Eugen Merzbacher
Encyclopedia
Eugen Merzbacher is an American physicist. He received his licentiate
from University of Istanbul in Turkey
in 1943 and taught high school in Ankara
for the next four years. In 1947 he moved to the United States
to attend Harvard University
, where he earned his physics M.A. (1948) and Ph.D. (1950). Merzbacher was a visiting professor at Duke University
before joining the faculty of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) in 1952. There he was a two-time acting chairman of the physics department in the 1960s and 1970s. He was named a Kenan Professor in 1969. Merzbacher is probably best known for his influential graduate level quantum mechanics
textbook, which has so far seen three editions, the most recent in 1998. He married Ann Townsend Reid and together they had four children: Celia, Charles, Matthew and Mary. He received UNC's 1972 Thomas Jefferson Award and went on to chair the physics department from 1977 until 1982. Merzbacher retired in 1991. In 1993, UNC presented him with an honorary doctorate in science.
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
from University of Istanbul in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1943 and taught high school in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
for the next four years. In 1947 he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to attend Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he earned his physics M.A. (1948) and Ph.D. (1950). Merzbacher was a visiting professor at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
before joining the faculty of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) in 1952. There he was a two-time acting chairman of the physics department in the 1960s and 1970s. He was named a Kenan Professor in 1969. Merzbacher is probably best known for his influential graduate level 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...
textbook, which has so far seen three editions, the most recent in 1998. He married Ann Townsend Reid and together they had four children: Celia, Charles, Matthew and Mary. He received UNC's 1972 Thomas Jefferson Award and went on to chair the physics department from 1977 until 1982. Merzbacher retired in 1991. In 1993, UNC presented him with an honorary doctorate in science.