![]() ![]() It was in Göttingen that he first met Niels Bohr in person and he said (see for example ):. Pauli was then appointed to Göttingen as Born's assistant from October 1921. One wonders what to admire most, the psychological understanding for the development of ideas, the sureness of mathematical deduction, the profound physical insight, the capacity for lucid, systematical presentation, the knowledge of the literature, the complete treatment of the subject matter, or the sureness of critical appraisal. Whoever studies this mature and grandly conceived work might not believe that its author is a twenty-one year old man. His genius was immediately recognised by Einstein who, after reading Pauli's monograph on relativity, wrote a review :. Two months after the award of his doctorate Pauli's survey of the theory of relativity appeared, by this time having grown into a work of 237 pages. Looking at it now one can see that it showed that quantum theory, as then formulated, was not in itself going to provide the necessary structure on which to build a logical theory of atomic structure which agreed with experimental evidence. Sommerfeld was certainly right to heap much praise on the thesis but it had been a disappointment to Pauli since the theoretical results he had proved did not agree with experimental evidence. like his many already published smaller investigations and his larger encyclopedia article, the full command of the tools of mathematical physics. ![]() In his report on the thesis Sommerfeld wrote that it showed:. Pauli received his doctorate, which had been supervised by Sommerfeld, in July 1921 for a thesis on the quantum theory of ionised molecular hydrogen. To Sommerfeld's dismay he would therefore rarely attend morning lectures and would not turn up until about noon. He preferred the town, liked to spend evenings in some café, and would thereafter work on his physics with great intensity and great success. In Pais quotes from Heisenberg's description of Pauli's way of life at this time:. The year 1920 was when Heisenberg arrived in Munich, also to become a student of Sommerfeld. He wrote his first paper on quantum physics in June 1920, a work on the magnetic properties of matter. I was not spared the shock which every physicist accustomed to the classical way of thinking experienced when he came to know Bohr's basic postulate of quantum theory for the first time. Pauli, writing about his days as a student at Munich, wrote (see the extracts from Pauli's Nobel Prize lecture in 1945 given in ):. The respect was mutual, for Pauli showed more respect for Sommerfeld, both as a person and as a scientist, than he did for any other. Sommerfeld asked Pauli to write a review article on relativity for the Encyclopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften when he had only been two years at university, a mark of the high regard in which he held Pauli. At Munich, Pauli was taught by Sommerfeld who quickly recognised his genius. ![]() While still an undergraduate at Munich he wrote two further articles on the theory of relativity. Within two months of leaving school he had submitted his first paper on the theory of relativity. Not paying attention in class did not hold Pauli back, for he graduated from the Gymnasium in July 1918 with distinction.Īfter leaving the Gymnasium he entered the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. School work was boring to the brilliant Pauli and he hid Einstein's papers under his school desk and studied them during the lessons. He was certainly not a typical pupil for he read Einstein's papers on relativity while he was still at the Gymnasium. Wolfgang attended school in Vienna where he began a deep study of mathematics and physics at the Döblingen Gymnasium. Not only did Pauli's middle name come from Mach, but Mach was also his godfather giving him a silver cup when he was christened on. Wolfgang Joseph had been inspired to study science by Ernst Mach, and when his first child was born he named him Wolfgang Ernst Pauli, giving him the middle name of Ernst in honour of Mach. He married Berta Schütz in May 1899 but by this time he had given up his medical practice for research in chemistry and physics, becoming a university professor. In 1898 he changed his name to Wolfgang Joseph Pauli and, in the following year, converted from Judaism to become a Roman Catholic. After qualifying, he practised as a doctor in Vienna and quickly became popular. Wolfgang Joseph had trained as a medical doctor in Prague. Biography Wolfgang Pauli was the son of Wolfgang Joseph and Berta Camilla Schütz. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |