august german physicist won nobel prize physics discovery laws governing impact electron completed doctorate frederick william university berlin taught having reached position professor served volunteer german_army world war seriously injured gas attack awarded 1st class head kaiser professor experimental physics director worked quantum physics director work included experiment important confirmation model promoted careers women physics notably came power germany resigned post protest dismissal fellow academics assisted helping dismissed jewish scientists find work overseas left germany november year denmark moved united_states worked baltimore university_of_chicago period interested participated manhattan_project world war director chairman atomic bomb best known compilation recommended atomic bombs japanese cities warning early life born hamburg germany august second child son banker wife née older sister younger brother father devout religious man mother came family attended primary school hamburg starting attended gymnasium boys school hamburg university prospective students attend universities germany intending study law economics entered renowned law school attended lectures law far interested science met lifelong friend born help able persuade parents allow switch studying physics chemistry attended mathematics lectures strong physical sciences decided berlin berlin attended lectures july saved pair children drowning doctor philosophy supervision suggested study found topic complex changed focus thesis entitled der der mobility subsequently published der thesis completed perform deferred military service called october joined 1st suffered minor horse riding accident december discharged unfit duty took frankfurt enjoy soon returned concert met swedish pianist married swedish ceremony december daughters born lisa born pursue academic career germany having doctorate needed achieved major thesis producing substantial body published work chose route problems physics time published articles sole author generally preferred working collaboration collaboration wrote articles received experiment teamed perform experiment investigate designed vacuum tube studying energetic flew thin mercury discovered electron collided mercury lose specific quantity electron volts energy flying away faster electron completely collision loses precisely energy slower bounce mercury losing significant speed energy experimental results provided confirmation effect relation linking energy frequency arising energy constant provided evidence supporting model proposed previous year key feature electron inside occupies quantum energy levels collision electron inside mercury occupies lowest available energy level collision electron inside occupies higher energy level electron volts energy means electron loosely bound mercury intermediate levels possibilities second paper presented reported light mercury absorbed energy collisions showed light corresponded exactly energy flying electron lost relationship energy predicted completed paper december reconciled results theory acknowledged nobel lecture admitted completely failed recognise fundamental significance theory mentioned december awarded nobel prize physics discovery laws governing impact electron world war enlisted german_army soon outbreak world war august december sent sector western deputy officer lieutenant awarded second class march city hamburg awarded january hospital wrote scientific paper appointed assistant professor absence september sent russian came returned berlin joined working development gas masks awarded class february discharged army november soon war ended war returned research offered job new post came pay position allow pursue research wished working new younger collaborators papers examined atomic excited state results later prove important development laser coined term spending extended time state energy visited berlin arranged come talk younger staff presence offered chair theoretical physics recently vacated important centre mathematics thanks physics change price coming born wanted head experimental physics november director fully professor allowed assistants brought berlin fill positions gifted teacher headed institute handled lectures refurbished laboratory latest equipment funds pocket born world great centres physics published papers born discussed papers gaining laboratory highly competitive doctoral students included supervising doctoral candidates ensure thesis topics defined teach candidate conduct original research staying limits candidate ability laboratory equipment institute budget direction research carried structure molecules research developed known principle rule quantum chemistry explains intensity transitions simultaneous changes electronic energy levels absorption appropriate energy principle states electronic transition change energy level likely happen wave functions overlap significantly principle applied wide variety related phenomena exile period came end won power germany election march following month enacted law restoration provided retirement dismissal jewish civil servants political opponents government veteran world war exempt submitted resignation april commented science god nature religion require daughters attend religious instruction classes school let decorated tree christmas proud jewish heritage academic resign protest law newspapers world reported government university protested assisted helping dismissed jewish scientists find work overseas left germany november brief visit united_states measured absorption light heavy water took position copenhagen needed new collaborator took recent thesis impressed original intention continue research influence began interest biological aspects reactions particularly process plants use light convert carbon dioxide water organic compounds biological processes turned far complicated simple reactions molecules authored papers subject return following years found position copenhagen son law having married daughter decided provide financial security children dividing nobel prize money gold medal entrusted germany invaded denmark april hungarian chemist dissolved gold medal regia prevent germans taking placed resulting solution shelf laboratory war returned find solution precipitated gold acid nobel society recast nobel prize medals moved united_states accepted laboratory poorly equipped compared received equipment problem university money hire skilled staff concerned family members remaining germany needed money help accepted offer university_of_chicago work attracted interest paper authored processes crystals collaborator joined escaped belgium german invasion arranged position laboratory daughters families moved united_states able bring elderly mother aunt united_states citizen july enemy alien united_states declared war germany december daughters restricted travelling care mother fell ill died january permitted attend funeral february established university_of_chicago manhattan_project mission build nuclear create atomic bombs initially headed preferred hands work administration turned owing german background later wrote welcomed invitation join project vote confidence far exceeded hopes gave chance cause freedom german people fighting explained nazis germany german people helpless break strength nazi masters welcomed elder scientific statesman guidance glad follow addition heading chairman atomic bomb consisted warned fears mankind learned atomic power politically prepared use committee compiled known finished june recommended atomic bombs japanese cities warning event decided later life married civil ceremony june post war research continued tackle problem explaining mechanism saw break early later work recalled enjoyed talking problems explain satisfy mind problem aroused interest completely obsessed common sense straight logic main tools simple apparatus research followed straight line early studies work energy exchange molecules fascinated addition nobel prize awarded max medal medal work honorary citizen elected foreign member died suddenly heart attack visiting buried chicago wife university_of_chicago named lunar crater named honour papers
James Franck