Alfred Schild
Encyclopedia
Alfred Schild was a leading American
physicist
, well-known for his contributions to the Golden age of general relativity
(1960–1975).
Schild was born in Istanbul. His parents were German
-speaking, but his early education was in England
. Upon the outbreak of World War II
Schild was interned as an enemy alien, but later allowed to travel to Canada
. In 1944 he earned his B.A. at the University of Toronto
, and in 1946 completed his doctorate under the direction of Leopold Infeld
. Schild spent the next eleven years at the Carnegie Institute of Technology
, where he helped to develop the first atomic clock
s.
In 1957 he moved to the University of Texas at Austin
, where he became a leading member of the fledgling research group in general relativity. In 1959 he published an influential textbook coauthored with J. L. Synge
. In 1965, with Roy Kerr
, he developed the important notion of Kerr/Schild spacetimes. In a 1970 seminar at Princeton University
, he introduced an important construction now known as Schild's Ladder
.
Toward the end of his life, Schild was active in protests against the Vietnam war
.
Schild's private papers are archived by the University of Texas.
by Greg Egan
drew heavily on concepts introduced or refined by Schild.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, well-known for his contributions to the Golden age of general relativity
Golden age of general relativity
The golden age of general relativity is the period roughly from 1960 to 1975 during which the study of general relativity, which had previously been regarded as something of a curiosity, entered the mainstream of theoretical physics...
(1960–1975).
Schild was born in Istanbul. His parents were German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking, but his early education was in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Upon the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Schild was interned as an enemy alien, but later allowed to travel to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1944 he earned his B.A. at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and in 1946 completed his doctorate under the direction of Leopold Infeld
Leopold Infeld
Leopold Infeld was a Polish physicist who worked mainly in Poland and Canada . He was a Rockefeller fellow at Cambridge University and a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences....
. Schild spent the next eleven years at the Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
, where he helped to develop the first atomic clock
Atomic clock
An atomic clock is a clock that uses an electronic transition frequency in the microwave, optical, or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum of atoms as a frequency standard for its timekeeping element...
s.
In 1957 he moved to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where he became a leading member of the fledgling research group in general relativity. In 1959 he published an influential textbook coauthored with J. L. Synge
John Lighton Synge
John Lighton Synge was an Irish mathematician and physicist.-Background:Synge was born 1897 in Dublin, Ireland, in a Protestant family and educated at St. Andrew's College, Dublin. He entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1915...
. In 1965, with Roy Kerr
Roy Kerr
Roy Patrick Kerr CNZM is a New Zealand mathematician who is best known for discovering the Kerr vacuum, an exact solution to the Einstein field equation of general relativity...
, he developed the important notion of Kerr/Schild spacetimes. In a 1970 seminar at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, he introduced an important construction now known as Schild's Ladder
Schild's ladder
In the theory of general relativity, and differential geometry more generally, Schild's ladder is a first-order method for approximating parallel transport of a vector along a curve using only affinely parametrized geodesics...
.
Toward the end of his life, Schild was active in protests against the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Schild's private papers are archived by the University of Texas.
In popular culture
The science fiction novel Schild's LadderSchild's Ladder
Schild's Ladder is a 2002 science fiction novel by Australian author Greg Egan. The book derives its name from Schild's ladder, a construction in differential geometry, devised by the mathematician and physicist Alfred Schild...
by Greg Egan
Greg Egan
Greg Egan is an Australian science fiction author.Egan published his first work in 1983. He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness...
drew heavily on concepts introduced or refined by Schild.