The Tragedy of Arnold Sommerfeld the Wise

At the Nordfriedhof in Munich, the perhaps greatest physicist to never win a Nobel Prize is buried: Arnold Sommerfeld. One of the most talented theoreticians of his time, Sommerfeld started his work as a professor with stints at the University of Göttingen and RWTH Aachen. He published a famous book on spinning tops ("Die Theorie des Kreisels", which my professors recommended to me as an undergrad) before being recruited by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen to lead the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Munich. Today, this Institute is known as the Arnold Sommerfeld Center and is part of the LMU physics faculty. Throughout his time in Munich, Sommerfeld applied nascent mathematical methods to the big physics questions of the age. The joking title is based on the fact that Sommerfeld was nominated for the Nobel Prize 84 times, but never won. However, 4 of his direct students went on to win the Nobel prize, namely Werner Heisenberg, Wolfgang Pauli, Hans Bethe, and Peter Debye. Other notable students include Max von Laue, Isidor Rabi, and Peter Ewald, among others. As a supreme chancellor would perhaps say: "Ironic. He could help his students win the Nobel prize, but not himself." Sommerfeld's contributions over the years are numerous, and this video is not an exclusive list. However, in this personal project, I would like to shine a light upon a scientist who not only is often overlooked, but also is a real Munich original. Sommerfeld's body of work is what stands the test of time, and his influence on the first half of 20th century physics was immense. Enjoy! 🔔 Subscribe for new videos! https://bit.ly/3EKbfWp 📬 CONTACT ME: I started this project as a hobby because I felt I had ideas and experiences I wanted to share. I would really appreciate feedback, so feel free to post a comment below and subscribe for new videos! 🔨 My Gear: My Camera: https://amzn.to/3OxZQxh Tripod: https://amzn.to/3rJxuXi Tripod Light: https://amzn.to/3xP9ea6 Apple USB-C Adapter: https://amzn.to/3KnhAs9 Editing Software: https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/