Before 17 February 1922, Walter Gerlach performed the experimental verification of spin quantization in a magnetic field, a milestone now known as the Stern-Gerlach experiment. This achievement utilized molecular beam methods originally proposed by Otto Stern, and the results definitively confirmed quantum theories regarding directional quantization, a finding celebrated by colleagues including Wolfgang Pauli upon its publication.
Early Career and Academic Advancement
Born in 1889 in Wiesbaden, Gerlach studied at the University of Tübingen starting in 1908. He completed his doctorate in 1912 under the supervision of Friedrich Paschen, focusing his dissertation on the measurement of radiation. During the First World War, he served in the German Army, working on wireless telegraphy and contributing to the Artillerie-Prüfungskommission. Following his 1916 habilitation, he held academic roles at the University of Tübingen and the University of Göttingen, before transitioning briefly to industry as a laboratory head at Bayer-Werke A.G. in Elberfeld.
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In December 1943, Gerlach succeeded Abraham Esau as the plenipotentiary of nuclear physics and head of the physics section of the Reichsforschungsrat. Operating under the Ministry of Armaments and War Production, he oversaw uranium research and attempted to centralize physics personnel and funding. His administrative duties included negotiating heavy water production contracts and producing reports for the Reich government. By 1944, his work involved low-temperature experiments at Stadtilm, and he remained a key figure in the German nuclear project until his capture by Allied forces in May 1945.
Post-war Research and Institutional Roles
Following internment at Farm Hall in England under Operation Epsilon, Gerlach returned to academic life in 1946. He held a visiting professorship at the University of Bonn before serving as an ordinarius professor of experimental physics and director of the physics department at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München from 1948 until 1957. During this period, he acted as rector of the university and became a founding president of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. In 1957, he served as a co-signer of the Göttingen Manifesto, opposing the nuclear rearmament of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Fast facts
- Born: 1889, Wiesbaden
- Died: 1979, Munich
- Doctoral advisor: Friedrich Paschen
- Key achievement: Stern-Gerlach experiment (1922)
- Wartime role: Plenipotentiary of nuclear physics (1943-1945)
- Post-war institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- Awards: Harnack medal (1974), Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit (1970)
- Affiliations: Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Questions readers ask
What was the Stern-Gerlach experiment?
It was a landmark laboratory experiment that provided empirical evidence for spin quantization in a magnetic field.
What was Gerlach's role in German nuclear research?
He served as the plenipotentiary of nuclear physics for the Reichsforschungsrat from December 1943 to May 1945.
Achievements
- Bavarian Order of Merit
- Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 1970
- Affiliated with University of Tübingen, Goethe University Frankfurt and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- Educated at University of Tübingen
- Worked as physicist, university teacher and nuclear physicist
