OTTO STERN February 17, 1888 - August 17, 1969

1. OTTO STERNFebruary 17, 1888 - August 17, 1969 Nobel Prize Winner 1944 Brought to you by: Rachel Miller PHY 240

2. Where did this guy come from? • Otto was born in Zary, Poland… formerly known as Sohrau, Germany

3. How did Otto get so smart?! • Otto attended high school in Breslau, Germany after moving there with his parents • After high school, Otto continued his education at the University of Breslau in 1906 • Just six years later he graduated with a Ph. D in physical chemistry

4. Hanging with our pal Einstein… • Following Otto’s graduation he joined Einstein at the University of Prague… and again, followed him to the University of Zurich

5. While at the University of Zurich… • Otto became the lecturer of Physical Chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technologyin 1913.

6. Working with Al… • During his time with Einstein they wrote a 1913 paper together on the zero-point energy of a harmonic oscillator.

7. Quickly changing… • In 1914 Stern relocated to the University of Frankfurt am Main as lecturer of Theoretical Physics, remaining there until 1921 • Slightly interrupted by serving in the Military…1914-1918

8. Getting the Professor title… • In 1921 Stern was finally named a Professor at the University of Rostock in 1921… • Soon after he left in 1923 to work at the newly founded Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Hamburg

9. Driven from home… • Stern, being Jewish, left Germany when the Nazi regime took power in 1933… • Thus landing him in the United States to continue his work

10. Coming to America …. • Once in the United States, Stern was named Research Professor of Physics at the Carnegie Institute of Technology • Later earning professor emeritus (retired but with an honorary title) in 1945 at the University of California, Berkeley

11. Why do we care about Stern? • For his help in the development of the molecular ray method and for his discovery of the magnetic moment of the proton

12. Molecular ray method… • Stern and Walther Gerlach experimented with molecular-beams Hamburg in the early 1920s. • They conducted the experiment by shooting a beam of silver atoms through a nonuniform magnetic field onto a glass plate The beam separated into 2 beams, confirming the space quantization theory, that atoms can position themselves in a B field in only in a few directions (2 for Silver), as opposed to any direction, like we thought from classical physics

13. Magnetic Moment of the proton… • Stern discovered the magnetic moment (strength of a subatomic particle’s magnetic property) of the proton by using a molecular beam, from his original experimenting • He established that it was really about 2 1/2 times the theoretical value.

14. One last contribution… • Stern contributed in the discovery of spin quantization while working with Gerlach on the magnetic moment of a proton • He was not recognized with the Nobel Prize for this award, but I recognized this when we studied the angular momentum of electrons

15. What did he get for all of his hard work?! • Stern was awarded the 1943 Nobel Prize in Physics • Fun facts… He was the first person awarded since 1939, he was the only person to receive a Physics award for the year, and the committee held his award for one year. He officially received his reward in 1944.

16. Sources: http://www.nndb.com/people/740/000099443/ http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1943/ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/565746/Otto-Stern