Laval University

From the SelectedWorks of Fathi Habashi

2012

The asC e of Nobelists: Philipp Lenard and Johannes Stark Fathi Habashi

Available at: https://works.bepress.com/fathi_habashi/491/ '18-79 78 Chen. Educator2012,17,

The Caseof NobelistsPhilipp Lenard and JohannesStark

Fathi Habashi

Laval Univers ity, QuebecC ity, Canada, FahL Hab(tshi@prul. ulwal.ca ReceiverlApril 27,20I2. AcceptedMay I6,20l2.

Abstract A Nobel laureatehas become a symbolofexcellence, a g€niusthat deserves respect and honour from the royalties,scholars, and laymen,While this is absolutelytrue yet few laureatesdid not standto this standard. This may be strang€but this happenedin turbulenttimes in Germanywhen the Nazi ideologyprevailed. philipp Lenardand JohannesStark two distinguishedCerman scientists were an€sted at the end of World War II and tried for misconduct,

lntroduclion completelyevacuated. He wasable to convenientlydetect the rays and measuretheir intensityby meansof papersheets Two Nob€l Prize winnersw€re conffov€rsial figures in the coatedwith phosphorescentmaterials. 1930sand 40s.Philipp EduardAnton von Lenard(Figure l), He confirmedsome of J. J. Thomson'swork, which winnerof the Nobel Prizefor Physicsin 1905for his research ultimatelyarrived at the understandingthat cathoderays were on cathoderays, and JohannesStark (Figure2) Nobel Prize streamsof energeticelectrons. In conjunctionwith his and laureatein l9l9 fbr his discoveryof the DopplerEfl'ect in other earlier experimentson the absorptionof the rays in canalrays and the splittingof spectrallines in €lectricfields, metals,ths generalrealization that elecfons wereconstitusnt Both scientistswere active proponents ofNazi ideologyin the partsofthe atomenabled Lenard to claimthat for the mostpart 1930sand were closely involved wirh the DeutschePhysik atomsconsist of emptyspace. His mostimponant observations movem€ntunder the Nazi regime.At the endof World War II werethat th€ eners/ of the rays was independentof the light whgn the Nazi regimecame to an end, Lenardthen 83 years intensity,but was greaterfor shorterwavelengths of light. old wasexpelled from his postby theAllied OccupyingForces Theselatter observations were explained by Albert Einsteinas while Starkwas classifiedin 1947as a "Major OfTendel'and a quantumeffect, This was shownto be the casesome years received a sentenceof lbur years imprisonmentby a laterand was cited when Einstein was awarded the NobelPrize DenazificationCourt. in Physics.This embitteredLenard, who becamea prominent skeptic of relativity and of Einstein's theories generally. Lenard Lenardwrotc a numberof bookson cathoderays, relativity, PhilippLenard was bom in Pressburg/Pozsony,Kingdom of and relatedsubjects and DeutschePhysik in 4 volumesin (Figure Hungary,Austrian Empire (present-day Bratislav4 Slovakia) 1936-1937 4). as the son of a wine merchant.The young Lenardleamed in Hungarianin the Roy.rl Hungarian Gymnasiurzand becamean Stark ardent Magyar nationalist.In 1880 he studiedphysics and Starkwas bom in Schickenhof,Kingdom of Bavari4 (now chemistryin Viennaand in Budapestand in 1883he movedto Freihung), educatedat the Bayreuth Gymnasium Heidelbergto study under RobertBunsen where he obtained and later in Regensburg,then went in 1894to the University doctoraldegree in 1886.In 1887he workedin Budapestunder of Munich where he graduatedin 1897. He then worked LordndEtitvds as a demonstrator.After postsat Aachen,Bonn, in various positionsat the PhysicsInstitute ofhis Alma Mater Breslau,Heidelberg, and Kiel he retumedto the Universityof unril 1900, becarnel€cturer at the University Heidelbergin 1907as the headofthe PhilippLenard Institute. ofGiittingen,then Associate Prcfessorat Hanover,and in 1908Professor In 1905Philip Lenardbecame a memberofthe RoyalSwedish at the Technische Hochschulein Aachen.Stark was el€cted Academyof Sciencesand in 1907ofthe HungarianAcademy Presidentof the Physikalisch-TechnischeBund€sanstalt while ofSciences.He receivedmany honors and awards (Figure 3). alsoPresident of the DeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft. He wrote a number His early work includedstudies of phosphorescenceand of books on atomic structure.It was luminescenceand the conduotivityof flames. His major Stark who, as editor of Jahrbuchder Radioaktivifitund Elekronik contributionswere in the study of cathoderays, which he askedin 1907the then unknownAlben Einsteinto writ€ b€ganin 1888.Prior to his work, cathoderays were produced a reviewarticle on the principleof relativity.While workingon this anicle, in primitiv€partially avaauated glass tubes that hav€metallic Einstein begana line of thoughtthat would eventuallylead electrodesaaross which a high voltagecan be placed,Cathode to his generalizedth€ory of relativity,which alier its confirmation rays were di{frcult to study becausethey w€re insidesealed madeEinstein famous, glasstubes, difficult to access,Lenard overcame this problem by makingsmall metallic windows in the glassthat were thick €noughto be able to withstandthe pressuredifferences, but thin enoughto allow passageof the rays.He could passthem out into the laboratoryor into anotherchamber that was

