Guest Writer: Rauful Alam
Author and Researcher
Email: [email protected]
In the history of science, two individuals are known as the “Mentor of the Stars”. This is because they produced the highest number of successful scientists who shine in the world of science like bright stars. One of these teachers was J. J. Thomson, the other is Arnold Sommerfeld.
Today, I will write a few words about Sommerfeld. He supervised many brilliant students—perhaps the most talented among them was Werner Heisenberg. When Heisenberg was just twenty, he went to pursue his Ph.D. under Sommerfeld. Sommerfeld took him to a lecture by the renowned young scientist Niels Bohr. That was Heisenberg’s first meeting with Bohr, and this meeting would later open up new possibilities in the history of science.
One of the greatest qualities of a good teacher is that they introduce their students to the best teachers and researchers, giving them opportunities to shape their future. I still see this culture alive in Europe and America. For this reason, the finest scientists are always produced from within a specific network!
Heisenberg won the Nobel Prize at the age of just thirty-one, in 1932. He was Sommerfeld’s first student to win the Nobel. Later on, several more of Sommerfeld’s Ph.D. students received the Nobel Prize. Among them, Peter Debye and Wolfgang Pauli (known for Pauli’s exclusion principle) are notable. Some scientists who did postdoctoral research under Sommerfeld also won the Nobel Prize, such as Linus Pauling. But the success of Sommerfeld’s students cannot be measured by the Nobel Prize alone—many of his students, even without the Nobel, have made enduring contributions to their fields.
Sommerfeld completed his Ph.D. at just twenty-two, under a distinguished German mathematician of that era. He then worked and contributed to many areas of physics. Sommerfeld’s mathematical contributions played a significant role in establishing Einstein’s theory of relativity. He founded the renowned journal for physics of that time, Zeitschrift für Physik (Journal for Physics). It was in this journal that Satyendra Nath Bose’s famous work was published in 1924. Sommerfeld is also counted among the pioneers of quantum mechanics. This mentor who produced many ‘stars’ was nominated for the Nobel Prize 84 times. Yet, he never received the Nobel himself.
In 1928, Sommerfeld visited Kolkata, where he met C. V. Raman. That same year, Raman made his famous discovery in spectroscopy (the Raman Effect) and presented it in Sommerfeld’s presence. Hearing of Sommerfeld’s visit, Satyendra Nath Bose rushed there from Dhaka. At the end of Raman’s lecture, Satyendra Nath Bose remarked, “Professor Raman, you have made an extraordinary discovery. This will become known as the ‘Raman Effect’ and you will soon win the Nobel Prize” (Source: Satyendra Nath Bose—His Life and Times). Bose’s prediction came absolutely true: C. V. Raman won the Nobel Prize just two years later in 1930.
A lesser-known fact: The student of C. V. Raman who was actually the main discoverer of the Raman Effect was named Srinivasa Krishnan. The same year he helped discover the Raman Effect (1928), he joined the Physics Department at the University of Dhaka as a Reader. He worked at Dhaka University for five years. S. Krishnan was knighted for his contributions to science.
Note: Collected from Facebook:——–
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