Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld FRS (5 December 1868 – 26 April 1951) was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics. He was nominated a record 81 times for the Nobel Prize, and served as PhD supervisor for more Nobel prize winners in physics than any other supervisor before or since. He introduced the 2nd quantum number (azimuthal quantum number) and the 4th quantum number (spin quantum number). He also introduced the fine-structure constant, and pioneered X-ray wave theory.

Contents

• 1 Education
• 2 Career
  • 2.1 Göttingen
  • 2.2 Aachen
  • 2.3 Munich
• 3 Selected literature
• 4 Books
• 5 See also
• 6 Bibliography
• 7 References
• 8 External links

Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld (5 December 1868 – 26 April 1951) was a German physicist who introduced the fine-structure constant in 1919.

Sourced

• If I knew something about it, I wouldn’t lecture on it!
  • As quoted in: Cassidy, David C. Uncertainty: The Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg (W. H. Freeman and Company, 1992) p. 104.

Attributed

• Thermodynamics is a funny subject. The first time you go through it, you don't understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you don't understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, so it doesn't bother you any more.