Theodor Kaluza
Encyclopedia
Theodor Franz Eduard Kaluza (9 November 1885, Wilhelmsthal
– 19 January 1954, Göttingen
) was a German
mathematician
and physicist
known for the Kaluza-Klein theory involving field equations in five-dimensional space. His idea that fundamental forces can be unified by introducing additional dimensions re-emerged much later in string theory
.
in the German Empire
's Prussian
Province of Silesia
. Kaluza himself was born in Wilhelmsthal
(a village that was incorporated into Oppeln (present-day Opole)
in 1899). He spent his youth in Königsberg
, where his father, Max Kaluza, was a professor of the English language. He entered the University of Königsberg
to study mathematics and gained his doctorate with a thesis on Tschirnhaus transformations. Kaluza was primarily a mathematician but began studying relativity
. In April 1919 Kaluza noticed that when he solved Albert Einstein
's equations for general relativity
using five dimensions, then James Clark Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism
emerged spontaneously. Kaluza wrote to Einstein who, in turn, encouraged him to publish. Kaluza's theory was published in 1921 in a paper, "Zum Unitätsproblem der Physik" with Einstein's support in Sitzungsberichte Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften 96, 69. (1921).
Kaluza's insight is remembered as the Kaluza-Klein theory (also named after physicist Oskar Klein
). However, the work was neglected for many years as attention was directed towards quantum mechanics
. His idea that fundamental forces can be explained by additional dimensions did not re-emerge until string theory
was developed. It is however also notable that many of the aspects of this body of work were already published in 1914 by Gunnar Nordström
, but his work also went unnoticed and was not recognized when the ideas re-emerged.
For the rest of his career Kaluza continued to produce ideas about relativity and about models of the atomic nucleus
. Despite Einstein's support, Kaluza remained at a low rank (Privatdozent
) at Königsberg
until 1929 when he was appointed as professor at the University of Kiel
. In 1935 he became a full professor at the University of Göttingen where he remained until his death in 1954. Perhaps his finest mathematical work is the textbook Höhere Mathematik für die Praktiker which was written jointly with Georg Joos.
and his appointment to the Göttingen chair was possible only with difficulties and by protection of his colleague Helmut Hasse
. Strange stories were told of his private life, for example, that he taught himself to swim in his thirties by reading a book and succeeded at his first attempt in water.
Kaluza had a son (born 1910), also named Theodor Kaluza (:de:Theodor Kaluza (Mathematiker)) who was a notable mathematician
.
Baki, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Bąki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kobierzyce, within Wrocław County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany.It lies approximately south-west of the regional capital Wrocław....
– 19 January 1954, Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
) was a German
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...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and 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...
known for the Kaluza-Klein theory involving field equations in five-dimensional space. His idea that fundamental forces can be unified by introducing additional dimensions re-emerged much later in string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
.
Life
Kaluza was born to a Roman Catholic family from the town of RatiborRacibórz
Racibórz is a town in southern Poland with 60,218 inhabitants situated in the Silesian Voivodeship , previously in Katowice Voivodeship...
in the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
's Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
Province of Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
. Kaluza himself was born in Wilhelmsthal
Baki, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Bąki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kobierzyce, within Wrocław County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany.It lies approximately south-west of the regional capital Wrocław....
(a village that was incorporated into Oppeln (present-day Opole)
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
in 1899). He spent his youth in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, where his father, Max Kaluza, was a professor of the English language. He entered the University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
to study mathematics and gained his doctorate with a thesis on Tschirnhaus transformations. Kaluza was primarily a mathematician but began studying 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 April 1919 Kaluza noticed that when he solved 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 equations for 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...
using five dimensions, then James Clark Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
emerged spontaneously. Kaluza wrote to Einstein who, in turn, encouraged him to publish. Kaluza's theory was published in 1921 in a paper, "Zum Unitätsproblem der Physik" with Einstein's support in Sitzungsberichte Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften 96, 69. (1921).
Kaluza's insight is remembered as the Kaluza-Klein theory (also named after physicist Oskar Klein
Oskar Klein
Oskar Benjamin Klein was a Swedish theoretical physicist.Klein was born in Danderyd outside Stockholm, son of the chief rabbi of Stockholm, Dr. Gottlieb Klein from Homonna in Hungary and Antonie Levy...
). However, the work was neglected for many years as attention was directed towards 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...
. His idea that fundamental forces can be explained by additional dimensions did not re-emerge until string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
was developed. It is however also notable that many of the aspects of this body of work were already published in 1914 by Gunnar Nordström
Gunnar Nordström
Gunnar Nordström was a Finnish theoretical physicist best remembered for his theory of gravitation, which was an early competitor of general relativity...
, but his work also went unnoticed and was not recognized when the ideas re-emerged.
For the rest of his career Kaluza continued to produce ideas about relativity and about models of the atomic nucleus
Atomic nucleus
The nucleus is the very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. It was discovered in 1911, as a result of Ernest Rutherford's interpretation of the famous 1909 Rutherford experiment performed by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Rutherford. The...
. Despite Einstein's support, Kaluza remained at a low rank (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...
) at Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
until 1929 when he was appointed as professor at the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
. In 1935 he became a full professor at the University of Göttingen where he remained until his death in 1954. Perhaps his finest mathematical work is the textbook Höhere Mathematik für die Praktiker which was written jointly with Georg Joos.
Personal life
Kaluza was extraordinarily versatile. He spoke or wrote 17 languages (his favorite allegedly Arabic). He also had an unusually modest personality. He refused the National Socialist ideologyNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and his appointment to the Göttingen chair was possible only with difficulties and by protection of his colleague Helmut Hasse
Helmut Hasse
Helmut Hasse was a German mathematician working in algebraic number theory, known for fundamental contributions to class field theory, the application of p-adic numbers to local classfield theory and diophantine geometry , and to local zeta functions.-Life:He was born in Kassel, and died in...
. Strange stories were told of his private life, for example, that he taught himself to swim in his thirties by reading a book and succeeded at his first attempt in water.
Kaluza had a son (born 1910), also named Theodor Kaluza (:de:Theodor Kaluza (Mathematiker)) who was a notable mathematician
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.
External links
- TED talk - capsule introduction to string theory given by Brian GreeneBrian GreeneBrian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds...