Friedrich Kottler
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Kottler was an Austria
n theoretical physicist
. He was a Privatdozent
, which is a title conferred in some European university systems for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor. In 1923, Kottler became a professor at the University of Vienna
.
In 1938, after the Anschluss
, he lost his professorship due to his Jewish ancestry. With the help of Albert Einstein
and Wolfgang Pauli
, he immigrated to America from his hometown of Vienna, Austria, settling in Rochester, New York
, where he worked at the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratory.
Besides optics
, Kottler's professional pursuits focused on the theory of relativity
. In 1912, he presented a general covariant formulation of the electromagnetic equations, based on the absolute differential calculus
, which is also valid within Albert Einstein
's General Relativity
, before that theory was even developed. In this connection, Kottler worked on the description of accelerations and rotations in relativity. In 1918, Kottler created his own interpretation of general relativity. In 1922, he published the article "Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie" in Band 6 of Klein's encyclopedia
.
He died in Rochester, New York in 1965.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n 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...
. He was 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...
, which is a title conferred in some European university systems for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor. In 1923, Kottler became a professor at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
.
In 1938, after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, he lost his professorship due to his Jewish ancestry. With the help of 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...
and Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Ernst Pauli was an Austrian theoretical physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum physics. In 1945, after being nominated by Albert Einstein, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his "decisive contribution through his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle or...
, he immigrated to America from his hometown of Vienna, Austria, settling in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, where he worked at the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratory.
Besides 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...
, Kottler's professional pursuits focused on the theory of relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
. In 1912, he presented a general covariant formulation of the electromagnetic equations, based on the absolute differential calculus
Tensor
Tensors are geometric objects that describe linear relations between vectors, scalars, and other tensors. Elementary examples include the dot product, the cross product, and linear maps. Vectors and scalars themselves are also tensors. A tensor can be represented as a multi-dimensional array of...
, which is also valid within 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 General Relativity
General relativity
General 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...
, before that theory was even developed. In this connection, Kottler worked on the description of accelerations and rotations in relativity. In 1918, Kottler created his own interpretation of general relativity. In 1922, he published the article "Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie" in Band 6 of Klein's encyclopedia
Klein's encyclopedia
In mathematics, Klein’s encyclopedia refers to a German mathematical encyclopedia published in six volumes from 1898 to 1933. Felix Klein and Wilhelm Meyer were organizers of the encyclopedia. Its title in English is "Encyclopedia of mathematical sciences including their applications", which is...
.
He died in Rochester, New York in 1965.
Published works
- 1912: Über die Raumzeitlinien der Minkowski'schen Welt, Wiener Sitzungsberichte 2a, 121: 1659-1759
- 1914: Relativitätsprinzip und beschleunigte Bewegung, Annalen der Physik 349 (13), 701-748
- 1914: Fallende Bezugssysteme vom Standpunkte des Relativitätsprinzips, Annalen der Physik 349 (13), 701-748
- 1916: Beschleunigungsrelative Bewegungen und die konforme Gruppe der Minkowski'schen Welt, Wiener Sitzungsberichte 2a, 125, 899-919
- 1916: Über Einsteins Äquivalenzhypothese und die Gravitation, Annalen der Physik 355 (16), 955-972
- 1918: Über die physikalischen Grundlagen der Einsteinschen Relativitätstheorie, Annalen der Physik, 4. Folge, Bd.60, S.401-461
- 1921: Rotierende Bezugssysteme in einer Minkowskischen Welt, Physikalische Zeitschrift 22, 274-280 & 480-484
- 1922, Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie, Encyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften mit Einschluss ihrer Anwendungen, 6.2.2, 159-237
- 1924, Considerations de critique historique sur la theorie de la relativite. Partie 1: De Fresnel à Lorentz, Scientia, 36, pp. 231-242
- 1924, Considerations de critique historique sur la theorie de la relativite. Partie 2: Henri Poincaré et Albert Einstein, Scientia, 36, pp. 301-316