ISSN:
1422-6960
Keywords:
Key words: Sommerfeld; Munich; atomic physics; theoretical physics; scientific schools.
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Atomic Structure and Spectral Lines. The names of his students read like a Who’s Who of the pioneers in modern physics Peter Debye, Peter Paul Ewald, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Hans A. Bethe – to name only the most prominent. In retrospect, the success of Sommerfeld’s school of modern theoretical physics tends to overshadow its less glorious beginnings. A century ago, theoretical physics was not yet considered as a distinct discipline. In this article I emphasize more the haphazard beginnings than the later achievements of Sommerfeld’s school, which mirrored the state of theoretical physics before it became an independent discipline.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s000160050021
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