author
Arnold Sommerfeld
1868–1951
A pioneer of early quantum theory, he helped turn atomic physics into a precise science and became one of the era’s most influential teachers. His work shaped not only the old quantum model but also the generations of physicists who built modern quantum mechanics.
1 Audiobook
Deutsches Leben der Gegenwart
by Paul Bekker, Goetz A. (Goetz Antony) Briefs, Max Scheler, Arnold Sommerfeld
About the author
Born in Königsberg in 1868, Arnold Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist whose work bridged the gap between classical physics and the new quantum ideas of the early 20th century. He is especially remembered for refining Niels Bohr’s atomic model, helping explain fine spectral details, and for introducing concepts that became part of the language of quantum physics.
Sommerfeld spent much of his career at the University of Munich, where he built an extraordinary school of theoretical physics. He was known as a gifted teacher as well as a researcher, and many of his students and close associates went on to become major figures in modern physics, including several Nobel Prize winners.
He died in 1951, but his influence lasted far beyond his own papers. Along with his scientific contributions, his textbooks and lectures helped train a generation of physicists during one of the most important turning points in the history of science.