Fock (1926) and London (1927) suggested that this new quantum-mechanical gauge invariance more adequately accounted for the conservation of electric charge than Weyl's 1918 gauge theory did.
Gauge invariance(the main structural principle being vindicated)
A mathematical principle saying that certain equations describing physical forces stay true even when you change your perspective or measurement scale—like how the laws of physics don't change if you measure from a different location.
Quantum mechanics(the scientific framework being discussed)
The science of how the tiniest things in the universe (atoms, electrons, photons) behave—which turns out to work very differently than everyday objects.
Weyl's 1918 gauge theory(as a historical reference in physics)
An early mathematical framework created by physicist Hermann Weyl that tried to explain how electric and magnetic forces work using the concept of gauge invariance.
With the advent of the quantum theory of the electron around 1927/28 Weyl abandoned his gauge theory of 1918. He did so because in the new quantum theory a different kind of gauge invariance associated with Dirac’s theory of the electron was discovered which, as had been suggested by Fock (1926) and London (1927), more adequately accounted for the conservation of electric charge.[92] Why did Weyl hold on to his gauge theory for almost a decade despite a preponderance of compelling empiric