@2012 The Chenical Educator, Sl430-41'11(12)12419-0, Published 06/01/2012, 10.1333/s00897l224l9a | 7l20078.Ddf TheCase of NobelistsPhilipp Lenard and JohannesStark Chem.Educator, /ol. 17,2012 '79

DeutschePhysik and Anti-Semitism

Befbrethe Nazi cameto powerin Cermanythe situationin Europewas t€nseand turbulent.Einstein at the age of 32 identified himself with the Zionist mov€mentwhich was demandingan Israelihomeland in Palestine.He participatedat publicevents to raisefunds among the Jewishcommunities of the world to helpbuild a flebrew Universityin Jerusalem.An ardent supporterof Nazism, Lenard publicly denounced "Jewish" science, including Albert Einstein's theory of Figure l. PhilippLenard (1862-1941). relativity.During the Nazi regime,he and Stark becamethe leadersof German physics through the DeutschePhysik mov€mentagainst Albert Einst€inand Wemer Heisenberg who wasn'tJewish but a supporterof Einstein'stheory. In his 1934 book Nat io nals oz i al ismus und Wi sse rsc haf Stark maintained that the priority of the scientistwas to servethe nation-thus, the importantfields of researchwere thosethat could help Germanarms production and industry.He aftackedtheoretical physicsas Jewishand stressed that scientificpositions in Nazi Oermanyshould only be heldby pLne-bloodedCermans. Lenardhad evenjoined the National Socialist Party before it becamepolitically necessary or popularto do so, During the Nazi regime,he wasthe outspokenproponent of the ideathat Germanyshould ignore what he consideredthe f'allaciousand Figure2. JohannesStark (1874-1957). deliberatelymisleading ideas of"Jewish physics",by which he m€antchielly the theoriesof Einstein.An advisorto Adolf Hitler, Lenardbecame Chief of Aryan Physics.Stark wrote articlesin the SSnewspaper Das Schwarze Korps. His political publicationsinclude: . Die gegenwtirtigeKrise der deutschenPhysik,1922 . Hitlergeistund Wisse$chaft(with PhilippLenard), 1924 . Nationalsozialismusund KatholischeKirche- l93l lin two parts] . Nationale Erziehung, 1932 Figure 3. L€nardrec€ives an honomrydegree fiom the R€ctorofthe . Natiorulsozialismusund Wissenschaft,1934 Universitvof Heidelbers. . Jidischeund deutsche Plrysik, (withWilhelm Miiller), r94| . Nationale EEiehung,Zentumsherrschaft und Jes u i tenp o I i t i k. tndated o Hitlers Ziele und Persbnlichkeit,undated (Figure 5) Referencesand Notes

L K. Hentschel, editor, Pllsics and National Socialism: An Anthology of Primary So rces, BitkhauserVedag, Basel,Switzerland | 996 "Philipp A. Kleinert, editor, Lenard und Johannes Stark: Zwei Nobelprisrager gegen Einst€in", pp 226-229 in Ingenie r des Unit'ers ns. Albert Einstein. Hunden Aubrcn fb Einstein- editot J. Renn,WILEY - VCH, Heidelberg2005. Figure4. Oneoft he volumesofLenard's Gemd, PrFicr.

Figure5. OneofStark's politicalbooks translated in Danish

@2012 The Chenical Educator.51430"417l(12)12419-0, Published 06/01/2012, l0 1333/s00897122419a" I7120078.pdf