Adolf Kratzer
Encyclopedia
B. Adolf Kratzer was a German
theoretical physicist
who made contributions to atomic physics
and molecular physics
, and was an authority on molecular band spectroscopy
. He was born in Günzburg
, Germany
.
From 1912 to 1914, Kratzer studied physics at the Technische Hochschule
München (today, Technische Universität München
), and then he spent two years in the army, after which he began studies at the University of Munich under Arnold Sommerfeld
. He was granted his doctor of philosophy in 1920; his thesis was on the band spectra of molecules. While at Munich, he was Sommerfeld’s assistant; he had been trained by Sommerfeld’s assistant and student Wilhelm Lenz
to fill this role. While at Munich, Kratzer extended the theory of diatomic molecular spectroscopy by including anharmonic forces between the nuclei, which changed the oscillation frequencies. It was Sommerfeld’s practice to send some of his assistants to be personal assistants for physics to the mathematician David Hilbert
, at the University of Göttingen. Kratzer was sent to Göttingen during the period 1920 to 1921. Upon his return to Munich, he became a Privatdozent
, and it was during this time that he became acquainted with Werner Heisenberg
, also a student of Sommerfeld.
Based on his work at Munich, it was in 1922 that Krazter’s detailed analysis on the cyanide spectroscopic bands was published. His analysis resulted in the introduction of half-integral quantum numbers to account for molecular rotation. During 1922, he was also called as an ordinarius professor
of theoretical physics to the University of Münster
. Here, Kratzer made contributions to quantum mechanics
and became a leading authority in the field of molecular band spectroscopy.
At this time, there were three centers of development for quantum mechanics and the interpretation of atomic and molecular structure, based on atomic and molecular spectroscopy, especially the Sommerfeld-Bohr model
: the Theoretical Physics Institute at the University of Munich, under Arnold Sommerfeld
, the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Göttingen, under Max Born
, and the Institute of Theoretical Physics, under Niels Bohr
. These three institutes effectively formed a consortium for the exchange of assistants and researchers. Furthermore, with Sommerfeld educating such capable physicists as Kratzer, and others, when they were called to other facilities, they effectively became extensions of Sommerfeld’s Institute of Theoretical Physics. This was the case with Kratzer when he went to Münster, as was the case of Sommerfeld’s former student Paul Peter Ewald
when he went to the Stuttgart
Technische Hochschule
.
Kratzer published a number of physics books, based on his lectures on electrodynamics
, mechanics
, optics
, relativity
, thermodynamics
, and quantum mechanics
(wave mechanics). A book on transcendental functions was written with Walter Franz
, also a student of Sommerfeld.
The Kratzer potential, a central force in molecular physics, is named in his honor.
A potential with the same name has also been used in nuclear physics, as it provides an exact solution of the Bohr hamiltonian.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
theoretical physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who made contributions to atomic physics
Atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and...
and molecular physics
Molecular physics
Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules, the chemical bonds between atoms as well as the molecular dynamics. Its most important experimental techniques are the various types of spectroscopy...
, and was an authority on molecular band spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
. He was born in Günzburg
Günzburg
Günzburg is a Große Kreisstadt and capital of the district of Günzburg in Swabia, Bavaria. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city of Günzburg—which had not previously been assigned to a Kreis —with the district of Günzburg and the district of Krumbach.Günzburg lies...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
From 1912 to 1914, Kratzer studied physics at the Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule is what an Institute of Technology used to be called in German-speaking countries, as well as in the Netherlands, before most of them changed their name to Technische Universität or Technische Universiteit in the 1970s and in the...
München (today, Technische Universität München
Technical University of Munich
The Technische Universität München is a research university with campuses in Munich, Garching, and Weihenstephan...
), and then he spent two years in the army, after which he began studies at the University of Munich under Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics...
