Leonard Ornstein
Leonard Ornstein | |
|---|---|
 Leonard Salomon Ornstein (1927) | |
| Born | 15 November 1880 Nijmegen, Netherlands |
| Died | 20 May 1941 (aged 60) Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | University of Leiden |
| Known for | Discontinuous electrophoresis Ornstein-Zernike equation Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physicist |
| Institutions | University of Utrecht |
| Doctoral advisor | Hendrik Lorentz |
| Doctoral students | 95 PhD students, for instance Marcel Minnaert H. C. Hamaker Hendrik Dorgelo Arie Andries Kruithof[1] |
Leonard Salomon Ornstein (12 November 1880 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands – 20 May 1941 in Utrecht, the Netherlands)[2] was a Dutch physicist.
Biography
[edit]Ornstein studied theoretical physics with Hendrik Antoon Lorentz at the University of Leiden. He subsequently carried out Ph.D. research under the supervision of Lorentz, concerning an application of the statistical mechanics of Gibbs to molecular problems.[3]
In 1914, Ornstein was appointed professor of physics, as successor of Peter Debye, at the University of Utrecht. Among his doctoral students was Jan Frederik Schouten. In 1922, Ornstein became director of the Physical Laboratory (Fysisch Laboratorium) and extended his research interests to experimental subjects. His precision measurements concerning intensities of spectral lines brought the Physical Laboratory in the international limelight.[4]
Ornstein is also remembered for the Ornstein-Zernike theory (named after himself and Frederik Zernike) concerning correlation functions,[5] and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process (named after Ornstein and George Uhlenbeck), a stochastic process.
Together with Gilles Holst,[6] director of the Philips Physics Laboratory (Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium), Ornstein was the driving force behind establishing the Netherlands Physical Society (Nederlandse Natuurkundige Vereniging, NNV) in 1921. From 1939 until November 1940, he was chairman of this society. From 1918 until 1922, he was chairman of the Dutch Zionist Society (Nederlandse Zionistische Vereniging). In 1929, he became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[7]
Immediately after the involvement of the Netherlands in World War II (see Battle of the Netherlands), a friend from the United States of America, the astronomer Peter van de Kamp, offered to bring Ornstein and his family to America. However, Ornstein did not accept this offer, since, as he put it, he would not leave his laboratory in Utrecht. Owing to his Jewish heritage, Ornstein was dismissed from the university in September 1940 and was barred from entering his laboratory. In November 1940, he was officially dismissed from the university. On 29 November 1940, Ornstein withdrew his membership of the Netherlands Physical Society. During this period he increasingly distanced himself from public life, to the degree that he no longer wished to receive guests at home. Ornstein died on 20 May 1941, six months after being barred from University.[citation needed]
One of the five buildings of the Department of Physics at the University of Utrecht is named the Leonard S. Ornstein Laboratory[8] in his honor.
Publications
[edit]- Toepassing der statistische mechanica van Gibbs op moleculair-theoretische vraagstukken, Ph.D. thesis, 26 March 1908[3]
- Problemen der kinetische theorie van de stof, 1915
- Strahlungsgesetz und Intensität von Mehrfachlinien, 1924
- Intensität der Komponenten im Zeemaneffekt, 1924
- On the theory of the Brownian motion, 1930
- De beteekenis der natuurkunde voor cultuur en maatschappij, 1932[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Arie Andries Kruithof, Mathematics Genealogy Project.
- ^ This text is almost entirely based on the article by: de Lang, Herman (October 2006). "Geschiedenis: 'Vuile handen' in eigen boezem". Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Natuurkunde. 72 (10): 334. Retrieved 2007-03-30. [permanent dead link] (in Dutch).
- ^ a b Ornstein, Leonard Salomon (1908-03-26). Toepassing der statistische mechanica van Gibbs op molekulair-theoretische vraagstukken. Leiden: Eduard IJdo. thesis. Archived from the original on 2009-07-29.
- ^ Pais, Abraham (1986). Inward Bound. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 299–300. ISBN 978-0198519973.
- ^ Briels, W.J. (October 1998). "The Ornstein-Zernike equation and integral equations, in Theory of Polymer Dynamics". cbp.tnw.utwente.nl. University of Twente, the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Gilles Holst, by Albert van Helden, in K. van Berkel, A. van Helden and L. Palm, A History of Science in The Netherlands. Survey, Themes and Reference (Leiden: Brill, 1999), pp. 471-472. Digital Library of Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- ^ "Leonard Salomon Ornstein (1880 - 1941)". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "Leonard S. Ornstein Laboratory". www.uu.nl. Utrecht University. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Speech in Dutch on the significance of physics to culture/civilisation and society: Ornstein, L.S. (1932). "De beteekenis der natuurkunde voor cultuur en maatschappij" (PDF). dspace.library.uu.nl. p. 22. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
External links
[edit]- Snelders H.A.M. (2007-02-01). "Ornstein, Leonard Salomon (1880-1941)", in: Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. (in Dutch).
- The Ornstein-Zernike equation in the canonical ensemble
- Leonard Ornstein at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
