Contents
Wolfgang Pauli
Formulating the exclusion principle that helps explain atomic structure.
Exclusion principle · Neutrino proposal
- Born
- 25 April 1900
- Birthplace
- Vienna, Austria
- Died
- 15 December 1958
More people
Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Pauli was an Austrian-born theoretical physicist whose ideas about electrons and neutrinos shaped quantum physics.
Early life
Vienna
Published early work on relativity after leaving school.
Munich
Completed a doctorate under Arnold Sommerfeld in 1921.
Career
- 1923–1928
Hamburg
Developed major contributions to the emerging quantum theory.
- 1928
ETH Zurich
Became professor of theoretical physics.
- 1940–1946
Princeton and return
Worked in the United States during the war before returning to Zurich.
Contributions
Exclusion principle
Explained why electrons cannot all occupy the same quantum state.
Neutrino proposal
Proposed a neutral particle to account for missing energy in beta decay.
Nobel Prize
Received the physics prize for the exclusion principle.
Beyond the lab
Psychology
Exchanged ideas and letters with psychiatrist Carl Jung.
Citizenship
Became a United States citizen in 1946 and a Swiss citizen in 1949.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and research ↗Photo: Nobel foundation. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
