Otto Stern

• 1. Early Life And Education

  ›

  Otto Stern was born on the 17th of February 1888 into a Jewish family in Sohrau. This town now bears the name Żory within the Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia. He moved with his parents to Breslau four years later in 1892. His academic journey took him across Germany and Switzerland during the early twentieth century. He studied at institutions in Freiburg im Breisgau, Munich, and Breslau. Stern completed his studies at the University of Breslau in 1912. His doctoral dissertation focused on physical chemistry under the supervision of Otto Sackur. The work examined the kinetic theory of osmotic pressure in concentrated solutions. He then followed Albert Einstein to Charles University in Prague. In 1913 he relocated to ETH Zurich for further research. World War I interrupted his path as he served doing meteorological work on the Russian front. Despite military duties he continued his studies throughout the conflict. He received his Habilitation at the University of Frankfurt in 1915.

  134

• 2. The Stern Gerlach Experiment

  ›

  Walther Gerlach joined Otto Stern in February 1922 at the Physikalischer Verein in Frankfurt am Main. Their collaboration produced a discovery regarding spin quantization that would change physics forever. The experiment involved firing atoms through an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The resulting pattern on a detector screen showed discrete lines rather than a continuous smear. This visual evidence proved that angular momentum was quantized in space. The team published their findings shortly after conducting the tests. The result challenged existing classical theories about atomic behavior. It provided the first direct experimental proof of spatial quantization. The method became known as the Stern-Gerlach experiment. It remains a cornerstone demonstration in quantum mechanics courses today. The partnership between Stern and Gerlach laid the groundwork for future atomic research.

  78

• 3. Molecular Beam Method Development

  ›

  The Nazi seizure of power in Germany forced Otto Stern to resign from his post at the University of Hamburg in 1933. He fled Europe seeking safety and academic freedom abroad. Pittsburgh offered him refuge when he arrived in the United States. He took a professorship of physics at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. His departure marked the end of his tenure as director of the Institut für Physikalische Chemie. The political climate made it impossible for Jewish academics to remain in their positions. Stern found colleagues who supported his transition across the Atlantic Ocean. He maintained connections with European institutions despite the growing conflict. His relocation was part of a larger exodus of German scientists during that decade. The move preserved

• 4. Nazi Era Displacement And Relocation

  ›

  his ability to conduct vital research away from persecution.

  After retiring from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1945, Otto Stern moved to Berkeley, California. He became a regular visitor to the physics colloquium at UC Berkeley. His connection with the university began years earlier when he received an LL.D. degree there in 1930. He maintained close ties with faculty members like chemistry dean Gilbert Lewis. Stern died of a heart attack on the 17th of August 1969 in Berkeley. The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft established the Stern-Gerlach-Medaille to honor excellence in experimental physics. His niece Lieselotte Templeton worked as a crystallographer. He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1945. The American Philosophical Society named him a member in 1946. His legacy endures through the techniques and

  5612

• 5. Proton Magnetic Moment Discovery

  ›

  institutions he helped build.

  9