Annalen der Physik
Encyclopedia
Annalen der Physik is one of the oldest (since 1799) physics
journals
worldwide. The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers in the areas of experimental
, theoretical
, applied
and mathematical physics
and related areas. The current editor in chief is Ulrich Eckern.
The journal is the successor to Journal der Physik published from 1790 until 1794, and Neues Journal der Physik published from 1795 until 1797. The journal has been published under a variety of names (Annalen der Physik, Annalen der Physik und der physikalischen Chemie, Annalen der Physik und Chemie) during its history.
. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the journal published in both German and English. First, only foreign authors contributed articles in English, but from the 1970s German-speaking authors increasingly wrote in English in order to reach an international audience. After the German reunification
in 1990, English became the only language of the journal.
The importance of Annalen der Physik unquestionably peaked in 1905 with Albert Einstein
's annus mirabilis
papers. In the 1920s, the journal lost ground to the concurrent Zeitschrift für Physik
. With the 1933 emigration wave, German-language journals lost many of their best authors. From 1944–1946 publication was interrupted because of World War II
, but resumed in 1947 under Soviet occupation rule. While Zeitschrift für Physik moved to Western Germany
, Annalen der Physik served physicists in East Germany. After the German reunification
, the journal was acquired by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, a subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons
.
A relaunch of the journal with new editor and new contents is announced for 2012.
With each editor, the numbering of volumes restarted from 1 (co-existent with a continuous numbering, a perpetual source of confusion). The journal was often referred to by the editor's name: Gilberts Annalen, Poggendorfs Annalen, and so on, or for short Pogg. Ann., Wied. Ann.
After Drude, the work was divided between two editors:
In these times, peer-review was not yet standard. Einstein just sent his manuscripts to Planck who gave them into print.
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
journals
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
worldwide. The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers in the areas of experimental
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
, theoretical
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
, applied
Applied physics
Applied physics is a general term for physics which is intended for a particular technological or practical use.It is usually considered as a bridge or a connection between "pure" physics and engineering....
and mathematical physics
Mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The Journal of Mathematical Physics defines this area as: "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods suitable for such applications and...
and related areas. The current editor in chief is Ulrich Eckern.
The journal is the successor to Journal der Physik published from 1790 until 1794, and Neues Journal der Physik published from 1795 until 1797. The journal has been published under a variety of names (Annalen der Physik, Annalen der Physik und der physikalischen Chemie, Annalen der Physik und Chemie) during its history.
History
Originally, Annalen der Physik was published in GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the journal published in both German and English. First, only foreign authors contributed articles in English, but from the 1970s German-speaking authors increasingly wrote in English in order to reach an international audience. After the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, English became the only language of the journal.
The importance of Annalen der Physik unquestionably peaked in 1905 with Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's annus mirabilis
Annus mirabilis
Annus mirabilis is a Latin phrase meaning "wonderful year" or "year of wonders" . It was used originally to refer to the year 1666, but is today also used to refer to different years with events of major importance...
papers. In the 1920s, the journal lost ground to the concurrent Zeitschrift für Physik
Zeitschrift für Physik
The European Physical Journal is a joint publication of EDP Sciences, Springer Science+Business Media, and the Società Italiana di Fisica...
. With the 1933 emigration wave, German-language journals lost many of their best authors. From 1944–1946 publication was interrupted because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but resumed in 1947 under Soviet occupation rule. While Zeitschrift für Physik moved to Western Germany
Western Germany
The geographic term Western Germany is used to describe a region in the west of Germany. The exact area defined by the term is not constant, but it usually includes, but does not have the borders of, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse...
, Annalen der Physik served physicists in East Germany. After the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, the journal was acquired by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, a subsidiary of John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
.
A relaunch of the journal with new editor and new contents is announced for 2012.
Editors
The early editors-in-chief were:- Friedrich Albrecht Carl GrenFriedrich Albrecht Carl GrenFriedrich Albrecht Carl Gren was a German chemist who was a native of Bernburg. He began his career working in a pharmacy in Bernburg, and later worked as a pharmacist in Offenbach am Main and Erfurt...
(1790–1797) (as Journal der Physik and Neues Journal der Physik) - Ludwig Wilhelm GilbertLudwig Wilhelm GilbertLudwig Wilhelm Gilbert was a German physicist and chemist, and professor of physics at the University of Leipzig. From 1799-1824 he published the "Annalen der Physik", of which Poggendorffs "Annalen der Physik und Chemie" was a continuation.-Biography:Gilbert was born in Berlin...
