English (United Kingdom)Deutschελληνικά

(Erwin) Schroedinger

Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (1887- 1961)

After studying mathematics and physics in Vienna, Schrödinger became a professor for theoretical physics like Einstein and Max von Laue before him. Later he enunciates the "Schrödinger- equation" which builds the foundation of the quantum mechanics. In addition, he embosses the development of the molecular biology. With a lot of great chances to teach in different universities, Schrödinger also got awarded with a Nobel Prize in physics.

Erwin Schrödinger was born on the 12th of August in 1887 in Erdberg, Vienna as the son of Rudolf and Georgine Emilia Brenda Schrödinger (on the left pcture there is Erwin with his parents and his aunt). His interest about the natural science influenced Erwin since the beginning of his life: On the one hand there was his father, the owner of an oilcloth factory had a big interest in the botanic which he ran scientificly later and on the other hand Erwin's grand- father (the father of Georgine Emilia Brenda Schrödinger) who was a respected professor at the k.k. technic college in Vienna. Due to Erwin Schrödinger's affinity to share his knowledge with the populance. This could be transferred to his grand- father who had the same talent and could hereditate it to his grandchild. Erwin's school career has been faultless: until his 11th year of age gets Schrödinger taught by private teachers and as a result, he spends a careless childhood at home. After this, in the year 1898, he applied for the admission exam which he sits with success and stays there until the end of his school time as an excellent student. Therefor, he got awarded with honor when he reached the school leaving certificate that allowed him to study at an university on the 11th of Juley 1906. After this, Schrödinger begins to study physics at the university in Vienna and participates in the lessons of Professor Exners about the experimental physics. The highest impact on Erwin Schrödinger's career had Fritz Hasenohrl (on the right picture) who presented the ideas of Boltzmann's chain of thoughts in autumn 1907 and they were influencing Schrödinger his following life. On the 20th of May 1910, Schrödinger got enrolled to a doctor and begins his career as an assistant of his Professor Exner in experimental work. But he realizes very quickly his disinterest concerning the experimentation.

28th of Juley 1914: Hungary- Austria declared war to Serbia. Only three days later Schrödinger had to go to war. After the relocation to Prosecco in Austria, he started to focus on Einstein's chain of thoughts but it was very tedious and slowy for him. With the ending of the war the private problems began because his parents were very ill and so the financial promotion stopped. Additionally, the chances to get a job were very limited for young physicists after the reduction of the universities and colleges. This is the reason why Schrödinger decides to moves to Jena in Germany together with his wife Annemarie Bertel who he has married on the 6th of April 1920 (on the right picture). Due to his effort in Jena Erwin Schrödinger achieves the title of a Professor before he got a apprentice position. After Christmas in 1920, the young family moved again to Breslau but Schrödinger has been very unsatisfied with his position and his surrounding area there. As a consequence, they decided to move to Zurich because he knew that they will pay good salaries and additionally he knew two men who had his position before: Albert Einstein and Max von Laue. After some difficulties begins the young scientist a minor work.

In the year 1926, Schrödinger succeeded his first big discovery channeled by Louis de Broglie to invent a new mechanical system which describes the movement insight an atom. The publication follows in four different messages in "the annal of physics" with the title "Quantisation as the problem of the intrinsic value". As a result to his work concerning the quantum mechanics follows: Schrödinger leaves a great impact on the physical world. He got invited to a lot of guest lectures at the most prominent universities and he got offered to a position at the "Humboldt University" in Berlin. He agrees to this offer because even Max Planck supports Schrödinger's cause to assume his "old" position. Of course also the Swiss gave their best to let Schrödinger stay but he decided to leave and he did not regret this decision. In 1927 there were a lot of famous scientists who studied there in Berlin who made the time of his studies very great so that he enjoyed it a lot and felt homey with them (Albert Einstein, Max von Laue, Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn).

The political situation did not concern him personally but it made him worrying about his and his new friend's future so that he moved again to the university in Oxford to work there temporarely in a position in which he held lectures about the quantum mechanics and with a lot of enthusiasm the debat concrning the interpretation of the quantum theory joined in 1933. In the same year, on the 9th of November, Schrödinger's woman got a call by the Londoner Times that told her that her husband will get awarded with a Nobel prize. Logically, Schrödinger and Paul Adrein Maurice Dirac got awarded in Stockholm for "Physics in the year 1933" on the day of Alfred Nobel's death (10.12.1933).