. He was granted his doctor of philosophy in 1920; his thesis was on the band spectra of molecules. While at Munich, he was Sommerfeld’s assistant; he had been trained by Sommerfeld’s assistant and student Wilhelm Lenz
Wilhelm Lenz
Wilhelm Lenz was a German physicist, most notable for his invention of the Ising model and for his application of the Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector to the quantum mechanical treatment of hydrogen-like atoms.In 1906, Lenz graduated from the Klinger-Oberralschule, a non-classical secondary school...
to fill this role. While at Munich, Kratzer extended the theory of diatomic molecular spectroscopy by including anharmonic forces between the nuclei, which changed the oscillation frequencies. It was Sommerfeld’s practice to send some of his assistants to be personal assistants for physics to the mathematician David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
, at the University of Göttingen. Kratzer was sent to Göttingen during the period 1920 to 1921. Upon his return to Munich, he became a Privatdozent
Privatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
, and it was during this time that he became acquainted with Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
, also a student of Sommerfeld.
Based on his work at Munich, it was in 1922 that Krazter’s detailed analysis on the cyanide spectroscopic bands was published. His analysis resulted in the introduction of half-integral quantum numbers to account for molecular rotation. During 1922, he was also called as an ordinarius professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of theoretical physics to the University of Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
. Here, Kratzer made contributions to quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
and became a leading authority in the field of molecular band spectroscopy.
At this time, there were three centers of development for quantum mechanics and the interpretation of atomic and molecular structure, based on atomic and molecular spectroscopy, especially the Sommerfeld-Bohr model
Bohr model
In atomic physics, the Bohr model, introduced by Niels Bohr in 1913, depicts the atom as a small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by electrons that travel in circular orbits around the nucleus—similar in structure to the solar system, but with electrostatic forces providing attraction,...
: the Theoretical Physics Institute at the University of Munich, under Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics...
, the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Göttingen, under Max Born
Max Born
Max Born was a German-born physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 30s...
, and the Institute of Theoretical Physics, under Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...
. These three institutes effectively formed a consortium for the exchange of assistants and researchers. Furthermore, with Sommerfeld educating such capable physicists as Kratzer, and others, when they were called to other facilities, they effectively became extensions of Sommerfeld’s Institute of Theoretical Physics. This was the case with Kratzer when he went to Münster, as was the case of Sommerfeld’s former student Paul Peter Ewald
Paul Peter Ewald
Paul Peter Ewald was a German-born U.S. crystallographer and physicist, a pioneer of X-ray diffraction methods.-Education:...
when he went to the Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule is what an Institute of Technology used to be called in German-speaking countries, as well as in the Netherlands, before most of them changed their name to Technische Universität or Technische Universiteit in the 1970s and in the...
.
Kratzer published a number of physics books, based on his lectures on electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved...
, mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
, optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
, relativity
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
, thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
, and quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
(wave mechanics). A book on transcendental functions was written with Walter Franz
Walter Franz
Walter Franz was a theoretical physicist who independently discovered the Franz-Keldysh effect.Franz was a student of Arnold Sommerfeld at the University of Munich. He was granted his Ph.D. in 1934...
, also a student of Sommerfeld.
The Kratzer potential, a central force in molecular physics, is named in his honor.
A potential with the same name has also been used in nuclear physics, as it provides an exact solution of the Bohr hamiltonian.
Books
- Kratzer, Adolf Thermodynamik (Aschendorf, 1947)
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Thermodynamik (Aschendorf, 1950) – Based on lectures given during the summer semester in 1947.
- Kratzer, Adolf Einführung in die Wellenmechanik (Aschendorf, 1954)
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Elektrodynamik (Aschendorf, 1955)
- Kratzer, Adolf Relativitätstheorie (Aschendorff, 1956)
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Optik (Aschendorf, 1959) – Based on lectures given during the summer semester in 1931, at the University of Münster.
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Thermodynamik (Aschendorf, 1960) – Based on lectures given during the summer semester in 1947.
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Mechanik (Aschendorf, 1960)
- Kratzer, Adolf and Walter Franz Transzendente Funktionen (Akadem. Verl.-Ges. Geest & Portig, 1960)
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Elektrodynamik (Aschendorf, 1961)
- Kratzer, Adolf Vorlesungen über Mechanik (Aschendorf, 1962)
- Kratzer, Adolf and Walter Franz Transzendente Funktionen (Akadem. Verl.-Ges. Geest & Portig, 1963)