Herbert Seifert
Encyclopedia
Herbert Karl Johannes Seifert (May 27, 1907, Bernstadt
– October 1, 1996, Heidelberg
) was a German
mathematician
known for his work in topology
.
He was born in Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, but soon moved to Bautzen
, where he attended primary school at the Knabenbürgerschule, and secondary school at the Oberrealschule.
In 1926 Seifert entered the Dresden University of Technology. The next year he attended a course on topology
given by William Threlfall. This would be the beginning both of his lifelong work in the subject and his friendship with Threlfall. In the year 1928-29 he visited the University of Göttingen, where topologists such as Pavel Sergeevich Alexandrov
and Heinz Hopf
were working.
In 1930 he received his doctorate. He then moved to the University of Leipzig
, where he received his second doctorate in 1932. It was here that Seifert submitted his dissertation, Topologie 3-dimensionaler gefaserter Räume (“Topology of 3-dimensional fibred spaces”), on 1 February 1932, and he was awarded with this doctorate of philosophy after his oral examination on March 3. The manifold
s he studied in his thesis were afterwards named Seifert fiber space
s.
Seifert continued to collaborate with Threlfall, and in 1934 (the year Seifert received his habilitation) they published their Lehrbuch der Topologie. In 1938 they published Variationsrechnung Im Grossen.
In 1935, Seifert was summoned to a post at the University of Heidelberg, where he took a position vacated by the dismissal of a Jewish professor. During World War II
he volunteered for a position at a Luftwaffe research center, the Institut für Gasdynamik. After the war, Seifert was one of the few German professors whom the allies trusted during the period of denazification
.
In the year 1948-49 Seifert visited the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey
. On 13 September 1949, soon after returning to Germany, he married Katharina Korn.
Seifert retired in 1975. His students include Albrecht Dold
and Dieter Puppe.
Bernstadt auf dem Eigen
Bernstadt auf dem Eigen is a town in the district Görlitz, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated 16 km north of Zittau, and 16 km southwest of Görlitz....
– October 1, 1996, Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
) was a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
known for his work in topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
.
He was born in Bernstadt auf dem Eigen, but soon moved to Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
, where he attended primary school at the Knabenbürgerschule, and secondary school at the Oberrealschule.
In 1926 Seifert entered the Dresden University of Technology. The next year he attended a course on topology
Topology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
given by William Threlfall. This would be the beginning both of his lifelong work in the subject and his friendship with Threlfall. In the year 1928-29 he visited the University of Göttingen, where topologists such as Pavel Sergeevich Alexandrov
Pavel Sergeevich Alexandrov
Pavel Sergeyevich Alexandrov , sometimes romanized Aleksandroff or Aleksandrov was a Soviet Russian mathematician...
and Heinz Hopf
Heinz Hopf
Heinz Hopf was a German mathematician born in Gräbschen, Germany . He attended Dr. Karl Mittelhaus' higher boys' school from 1901 to 1904, and then entered the König-Wilhelm- Gymnasium in Breslau. He showed mathematical talent from an early age...
were working.
In 1930 he received his doctorate. He then moved to the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, where he received his second doctorate in 1932. It was here that Seifert submitted his dissertation, Topologie 3-dimensionaler gefaserter Räume (“Topology of 3-dimensional fibred spaces”), on 1 February 1932, and he was awarded with this doctorate of philosophy after his oral examination on March 3. The manifold
Manifold
In mathematics , a manifold is a topological space that on a small enough scale resembles the Euclidean space of a specific dimension, called the dimension of the manifold....
s he studied in his thesis were afterwards named Seifert fiber space
Seifert fiber space
A Seifert fiber space is a 3-manifold together with a "nice" decomposition as a disjoint union of circles. In other words it is a S^1-bundle over a 2-dimensional orbifold...
s.
Seifert continued to collaborate with Threlfall, and in 1934 (the year Seifert received his habilitation) they published their Lehrbuch der Topologie. In 1938 they published Variationsrechnung Im Grossen.
In 1935, Seifert was summoned to a post at the University of Heidelberg, where he took a position vacated by the dismissal of a Jewish professor. During 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...
he volunteered for a position at a Luftwaffe research center, the Institut für Gasdynamik. After the war, Seifert was one of the few German professors whom the allies trusted during the period of denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
.
In the year 1948-49 Seifert visited the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. On 13 September 1949, soon after returning to Germany, he married Katharina Korn.
Seifert retired in 1975. His students include Albrecht Dold
Albrecht Dold
Albrecht Dold was a German mathematician specializing in algebraic topology who proved the Dold–Thom theorem, the Dold–Kan theorem, and introduced Dold manifolds, Dold–Puppe stabilization, and Dold fibrations.Albrecht Dold studied mathematics and physics at the University ofHeidelberg, then worked...
and Dieter Puppe.
See also
- Seifert surfaceSeifert surfaceIn mathematics, a Seifert surface is a surface whose boundary is a given knot or link.Such surfaces can be used to study the properties of the associated knot or link. For example, many knot invariants are most easily calculated using a Seifert surface...
- Seifert–van Kampen theoremSeifert–van Kampen theoremIn mathematics, the Seifert-van Kampen theorem of algebraic topology, sometimes just called van Kampen's theorem, expresses the structure of the fundamental group of a topological space X, in terms of the fundamental groups of two open, path-connected subspaces U and V that cover X...
- Seifert conjectureSeifert conjectureIn mathematics, the Seifert conjecture states that every nonsingular, continuous vector field on the 3-sphere has a closed orbit. It is named after Herbert Seifert. In a 1950 paper, Seifert asked if such a vector field exists, but did not phrase non-existence as a conjecture...
- Seifert–Weber space