Christian Gerthsen
Encyclopedia
Christian Gerthsen was a Danish-German physicist who made contributions to atomic and nuclear physics, as well as writing numerous textbooks.
and the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
from 1913 to 1914. Circa 1914 to 1918, he served in the military. Circa 1919 to 1920 he attended the Georg-August University of Göttingen
. In 1920, he went to the University of Kiel
. With Walther Kossel
as his advisor, he was awarded his doctorate in 1929. He stayed on as Kossel’s assistant until 1930 and then went to the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
as a Privatdozent
.
. In 1939, he went to the First Physics Institute at the Humboldt University of Berlin
, where he was director. From 1948, he was at the Technische Hochschule
Karlsruhe, where he remained for the rest of his career.
Gerthsen co-authored a number of textbooks with Karl Bechert
. One of Gerthsen’s textbooks is in its 23rd updated edition and in publication more than 50 years after his death.
Education
Gerthsen studied at the Ruprecht Karl University of HeidelbergRuprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public research university located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire. Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution...
and the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , commonly known as the University of Munich or LMU, is a university in Munich, Germany...
from 1913 to 1914. Circa 1914 to 1918, he served in the military. Circa 1919 to 1920 he attended the Georg-August University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
. In 1920, he went to the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
. With Walther Kossel
Walther Kossel
Walther Ludwig Julius Kossel was a German physicist known for his theory of the chemical bond , Sommerfeld–Kossel displacement law of atomic spectra, the Kossel-Stranski model for crystal growth, and the Kossel effect...
as his advisor, he was awarded his doctorate in 1929. He stayed on as Kossel’s assistant until 1930 and then went to the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen is a public university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of Germany's oldest universities, internationally noted in medicine, natural sciences and the humanities. In the area of German Studies it has been ranked first among...
as a Privatdozent
Privatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
.
Career
In 1932, Gerthsen was appointed ordinarius professor of experimental physics and director of the physics institute at the University of GiessenUniversity of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
. In 1939, he went to the First Physics Institute at the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
, where he was director. From 1948, he was at the Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule
Technische Hochschule is what an Institute of Technology used to be called in German-speaking countries, as well as in the Netherlands, before most of them changed their name to Technische Universität or Technische Universiteit in the 1970s and in the...
Karlsruhe, where he remained for the rest of his career.
Gerthsen co-authored a number of textbooks with Karl Bechert
Karl Bechert
Karl Richard Bechert was a German theoretical physicist and political leader. As a scientist, his contributions were in atomic physics.-Scientific career:...
. One of Gerthsen’s textbooks is in its 23rd updated edition and in publication more than 50 years after his death.
Selected Literature
- C. Gerthsen (Physikalisches Institut der Universität, Kiel) Über die Möglichkeit der Erregung von Röntgenstrahlen durch den Stoß von α- und Kanalstrahlen, Zeitschrift für Physik Volume 36, Number 7, Pages 540-547 (1926). Received 14 February 1926.
- C. Gerthsen Ein Multiplikationsverfahren von Kanalstrahlenenergien und seine Anwendung auf Atomzertrümmerung, Naturwissenschaften Volume 20, Number 40, Pages 743-744 (1932)
- C. Gertshen (I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität, Berlin) and E. Grimm (I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität, Berlin) Der Ionisierungsaufwand von radioaktiven Rückstoßatomen, Zeitschrift für Physik Volume 120, Numbers 7-10, Pages 476-485 (1943). Received 30 September 1942.
Books
- Karl Bechert and Christian Gerthsen Atomphysik Bd. I Allgemeine Grundlagen (De Gruyter, 1944, 1955, 1959)
- Karl Bechert and Christian Gerthsen Atomphysik Bd. II Allgemeine Grundlagen (De Gruyter, 1944, 1959, 1963)
- Christian Gerthsen Physik (Volk u. Wissen, 1948, 1951) (Springer, 1956, 1958)
- Christian Gerthsen und Max Pollermann Einführung in das physikalische Praktikum zum Studium der Physik als Nebenfach (Springer, 1953)
- Christian Gerthsen and Max Pollermann Einführung in das physikalische Praktikum (Springer, 1960, 1964, 1967)
- Christian Gerthsen und M. Pollermann Einführung in das Physikalische Praktikum. Für Mediziner und das Anfängerpraktikum (Springer-Verlag, 1982)
- Christian Gerthsen und Hans Otto Kneser Physik (Springer, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1969)
- Karl Bechert and Christian Gerthsen Atomphysik Bd. III, Theorie des Atombaus (De Gruyter, 1954, 1963)
- Karl Bechert, Christian Gerthsen, and Arnold FlammersfeldArnold FlammersfeldArnold Rudolf Karl Flammersfeld was a German nuclear physicist who worked on the German nuclear energy project during World War II...
Atomphysik. Bd. IV. Theorie des Atombaus 2. Teil (De Gruyter, 1954, 1963, 1984)
- Christian Gerthsen, Hans O. Kneser, and Helmut Vogel Physik: Ein Lehrbuch Zum Gebrauch Neben Vorlesungen (Springer-Verlag, 17th edition, 1993)
- Christian Gerthsen und Helmut Vogel Gerthsen Physik (Springer-Verlag, 1995, 1997, 2001)
- Christian Gerthsen and Dieter Meschede Gerthsen Physik. Mit 1074 Aufgaben und vollständigen Lösungen auf CD-ROM (Springer, 2003, 2005)
- Christian Gerthsen, author and Dieter Meschede, editor Gerthsen Physik (Springer; 23 edition, 2007) This textbook is cited as having 1157 pages.