention of other people in the cafe.

"These three are really good at bragging. They always boast about their Nobel Prizes and millions of dollars in assets."

Soon, the three of them talked about recent academic topics again.

Einstein took a sip of coffee and asked with a smile, "Bruce, tell us the truth, what is your progress in general relativity?"

Grossman also teased: "There is nothing to be embarrassed about. If you encounter any math problems, tell me and I will help you."

"I am now extremely good at math."

Li Qiwei didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and then said jokingly: "There is only one last bit left."

"During the years when I returned to China, I would lock myself in my room every night to think."

Einstein and Grossman were impressed by Ridgway's concentration and seriousness, and believed that he deserved the Nobel Prize.

What the two of them didn't know was that Li Qiwei did lock himself in the room at night, but he was not studying the theory of relativity, but studying the story of one dragon playing with two phoenixes.

Einstein said expectantly: "I hope that after this meeting, it will give you inspiration and allow you to take the final step."

Li Qiwei smiled and raised his glass: "Cheers to the future!"

After one and a half months of academic exchange, it finally ended and Li Qiwei returned to the UK.

He declined all invitations and worked intensively at King's College to prepare for the first Bruce Conference.

The content compiled by Gregory and others is about to be completed.

Next comes the exciting conference invitation.

Everyone in the physics community is eagerly awaiting this!

(End of this chapter)