Adolf Kratzer

Adolf Kratzer (born October 16, 1893 in Günzburg ad Donau, † July 6, 1983 in Münster ) was a German theoretical physicist who made contributions to atomic and molecular physics and was considered an authority in the field of molecular spectroscopy .

Life

School and study

Adolf Kratzer was the son of the soap maker August Kratzer, grew up well off with his sisters and attended elementary school in Günzburg from 1899 to 1903. After passing the exam, he was then at the Royal Humanistic Gymnasium Günzburg until his Abitur in 1912. In mathematics, his Abitur certificate documents an excellent and states as a secret censorship that Kratzer is " a very modest, very ambitious and, especially for mathematics, highly talented young man who is entitled to the best of hopes ."

From 1912 to 1914 he studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich (today Technical University of Munich ). Influenced by Arnold Sommerfeld , he also attended lectures in mathematics and physics at the University of Munich .

Military service

With the declarations of war in 1914, Kratzer immediately volunteered for military service. In August 1914 he was drafted. In 1915 he was shot through the larynx in the Vosges , which restricted his voice throughout his life and made his voice sound hoarse and scratchy. He used the recovery time in Munich to resume his studies at the Technical University of Munich, but mainly attended the lectures of Sommerfeld at the University of Munich. He continued his military service at the end of 1916. He actually wanted to return to the front line, but was used as a photogrammeter . Nevertheless, he states that until 1918 he was in the war zone “for at least 2 months for business reasons ”. Kratzer did not become a prisoner of war and was released at the end of 1918 as an excellent sergeant .

Further study and doctorate

He then continued his studies at the University of Munich and became a direct private assistant to Arnold Sommerfeld. In October 1919, he passed the teaching exams in mathematics and physics.

In 1920 he received his doctorate in philosophy after his dissertation on band spectra of molecules, which he had developed thematically through his work at Sommerfeld.

Assistant at Sommerfeld

In Munich, Kratzer then joined Sommerfeld. During this time, Kratzer expanded the theory of diatonic molecular spectroscopy by including anharmonic forces between the atomic nuclei, which changed the vibrational frequencies. Every now and then, Sommerfeld provided his colleague, the mathematician David Hilbert at the University of Göttingen , with capable employees as personal assistants. In 1920/1921, Kratzer was in Göttingen as an extraordinary assistant with Paul Bernays to support David Hilbert and, among other things, prepared the lecture Mechanics and New Gravitation Theory for Hilbert, which was held for the first time in the 1920 summer semester. After his return to Munich, Kratzer became a private lecturer and gave his first lecture in the winter semester of 1921/1922. During this time he met Werner Heisenberg , who was also a student of Sommerfeld.

On the basis of his habilitation thesis, Kratzer's detailed analysis of cyanide spectroscopic tapes appeared in 1922. His analysis led to the introduction of semi-integral quantum numbers to evaluate molecular rotation.

Professorship in Münster

In 1922, as Paul Peter Ewald had refused, he was appointed full professor of theoretical physics at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster as successor to Erwin Madelung and was entrusted with setting up a working group. Kratzer had rejected the call to the University of Tübingen , which was received at the same time .

At the University of Münster, Kratzer made contributions to quantum mechanics and became an authority in the field of molecular spectroscopy. In 1922 he described the rotational energy states of diatomic molecules using a formula that was later confirmed by Kemble and Heisenberg. In 1926, at the physics meeting in Stuttgart, von Fues presented the work of Kratzer, which he had carried out around 1920 at Sommerfeld.

Kratzer published a number of books on physics, based on his lectures on electrodynamics, mechanics, optics, relativity, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics (wave mechanics). He wrote a book about transcendent functions together with Walter Franz , another Sommerfeld student and Kratzer's later successor at the chair for theoretical physics in Münster. The scratch potential , a central force in molecular physics, was named after him.

Although Kratzer did not belong to any Nazi organization and expressed himself in a critical and distancing manner, due to his integrity he was dean of the faculty from 1937 to 1942 and from 1943 prorector of the University of Münster . In 1942, Kratzer resigned from his position as dean and followed Behnke's recommendation to write a book on the specific application of theories on the basis of his book Mathematics for Physicists and Engineers as part of the literature program of the Reich Research Council .

