1882
born in Breslau (now Wroclaw, in Poland)
The Life of Max Born
For his statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics as well as for his lattice theory of crystals Max Born received the Nobelprize in Physics in the year 1954 (together with W. Bothe). His life's work comprises in addition a wealth of ground breaking studies to describe atomic processes in quantum mechanical terms, key contributions towards the development of the formalism of quantum mechanics (together with his assistants W. Heisenberg and P. Jordan) as well as on modern optics which are documented in “Born und Wolf: Optics”, still a standard textbook even today. The name Max Born represents thus symbolically the research programme of the Max Born Institute which in this sense concentrates on a field between quantum optics, atomic and molecular physics and the physics of condensed matter. The key stations of his life are briefly summarized below:
1888 - 1901
School and High School in Breslau
1901
begin of academic studies in Breslau, among others Mathematics with J. Rosanes and F. London
1902
Heidelberg, early days of his friendship with James Franck
1903 - 1904
Breslau - Zürich - Berlin
1904
Göttingen
private assistant with David Hilbert
reading special relativity with Hermann Minkowski as well as crystal physics and optics with Waldemar Voigt
seminar with Felix Klein and Carl Runge on the theory of elasticity
1906
Ph. D. examination (magna cum laude) with Hilbert, Runge, Voigt and Schwarzschild
1906
research stay in Cambridge, reading physics with J. Larmor and J. J. Thomson
1908
Goettingen - scientific assistant of Minkowski
1909
Habilitation on the relativistic electron
first interaction with Einstein
1912 - 1913
work on lattice dynamics
1913
marriage to Hedwig Ehrenberg in Berlin - Gruenau
1914
Call at the university of Berlin to support Max Planck in teaching physics
extra ordinarius for theoretical physics, kinetic theory of solids
1918
Call to the University of Frankfurt on the chair of Max von Laue who followed a call to Berlin.
first own institute
two research assistents (one of them being Otto Stern)
1922
Call on a chair in Goettingen simultaneously with James Franck who got a chair in experimental physics
1922
first "Bohr festival" in Goettingen
Wolfgang Pauli and Werner Heisenberg are research assistents of Max Born
1925
fomulation of the "new" quantum mechanics by Werner Heisenberg
probability interpretation of the quantum mechanical description of collisions (Born approximation)
work on applications and extensions of quantum mechanics
1933
Loss of his academic affiliations due to the Nazi regime; emigration
1934 - 1935
work at the Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge, teaching on nonlinear elektrodynamics
1936 - 1954
Tait chair in Edinburgh as successor of Charles Galton Darwin
1954
Nobelprize in Physics (statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics)
1954
return to Germany
1955
initiation of the "proclamation of Mainau" (on the dangers of nuclear arms)
1957
Declaration of the "Goettingen Eighteen", an important and influencial protest of eminent scientists against the then considered armament of the German Federal Army with nuclear weapons
1954 - 1970
Bad Pyrmont / Göttingen
A very detailed recent biography of Max Born "The End of a Certain World" has been written by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan. There is also an informative Webpage connected to with this writing www.maxborn.net.
The Max Born Institute cultivates the memory of Max Born. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the bestowal of the Nobel Prize on 11th December 2004 a two days Symposium was held at the MBI, during which also Prof. Gustav Born, the son of Max Born, delivered a celebration lecture. Out of this event an attractive Broschure "Max Born - A Celebration" emerged. It can be downloaded here (als pdf 3.2MB). Guests of the MBI are welcome to receive a printed version from one of the secretarial offices of the MBI.
On 11th December 2007, the 125th birthday of Max Born, again a Symposium in the honor of the renowned physicist took place. It was organized jointly by the Max Born Institute and the Max Planck Institute for the history of science (Berlin). Several members of the Born Family were among the participants, like Gustav Born and the famous singer and actress Olivia Newton-John, a grand daugther of Max Born.