Burkhard Heim

Burkard Heim (February 9 1925–January 14 2001) was a German theoretical physicist. He devoted a large portion of his life to the pursuit of his unified field theory. The inspiration for Heim theory is from general relativity and quantum mechanics, both of which were considered fundamental to a physical understanding of the universe. One of his childhood ambitions was to develop a method of space travel, which contributed to his motivation to find such a theory.

Support for his theory

A 1982 calculation based on Heim's theory was programmed on a computer at DESY in Hamburg, the main German centre for experimental particle physics. This particular set of calculations is based on Heim's "mass formula for sub-atomic particles", also known as the "mass formula".

Related Topics:
1982 - Computer - DESY - Hamburg - Particle physics - Sub-atomic particles

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The calculation gave the ground state masses for many fundamental particles to within a reasonable experimental error. No other theory of theoretical particles at present has achieved a comparable result. The scientists at DESY expressed reserved optimism for Heim's theory, and requested that more confirmation be given from theorists that the calculations were valid. As Heim's work had not undergone a rigorous peer review process, the request was difficult to fulfil—indeed, it is debatable even today whether the result has been verified sufficiently and without error. As a result, this has been interpreted by many observing the development of Heim's theory that it fundamentally lacks rigour and substance. Nevertheless, the people who have continued to develop the theory believe that these difficulties can be overcome, primarily by publishing in more established journals, which Heim circumvented either by choice or necessity.

Related Topics:
Ground state - Fundamental particle - Experimental error - DESY - Optimism - Valid - Substance - Choice - Necessity

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In the years since the DESY activity, Heim worked on further refining his theory until he could also predict the lifetimes of particles and infer the stability of their excited states. These results are of greater interest to experimentalists at particle accelerators, as it allows them to target specific energies in which high energy particles can be created.

Related Topics:
Lifetime - Stability - Excited state - Experimentalist - Particle accelerators

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