The British Military Government immediately confirmed him as Vice Rector. Together with the rector Georg Schreiber , he succeeded in having the largely destroyed university reopened at the end of 1945. From 1945 to 1946 he was a member of the information committee ( denazification committee ) together with Behnke and the rector of the University of Schreiber .

For more than 30 years he devoted himself intensively to student support: he was one of the "fathers" of the Honnef model . In 1951, a lower leg amputation had to be carried out due to a failed cancer irradiation and Kratzer then ran with a prosthesis. When he retired in 1962 at the age of 69, he became an honorary senator of the university and was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit (October 20, 1962).

Adolf Kratzer was married and had children.

"Training network" for physicists

At that time there were three development centers for quantum mechanics and the interpretation of the atomic and molecular structure, based on atomic and molecular spectroscopy, in particular the Bohr-Sommerfeld atomic model : the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich under Arnold Sommerfeld, the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Göttingen under Max Born and the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Copenhagen under Niels Bohr . These three institutes formed an effective community for the exchange of staff and researchers. As Sommerfeld trained capable physicists such as Kratzer and others, they became effective branches of the Sommerfeld Institute for Theoretical Physics when they were called to other institutions. This was particularly true of Kratzer when he went to Münster and of Sommerfeld's former student Paul Peter Ewald, who accepted a call at the Technical University of Stuttgart .

Student (selection)

• 1938: Hans Hermes
• 1952: Werner Peters (chemist)

Works (selection)

Books

• Mathematics for physicists and engineers , Akad. Verlagsges. Becker & Erler Kom.-Ges., Leipzig, 1941
• together with Walter Franz : Transzendente functions, Geest & Portig, Leipzig, 1960

Publications

• First publication after the dissertation: The ultra-red rotational spectra of hydrogen halides , Zeitschrift für Physik , Volume 3, 1920
• The regularities of the gang systems , Annalen der Physik , 372/67, 1922
• The fine structure of a class of band spectra , Annalen der Physik, 376/71, 1923
• The regularities in the band spectra , encyclopedia of math. Sciences V, 1925
• The rough structure of the band spectra , In: Problems of modern physics (Sommerfeld-Festschrift), Hirzel, Leipzig, 1928
• Fundamental problems of the calculus of probability , mathematical-physical semester reports to maintain the connection between school and university, Vol. 7, 1935
• Planck's quantum of action , mathematical-physical semester reports to maintain the connection between school and university; new series published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, volume 1, 1950
• The picture in physics , Studium Generale: Journal for interdisciplinary studies 9, 1956
• Mathematics as the language of physics , Phys. Sheets 20, 1964

Co-authorship

• together with Paul Peter Ewald and L. Citron: About the control of crystal structures through Lauaufnahme , Verh. d. German Physical Society 1, 1920

lectures

• Lecture: Theory of Thermal Radiation, 1922
• Lectures on optics. Free Mathematical Student Council, 1931
• Lectures on mechanics. Mathematical study group, 1932
• Lectures on thermodynamics. Aschendorff, 1947
• Lectures on electrodynamics. Aschendorff, Münster / Westf. 1949
• Introduction to wave mechanics. Aschendorff, Münster / Westf. 1954
• Relativity theory . Aschendorff, Münster / Westf. 1956
• Lectures on optics . Aschendorf, Münster / Westf. 1959
• Lectures on thermodynamics . Aschendorff, Münster / Westf. 1960
• Lectures on mechanics. Aschendorff, Münster / Westf. 1962
• Lectures on electrodynamics. Aschendorff, Münster / Westf. 1955, 1956 and 1961

Awards (selection)

• 1916: Iron Cross 2nd class
• 1918: Bavarian Military Merit Cross III. class
• 1918: War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords

Trivia

• In 1919/1920, Kratzer became Arnold Sommerfeld's private assistant to help him with the writing of the book Atomic Structure and Spectral Lines. Sommerfeld brought text passages with him, which he discussed with Kratzer.
• Another anecdote about the collaboration with Sommerfeld has come down to us. Kratzer was given the task of solving an integral by Sommerfeld, which he finished after three days with the comment that it did not converge at all. But Sommerfeld replied: “ But you shouldn't investigate the convergence at all, you should calculate the integral. "
• In 1935 it is reported that Kratzer was allowed to begin his lecture with " Guten Tag ", whereas Fritz Micheel was "allowed" to begin the lecture after shouting " Heil Hitler ".

