Perfect Ending

When he heard the old man's name, Li Qiwei froze. It took him a few seconds to react. This was a famous man!

If anyone were to choose the smartest photo in the world from the future, the "All-Star Photo of Physics" would be the undisputed winner.

The photo had been taken at the Fifth Solvay Conference in 1927, with Einstein and Bohr at its center, locked in a war of words over Quantum Mechanics.

Of the 29 attendees, 17 went on to win the Nobel Prize. It was terrifying.

And that conference had been sponsored by the white-haired old man standing before him: Solvay.

In actual history, the first Solvay Conference was held in Brussels, Belgium, in 1911. After that, it took place every three years.

Solvay was an industrial chemist and entrepreneur. He had made a fortune by founding factories, but he had always harbored a dream of doing science himself. (In truth, he simply had too much time on his hands.)

But he was already past fifty and plainly lacked the energy to pursue science, so he decided to throw money at it.

By chance, he met the German physicist Nernst. At the time, Nernst wanted to bring together a group of top physicists to discuss the latest developments in physics.

When Solvay heard about it, he seized his chance and immediately offered to pay for the conference himself.

So he booked a luxury hotel as the venue and prepared a cash gift for every scientist attending. That was how the first Solvay Conference came about.

Solvay's attitude was simple: "I've got money to spare. Go wild with it. I just want to hear the crisp crackle of scientific ideas colliding. It's far more fascinating than money."

Li Qiwei looked at Solvay and thought, Now that's the ideal patron for every researcher: he gives you money and doesn't meddle.

A patron like this had to be cultivated. If he wanted to organize conferences in the future, he could just go to this fellow.

So he held out his hand, warm and welcoming, and smiled. "Hello, Mr. Solvay. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Solvay found it strange. He couldn't understand why Li Qiwei was so easygoing with him. He had imagined that a young genius like this would be incredibly arrogant.

Earlier, at the conference, he had nearly become a fan of Li Qiwei. Such an exhilarating breakthrough in physics had made Solvay feel that all the money in his hands had suddenly lost its appeal.

A good man should pursue science, strive for breakthroughs, and change the world.

If Li Qiwei had known what he was thinking, he would have said, It's nothing personal. I've just got my eye on your money, buddy. Sponsor me, and you'll be changing the world too.

The two chatted amiably. Solvay discreetly made it clear that he had money to spare, while Li Qiwei tactfully mentioned that he hoped to organize more physics conferences in the future to encourage exchanges among scholars.

They exchanged smiles, both feeling they had met far too late. Lord Kelvin, standing to the side, was left utterly bewildered.

Li Qiwei soon finished exchanging pleasantries with Solvay. He said they should keep in touch by letter and do their part to advance physics.

Not long after Solvay left, Sir Lockyer, editor-in-chief of Nature, came over.

"Hey, Bruce, when are you planning to publish your paper on the Photoelectric Effect? The entire journal is counting on you now. The young fellows are raring to go."

Li Qiwei took a casual sip of red wine and smiled. "In the next few days, probably. I've already finished the first draft. It just needs a little polishing."

Lockyer was delighted. He patted him on the shoulder. "With you as our chief editor, I'm sure a lot of people will choose Nature as their first choice for submissions."

"That would be great news," Li Qiwei said. "Since the journal is getting more and more submissions, Lockyer, I have a suggestion."

"Why not establish several specialist journals under Nature? That would showcase their expertise and bring in more revenue for the company."

Lockyer froze, murmuring, "Specialist journals? Bruce, could you explain?"

Li Qiwei was ready to bring over Nature's future model, so he said, "We can keep Nature as the main journal, publishing the world's most cutting-edge research. It should demand an exceptionally high degree of innovation."

"Then, under it, we could establish journals like Nature Physics, Nature Chemistry, and Nature Biology."

"The specialist journals could be somewhat less innovative and significant than the main journal, but they would still require rigorous peer review."

"That way, we could distinguish different levels of work, encourage more people to submit, and attract excellent research from other fields. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Lockyer was dumbfounded. He could hardly imagine it: Li Qiwei was not only a prodigiously talented scholar, but could also come up with fresh ideas for running a journal.

Was a genius a genius in every field?

It was an excellent idea, perfectly suited to the current state of Nature.

As Li Qiwei's papers grew more and more famous, Nature's reputation rose along with them.

The journal was drawing not only British researchers, but also scholars from across Europe and even the Americas.

For more and more people, Nature was their first choice. It represented authority and innovation.

But the most innovative, cutting-edge research was always a minority. Many people's work was excellent, but still fell a little short.

So if the main journal represented the best and the specialist journals represented excellent work, Nature could attract everyone.

What? You couldn't even get published in a specialist journal? Sorry, but in the eyes of the big shots, you weren't a researcher—you were just a producer of research trash.

Lockyer was so excited that he kept gesturing with both hands. He couldn't wait to get back and start putting this major plan into motion.

Li Qiwei hurriedly stopped him and told him not to rush. They should finish listening to the conference first.

Over the next few days, physicists from around the world took turns presenting their findings.

Applause rang out throughout the hall, and the variety of research dazzled the audience.

Li Qiwei's work had set a high bar, but this purely theoretical material was so advanced that it was the preserve of a tiny few.

Most physicists studied things closely related to everyday life.

For example, the French physicist Lippmann presented a new technique for producing color photographs.

He had coated the surface of a photographic plate with a reflective layer. When light struck it, the reflected light interfered with it, producing colored bands.

After the image was developed, it could be printed as a color photograph.

Historically, this invention had won him the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Lippmann's main challenge was finding the right reflective layer and determining the coating parameters so the process would be stable enough for commercial use.

Photographs were still all black and white in this era. Color cameras wouldn't be introduced to the market until 1935.

This showed just how many obstacles and how much effort stood between a theoretical discovery and its commercialization. It was far from something that could be achieved with a slogan.

A few days later, the exhilarating conference finally came to an end, and everyone left feeling satisfied.

Unlike in later generations, when conferences were held every day, scholars in this era mostly exchanged findings through letters.

So gathering together for a conference was a rare and cherished opportunity.

And this conference had been so fascinating and memorable that many people were eager to go home and boast about it.

Solvay was particularly enthusiastic. He called over a photographer and pulled Li Qiwei and more than a dozen other famous physicists together for a group photo.

The little old man was so delighted he could barely close his mouth. As he put it, looking at the photo every day would make him smarter.

After returning to Cambridge University, Li Qiwei continued going to the Cavendish Laboratory each day as usual. His other priority was contacting his family to launch the Spark Plan.

What he hadn't expected was that the conference would have such a far-reaching impact. Along the telegraph lines, news of it traveled all the way to the distant East.

There, several passionate young people would soon change the course of their lives.

Thank you to [Shentu Zhicha] for the monthly ticket, and thanks to all the new and longtime readers for your recommendation tickets.