Description
Book SynopsisThis biography gives an insider view of 20th century German science in the making. The discovery by Max von Laue in 1912 of interference effects demonstrated the wave-like nature of X-rays and the atomic lattice structure of crystals. This major advance for research on solids earned him the Nobel Prize two years later, the ultimate acclaim as an exceptional theoretician. As an early supporter of Einstein’s relativity theory, he published fundamental papers on light scattering as well as on matter waves and superconductivity. Laue may be counted among the few persons of influence in Germany who – as Einstein put it – managed to “stay morally upright” under Nazism. It is thus surprising that this is the first extensive biography of this famous scientist.
Jost Lemmerich could hardly have been better equipped to describe German physics and physicists in the 1920s. His copiously illustrated historical account is based as much on scientific material as on private correspondence, creating a fascinating and convincingly detailed portrait.
Trade Review“There can be no doubt that a comprehensive scientific biography of Max von Laue is overdue. He is most famous for the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals which earned him the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physics. … His life … deserves interest both from the perspective of physics as a discipline and the performance of a scientist within society. … the material contained in this biography makes it worthwhile to study carefully for anyone making a new attempt.” (Michael Eckert, Physics in Perspective, Vol. 25, 2023)
“This book is a scholarly tour de force. It is illustrated with numerous portraits of the scientists and with fully referenced quotes and footnotes from their correspondence. It is a joy to read; and I learnt a lot.” (Moreton Moore, Crystallography Reviews, March 10, 2023)
Table of ContentsForeword.- Introduction.- Childhood and youth.- Studies in physics.- Doctoral dissertation and first scientific research.- Private lecturer at the University of Munich.- Professorship in Zurich.- Professorship in Frankfurt am Main, WW I, Nobel Prize in physics.- Berlin – general and special theories of relativity.- Physics and politics in Berlin during the 1930s.- Physics and politics during WW II.- War’s end and Farm Hall.- Back in Germany.- Back in Berlin – in West Berlin.
