Schrodinger: Difference between revisions

=== Offer from US ===

Following the confirmation in 1919 of his General Theory of Relativity in astronomical observations by the Cambridge astrophysicist Arthur Eddington, Einstein had become a scientific superstar known the world over. His informal appearance and regular comments to the press added to his fame. Lindemann had arranged funding from the Rhodes Trust to support a visit by Einstein in May 1931 collected him from a boat arriving at Southampton docks. His chauffeur drove Einstein to Oxford. Einstein stayed for nearly one month and gave a lecture to a packed Rhodes House of over 500 students and faculty. After returning to Berlin, Einstein did write a letter of thanks to Lindemann emphasising "the wonderful weeks he had spent in Oxford".

However, in the 1931, the political situation in Germany was changing rapidly. Encouraged by the success of the visit, the huge publicity it received, and the emerging problems in Germany, Lindemann managed to persuade his colleagues in Christ Church to offer Einstein a Studentship with a stipend of £400 per annum, a dining allowance and a set of rooms for five years. The condition associated with this offer was that Einstein would spend a month each year in Oxford.

Meanwhile, Einstein was also having discussions with the California Institute of Technology on a similar visiting position, but Oxford was much closer to his home at that time. Einstein returned again to Oxford in May 1932 and gave the lecture. However, while in Oxford, Einstein had a visit from Abraham Flexner, the Director of the newly created Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, USA. Flexner raised the possibility of Einstein moving permanently to his Institute with a very high salary. By 1933, with the situation getting much more difficult back in Berlin with even his life under threat, Einstein gladly accepted this offer. Once Einstein had started at Princeton with his exceptional salary of $16,000 a year and an atmosphere of safety compared to the developing turmoil in Europe, he wrote to Lindemann saying he would be unable to continue to visit Christ Church.

With the dramatic advances in theoretical physics in Europe, the leaders of American universities were very keen to make appointments in this field of research. In the 1930s American universities were expanding and wanted urgently to become internationally competitive in the sciences. It was realised that with the mass exodus of the leading theoretical physicist from Germany a significant opportunity was arising. In 1934, the University of Princeton felt it had to keep up with its Ivy League competitors and appoint a famous expert in quantum mechanics. In typical American style they decided to go straight to the top. Luther Eisenhart, the Dean of the Graduate School, had named Heisenberg and Schrodinger as the leading candidates. Schrodinger was invited by Dean Eisenhart to visit Princeton to give some lectures for a month. He left England on 8 March 1934 on the ship President Harling. On 29 March 1934 Schrodinger wrote from Princeton to Lindemann on the possibility of Einstein returning again to Oxford, which is a definite no. He also added some news regarding an offer from Princeton.

Shortly after Schrodinger's visit, Paul Dirac was invited for a whole year to the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton with a generous stipend. There was the hope that he would be able to interact closely with Albert Einstein. However, their characters and ways of working did not mix well. Dirac spent the time writing his definitive book "The Principles of Quantum Mechanics"

Later, Schrodinger then wrote to Flexner, Director of the Institute for Advance Study, on 25 June 1934, from Oxford, telling that he could not accept the offer of the professorship offered to him by the University of Princeton.