Arnold Sommerfeld

Arnold Sommerfeld
Sommerfeld c. 1922–1923
Born(1868-12-05)5 December 1868
Died26 April 1951(1951-04-26) (aged 82)
Alma materUniversity of Königsberg
Known forAzimuthal quantum number, Magnetic quantum number, Group velocity, Momentum operator, Hyperbolic motion in relativity, Tachyonic antitelephone, List of things named after Arnold Sommerfeld
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
Institutions
Thesis The arbitrary functions in mathematical physics  (1891)
Doctoral advisorFerdinand von Lindemann
Doctoral students
Other notable students

Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld, ForMemRS[1] (German: [ˈzɔmɐˌfɛlt]; 5 December 1868 – 26 April 1951) was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and mentored many students for the new era of theoretical physics. He served as doctoral supervisor and postdoc supervisor to seven Nobel Prize winners and supervised at least 30 other famous physicists and chemists. Only J. J. Thomson's record of mentorship offers a comparable list of high-achieving students.

He introduced the second quantum number, azimuthal quantum number, and the third quantum number, magnetic quantum number.[2] He also introduced the fine-structure constant and pioneered X-ray wave theory.

  1. ^ a b Born, Max (1952). "Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld. 1868–1951". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 8 (21): 274–296. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1952.0018. JSTOR 768813. S2CID 161998194.
  2. ^ "Arnold Sommerfeld | Quantum Mechanics, Atomic Theory, Mathematics | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.