1935 spent Schrödinger Christmas in Austria and accepted a position in Graz. Unfortunately he had to leave Austria caused by the political situation so that his wife and he went across Italy and Swiss back to Oxford. The primeminister of Ireland wanted to use the chance to develop his country with the help of Schrödinger's scientific knowledge. An institution  for higher studies is established for Schrödinger and the departments for theoretical physics fit perfectly to Schrödinger. That made him staying there for 16 years in Ireland. His working in Ireland develops into a centre for theoretical recoveries in physics. Additionnally and especially due to the perfect working conditions, Schrödinger wrote 50 publications. In this time he found his passion for construct an unified field theory again (Field Theory means a theory in which the phenomenons of the gravitation and the electromagnetism are explained equally). Nevertheless, the big success, in contempt of all the years of hard working, came to nothing.

But after this, Schrödinger succeeded his most famous work with 100 000 selled exemplars of his conclusion "What is life?" that consists of many popular science texts off which Schrödinger created the idea of a genetic code that is even in today's times the basic concept of the modern biology. The contact to Austria never broke off until Erwin Schrödinger decided to move back home finally in 1956.On the 13. of April, Schrödinger assumed a chair in the University of Vienna and the rush on his lecture was so big that there were not even enough chairs for every participant.

In May 1960, there are new symptoms of a lung disease. After the investigations the diagnosis is tuberculosis. Schrödinger had an undergo of treatment in his beloved "Alpbach", Austria but he did not recuperate totally. One year later, on the 4th of January 1961 at 7 o' clock Schrödinger dies in the presence of this wife in Vienna. 5 days later he got carried to his grave in Alpbach, Austria.

Physics

Berühmte Chemiker

Pierre Curie (1859 - 1906) You don't need to be a scientist to know who Maria Curie-Sklodowska was. You can also read about her on our website. As the only one woman in the world, she gained the Nobel Prize in two different fields of knowledge. She shared one of them with her no less famous husband, Pierre Curie. Her devotion to science made a huge impression on him.

Read more...

Jospeh John Thomson ( 1856 - 1940 ) A person who did many researches on cathode rays that, finally, led to the discovery of the electrons. Moreover, he was interested in the atomic structure and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1906.

Read more...

André-Marie Ampère (1775 – 1836)

The flow of electric charge is named electric current. Maybe you heard something about electric current and in addition to this about the measure ampere (A) in your every day life, too. But do you know or asked yourself after what this measure is named? If not, here is the answer: after the founder of electrodynamics- after André-Marie Ampère.

 

Read more...

Johannes Gutenberg ( c. 1395 - 1468 ) How many newspapers, magazines and posters have you seen or read today? Many. But have you ever thought about the inventor who changed our life with the printing press? It was Johannes Gutenberg in 1440 with his printing press and movable blocks of letters and graphics that made materials available for the whole population.

Read more...

Marie Curie (1867-1934)

discovered the beta activity which was used in the Second World War to help injured soldiers. Because of this and some other cognition she won the Nobel price twice, in chemistry and physics; but that is only an extract of the achievements Marie Curie reached in her life.

Read more...

Isaac Newton ( 1643 – 1727 )

was an English Physicist and Mathematician. He is one of the most important characters of the 17th century because he developed principles of modern physics, as the law of motion. He is the person who has a great influence for our understanding of optics and motion today.

Read more...

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Einstein's career began as a teacher for mathematics and physics while he was expanding the idea of Max Planck's quantum theory by adding the hypothesis of the light quantum. Einstein's discoveries were revolutionary even for today's physics: it develops a new understanding of the ration between space and time, and also of the force of gravity. Of course, he won a Nobel prize for his discoveries.

Read more...

Max Planck (1858-1947)

He had a big influence on the foundation of the basics in physics. A lot of his discoveries are named by his surname, like for example: the "Plancksche medal", the "Plancksche action quantum" or the "Plancksche radiation law".  In 1918 Planck lent with the Nobel prize because he has established the quantum theory which succeeded 20 years later the break through with the help of Einstein and Niels Bohr.

 

Read more...

Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (1887- 1961)

After studying mathematics and physics in Vienna, Schrödinger became a professor for theoretical physics like Einstein and Max von Laue before him. Later he enunciates the "Schrödinger- equation" which builds the foundation of the quantum mechanics. In addition, he embosses the development of the molecular biology. With a lot of great chances to teach in different universities, Schrödinger also got awarded with a Nobel Prize in physics.

Read more...