In this article you will learn everything you need to know about Erwin Schrödinger, one of the most important physicists of the 20th century. We go into his famous thought experiment with the Schrödinger cat, his profile, his equation, the Nobel Prize, his atomic model and his inventions. Dive into the fascinating world of quantum physics and learn how Schrödinger revolutionised our understanding of atoms and molecules!
| Born | 12 August 1887 |
| Died | 4 January 1961 |
| Awards | - Haitinger Prize (1920)
- Matteucci Medal (1927)
- Nobel Prize in Physics (1933)
- Max Planck Medal (1937)
- ForMemRS (1949)
- Erwin Schrödinger Prize (1956)
|
| Known for | - Schrödinger equation
- Schrödinger's cat
- Schrödinger method
- Rayleigh-Schrödinger perturbation
- Robertson–Schrödinger uncertainty relations
- Schrödinger–HJW theorem
- Schrödinger's pure-affine theory
|
| Thesis | Über die Leitung der Elektrizität auf der Oberfläche von Isolatoren an feuchter Luft |
Erwin Schrödinger: Facts
Erwin Schrödinger was born on 12 August 1887 in Vienna, Austria. He was the only child of Rudolf Schrödinger, a cloth manufacturer, and Georgine Emilia Brenda (maiden name Bauer) who came from a family of painters. He grew up in an intellectual family where his parents placed great value on his education and encouraged an interest in science and mathematics at an early age.
Erwin Schrödinger: Early Life and Studies
Schrödinger attended the Akademisches Gymnasium in Vienna, where he further developed his skills in mathematics and physics. After graduating from school, he began studying at the University of Vienna in 1906, where he was taught by renowned professors such as Franz S. Exner and Friedrich Hasenöhrl. In 1910, Schrödinger graduated with a doctorate in physics and subsequently worked as Exner's assistant.
During the First World War, Schrödinger served as an officer in the Austrian army. After the war ended, he returned to the University of Vienna and habilitated in 1920. In the following years, Schrödinger taught at various universities, including the University of Stuttgart, the University of Breslau, the University of Zurich, the University of Berlin and the University of Oxford.
Fig. 1. Erwin Schrödinger in 1933.
Erwin Schrödinger: Scientific Career
During his time in Zurich, from 1921 to 1927, he developed his famous Schrödinger equation, which later earned him the Nobel Prize. This groundbreaking work laid the foundation for wave mechanics and fundamentally changed the understanding of atoms and molecules.
Schrödinger's academic career took him through various countries and brought him into contact with many important scientists of his time, such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. His scientific influence and contributions to quantum mechanics have had a lasting impact on modern physics and have occupied an important place in the history of science.
Erwin Schrödinger: Family and Private Life
Erwin Schrödinger married Annemarie Bertel in 1920, with whom he had a daughter, Ruth. Schrödinger was known for his unconventional lifestyle and also had extramarital affairs.
Schrödinger had a close friendship with Albert Einstein and the two kept up a lively correspondence, exchanging ideas and thoughts on quantum mechanics and other scientific topics. Schrödinger died in Vienna on 4 January 1961.
Schrödinger's Cat
The Schrödinger cat thought experiment is one of the most famous examples to illustrate the paradoxes of quantum mechanics. Erwin Schrödinger developed this experiment to point out the problems of interpreting quantum states.
Imagine a cat is in a locked box along with a radioactive sample, a Geiger counter and a bottle of deadly poison. When the Geiger counter detects radioactivity, the poison is released and the cat dies. According to quantum mechanics, the cat is now in a state where it is alive and dead at the same time, as long as no one looks into the box. It is only through observation that the cat's state is determined. This experiment shows the difficulties of applying quantum mechanics to classical objects like cats.
The radioactive sample releases radiation whenever a radioactive decay happens by chance. This can happen immediately, after closing the box, or much later, or not at all.
The Significance of Schrödinger's Cat for Quantum Mechanics
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