This book traces the history of Arnold Sommerfeld's famous "nursery of
theoretical physics" at the University of Munich and demonstrates the
centrality of developing personal and institutional networks for the
emergence of quantum theory. Sommerfeld, originally a mathematician with
little interest in theoretical physics, was a somewhat unlikely choice
for a chair of theoretical physics when he was appointed in 1906.
However, he quickly reoriented his research focus towards physics,
forstering a keen interest in experimental research. Possibly even more
important for the development of quantum theory in the coming years was
his exceptional talent as a charismatic teacher and prolific networker,
which turned Munich into a central node in the fast-growing network of
quantum physicists in the 1920s. It is no coincidence that the two most
talented "child prodigies" of 1920s quantum physics, Wolfgang Pauli and
Werner Heisenberg, were his students, nor that by the end of the decade
about a dozen of Sommerfeld's former disciples held chairs in
theoretical physics. The book is directed at historians of science and
physics, as well as all those interested in the history of science
diplomacy and networking.
The book is part of a series of publications on the early network of
quantum physics. These works emerged from an expansive study on the
quantum revolution as a major transformation of physical knowledge
undertaken by the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and
the Fritz Haber Institute (2006-2012). For more on this project, see the
dedicated Feature Story, The Networks of Early Quantum Theory, at the
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, https:
//www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/feature-story/networks-early-quantum-theory