(1799–1824) (as Annalen der Physik and Annalen der Physik und der physikalischen Chemie) - Johann Christian PoggendorffJohann Christian PoggendorffJohann Christian Poggendorff , was a German physicist born in Hamburg.By far the greater and more important part of his work related to electricity and magnetism. Poggendorff is known for his electrostatic motor which is analogous to Wilhelm Holtz's electrostatic machine...
(1824–1876) (as Annalen der Physik und Chemie) - Gustav Heinrich WiedemannGustav Heinrich WiedemannGustav Heinrich Wiedemann was a German physicist known mostly for his literary work.-Education:Wiedemann was born at Berlin. After attending the Cologne gymnasium, he entered the university of Berlin in 1844, and took his doctor's degree there three years later...
(1877–1899) (as Annalen der Physik und Chemie) - Paul Karl Ludwig DrudePaul Karl Ludwig DrudePaul Karl Ludwig Drude was a German physicist specializing in optics. He wrote a fundamental textbook integrating optics with Maxwell's theories of electromagnetism.- Education :...
(1900–1906) (as Annalen der Physik)
With each editor, the numbering of volumes restarted from 1 (co-existent with a continuous numbering, a perpetual source of confusion). The journal was often referred to by the editor's name: Gilberts Annalen, Poggendorfs Annalen, and so on, or for short Pogg. Ann., Wied. Ann.
After Drude, the work was divided between two editors:
- experimentalists Wilhelm WienWilhelm WienWilhelm Carl Werner Otto Fritz Franz Wien was a German physicist who, in 1893, used theories about heat and electromagnetism to deduce Wien's displacement law, which calculates the emission of a blackbody at any temperature from the emission at any one reference temperature.He also formulated an...
(1907–1928) and Eduard GrüneisenEduard GrüneisenEduard Grüneisen was a German physicist; co-eponym of Mie-Grüneisen equation of state.Grüneisen was born in Giebichenstein.The Grüneisen Parameter was named after him....
(1929–1949), and - theoretician Max PlanckMax PlanckMax Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
(1907–1943, had been associate editor from 1895).
In these times, peer-review was not yet standard. Einstein just sent his manuscripts to Planck who gave them into print.
Notable published works
Some of the most famous papers published in Annalen der Physik were:- on stretched exponential relaxation by Rudolf KohlrauschRudolf KohlrauschRudolf Hermann Arndt Kohlrausch was a German physicist.-Biography:He was a native of Göttingen, the son of educator Heinrich Friedrich Theodor Kohlrausch...
and his son Friedrich KohlrauschFriedrich KohlrauschFriedrich Wilhelm Georg Kohlrausch was a German physicist who investigated the conductive properties of electrolytes and contributed to knowledge of their behaviour...
(1854), - on the photoelectric effectPhotoelectric effectIn the photoelectric effect, electrons are emitted from matter as a consequence of their absorption of energy from electromagnetic radiation of very short wavelength, such as visible or ultraviolet light. Electrons emitted in this manner may be referred to as photoelectrons...
by Heinrich Hertz (1887), - on the theory of blackbody radiation by Max PlanckMax PlanckMax Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
(1901), - on capillarity by Albert EinsteinAlbert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
(1901), - the above mentioned 1905 papers by Einstein on photonPhotonIn physics, a photon is an elementary particle, the quantum of the electromagnetic interaction and the basic unit of light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation. It is also the force carrier for the electromagnetic force...
s, on brownian motion, on mass–energy equivalence, and on the special theory of relativitySpecial relativitySpecial 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...
, - on the heat capacitiesHeat capacityHeat capacity , or thermal capacity, is the measurable physical quantity that characterizes the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature by a given amount...
of solids with quantized energy levels by Einstein (1907), - on molecular motion near absolute zeroAbsolute zeroAbsolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means....
by Einstein and Otto SternOtto SternOtto Stern was a German physicist and Nobel laureate in physics.-Biography:Stern was born in Sohrau, now Żory in the German Empire's Kingdom of Prussia and studied at Breslau, now Wrocław in Lower Silesia....
(1913), - on the general theory of relativityGeneral relativityGeneral relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
by Einstein (1916)