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Birth
Werner Heisenberg was born on December 5, 1901, in Wurzburg, Germany to Dr. August Heisenberg and Annie Wecklein. -
Ph.D.
Werner Heisenberg studied Physics at the University of Munich, Germany, under German Physicist Arnold Sommerfeld, completing his final orals on July 23, 1923. -
Post-Doc
Werner Heisenberg went on to work as Max Born's assistant at the University of Gottingen, where he continued his work on atomic and molecular models. -
The Search for a New Quantum Theory
Based on his work in the early 1920s on atoms and molecules, spectroscopy, and the nature of light, Heisenberg concluded that Bohr and Sommerfeld's quantum theory (currently accepted at the time of Heisenburg's arrival to the University of Munich in 1920) needed to be replaced. He began his research into finding a new quantum mechanics in April of 1925. -
Breakthrough to Quantum Mechanics
Heisenberg's struggle to develop quantum mechanics without being able to observe the electron orbits in atoms came to a successful end in July of 1925. However, the mathematics used was unfamiliar to him, later recognized by co-worker Max Born as mathematical "matrices." Born submitted Heisenberg's paper for publication which became known as the breakthrough to Quantum Mechanics. -
Three-Man-Paper
Through August and September 1925, Heisenberg, Born, and his assistant, Pascual Jordan, further developed quantum mechanics based upon Heisenberg's matrices. The research resulted in a paper titled "On Quantum Mechanics II," or more commonly known as the "three-man-paper." This paper outlined details about Heisenberg's "matrix mechanics." It showed that this new quantum mechanics could account for properties of atoms and atomic events that Bohr and Sommerfeld's quantum theory could not. -
A Resulting Development
As a result of further exploration of his new theory, Heisenberg developed the Uncertainty Principle in February 1927, which states that as a result of quantum theory, we cannot simultaneously know a particle's position and velocity with exact precision. -
Death
On February 1, 1976, Werner Heisenberg died of cancer in his home in Munich, Germany. Heisenberg mini-biography - [https://youtu.be/6SeddiqLGzk] -
Major Works of Heisenberg
(1)Heisenberg, Werner. Quantum-mechanical re-interpretation of kinematic and mechanical relations. 29 Jul. 1925,
http://fisica.ciens.ucv.ve/~svincenz/SQM261.pdf.
(2)Born, Max, et al. On Quantum Mechanics II. 16 Nov. 1925,
http://fisica.ciens.ucv.ve/~svincenz/SQM333.pdf.
(3)Hilgevoord, Jan, and Jos Uffink. “The Uncertainty Principle.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 12 July 2016, plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-uncertainty/. -
Works Cited
(1)AIP. “The Quantum Mechanic (1925-1927).” The Quantum Mechanic - Heisenberg Web Exhibit, American Institute of Physics, history.aip.org/web-exhibits/heisenberg/quantum-mechanic.html.
(2)AIP. “The Uncertainty Principle (1925-1927).” The Uncertainty Principle - Heisenberg Web Exhibit, American Institute of Physics, history.aip.org/web-exhibits/heisenberg/uncertainty-principle.html. -
Works Cited
“The Development of Quantum Mechanics (1925 – 1927).” Heisenberg, Heisenberg Society, www.heisenberg-gesellschaft.de/3-the-development-of-quantum-mechanics-1925-ndash-1927.html.