Appreciation

From 1957 until the renovation in 2000, the student house on the Aasee of the University of Münster was renamed "Adolf-Kratzer-Haus". This name was then withdrawn and the cafeteria on Lake Aasee was renamed “Kratzer's training kitchen”.

literature

• Norbert Schmitz : Adolf Kratzer 1893–1983 . In: Scientific writings of the WWU Münster. Row XIV . tape 1 . Monsenstein and Vannerdat, Münster 2011, ISBN 978-3-8405-0041-1 , urn : nbn: de: hbz: 6-94429650465 ( uni-muenster.de [PDF]).
• GS Chaddha: Quantum Mechanics. New Age International, 2005, ISBN 81-224-1465-6 .
• Hinne Hettema (translator and editor): Quantum Chemistry: Classic Scientific Papers. World Scientific, 2001, ISBN 981-02-2771-X .
• Jagdish Mehra, Helmut Rechenberg: The Historical Development of Quantum Theory. Volume 1. Part 1: The Quantum Theory of Planck, Einstein, Bohr and Sommerfeld 1900–1925: Its Foundation and the Rise of Its Difficulties. Springer, 2001, ISBN 0-387-95174-1 .
• Jagdish Mehra, Helmut Rechenberg: The Historical Development of Quantum Theory. Volume 2: The Discovery of Quantum Mechanics 1925. Springer, 2001, ISBN 0-387-95176-8 .
• Jagdish Mehra, Helmut Rechenberg: The Historical Development of Quantum Theory. Volume 5: Erwin Schrödinger and the Rise of Wave Mechanics. Part 1: Schrödinger in Vienna and Zurich 1887–1925. Springer, 2001, ISBN 0-387-95179-2 .
• Constance Reid: Hilbert. Springer, 1996, ISBN 0-387-94674-8 .
• Hans-Michael Körner : Large Bavarian Biographical Encyclopedia , Walter de Gruyter, 2005

Web links

• Literature by and about Adolf Kratzer in the catalog of the German National Library

References and comments

1. ↑ The book (Hettema, 2001, p. 199) published the article On the Interpretation of Some Appearances in the Molecular Spectra , by Friedrich Hund in Göttingen. The paper cites the article: BA Kratzer “The Laws in the Band Spectra” Enc. d. Math. Science Volume 3, p. 821 (1925). Based on the subject matter, Adolf Kratzer's first initial is “B”. Note added: This seems to be an error by the referenced article, cf. the biography by Norbert Schmitz.
2. ^ Paul Peter Ewald and Alfred Landé had been sent to David Hilbert as personal assistants for physics before Kratzer.
3. ^ APS Author Catalog: Kratzer - American Philosophical Society
4. ↑ ^{a b} Mehra, Volume 1, Part 1, 2001, p. 334.
5. ↑ Mehra, Volume 2, 2001, p. 19th
6. ↑ Mehra, Volume 1, Part 1, p. 334.
7. ↑ Sommerfeld Biography ( Memento from July 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) - American Philosophical Society
8. ↑ Helmut Rechenberg: Werner Heisenberg - The Language of Atoms: Life and Work - A Scientific Biography - The "Happy Science" (youth to Nobel Prize) . Springer-Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-540-69222-5 ( google.de [accessed on January 14, 2018]).
9. ↑ serves as an approach for the interaction potential between two binding partners in a diatomic molecule (CH1 supplementary course of the TU Chemnitz) (PDF; 63 kB)
10. ↑ Chaddha, 2005, p. 141.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Uta Hartmann: Heinrich Behnke (1898-1979): between mathematics and their didactics . Peter Lang, 2009, ISBN 978-3-631-58860-4 ( google.de [accessed on January 14, 2018]).
12. ↑ Office of the Federal President
13. ↑ Mehra, Volume 5, Part 1, 2001, p. 249.