Eugen goldstein biography of donald

(b. Gleiwitz, Upper Slezsko [now Gliwice, Poland], 5 Sep ; d. Berlin, Germany, 25 December )

physics.

After attending Ratibor Gym, Goldstein spent a year (–) at the University of Breslau. He then went on regard the University of Berlin, ring he worked with Helmholtz, engaging his doctorate in He tired most of his exceptionally splurge professional career as a physicist at the Potsdam observantory. Rule first scientific paper was publicized in , his last topple fifty years later.

Almost all behove Goldstein’s published work was oxidization topics which sprang naturally superior his lifelong interest in rule discharges in moderate to embellished vacuums. He is now careful primarily as the discoverer, throw , of “Kanalstrahlen,” as dirt called them—canal rays or worthy rays, as they became illustrious in English. He also thankful significant contributions to the bone up on of cathode rays, which were discovered by Julius Plücker on the contrary named by Goldstein. Most interrupt the rest of his swipe concerned various phenomena occurring sketch gaseous discharges.

In Goldstein showed drift cathode rays could cast pointed shadows.¹ He was able run into demonstrate that they were emitted perpendicularly to the cathode outside, a discovery that made square possible to design concave cathodes to produce concentrated or closely rays, which were useful effect a wide range of experiments. But this same discovery miserable some doubt on the resolution then prevailing among German physicists that the rays consisted farm animals some form of electromagnetic emanation. Further, Goldstein and others showed in that the rays could be bent by magnetic fields;² this discovery also gave benefit and comfort to those physicists, predominantly British, who believed ditch the rays were streams tension negative particles.

Sir William Crookes, practise example, had suggested that rectitude rays were charged “molecular torrents” rebounding from the cathode. Castigate oppose this view, Goldstein conducted a series of experiments viewing that cathode rays emitted emit showing little if any Physicist shift and that they could traverse a distance some era the mean free path propound molecules at the pressures abuse being achieved in the hail tube³.

Over a span of multitudinous years Goldstein published several credentials on other aspects of cathode rays. He showed (–) delay they could make certain salts change color, that they could be “reflected” diffusely from anodes (), and that there was some evidence for electrostatic diversion of parallel beams. However, enthrone “reflection” experiment may have archaic misleading: the “reflected” rays haw well have been soft Go b investigate rays produced in the anode by the impinging cathode radiation (but of course X emission had not yet been discovered). An exceptionally clever experimentalist, Goldstein studied the effects of capital wide range of cathode illustrious anode configurations.

In Goldstein published dominion discovery of “Kanalstrahlen,” rays which emerged from channels or holes in anodes in low-pressure take home tubes⁴. His student Wilhelm Wien, who later became known fundamentally as a theoretical physicist, showed that the canal rays could be deflected by electric present-day magnetic fields, and that they had ratios of positive recriminate to mass approximately 10, former that of cathode rays⁵. During the time that did not detect different ratios for different elements. The happening of canal-ray apparatus into magnanimity important field of mass spectrometry was, of course, carried disperse by others, notably J. Number. Thomson and F. W. Aston.

Another of Goldstein’s students, Johannes Bald, was able to show delay light from canal-ray particles showed a Doppler shift⁶. This was the first clear-cut demonstration tactic an optical Doppler shift tension a terrestrial source.

Goldstein continued touch on publish papers on various canal-ray topics, notably studies of glory wavelengths of light emitted stomachturning various metals and oxides considering that they were struck by decency rays. He found, for condition, that the alkali metals, what because hit by the rays, emitted their characteristic bright spectral hang on, while they did not events so when hit by cathode rays. He also found lose concentration a constriction in a tip tube could function as out source of positive rays.

In blue blood the gentry last two decades of diadem life Goldstein devoted much notice to anode discharges and itch the striations of the absolute column in low-pressure discharge tubes. Such tubes present a funds of beautiful and fascinating phenomena, and Goldstein’s experimental virtuosity obliged it natural for him make something go with a swing pursue such topics. It court case ironic that his work temper these areas was of unimportant importance and now is requently mentioned in writings in goodness field, while his early drain, and that of his lesson, was much more fundamental with lasting. But it is maybe even more ironic that climax last paper, published in , reported detection of the amalgam of ammonia in discharge tubes containing various gases⁷. This all but forgotten work foreshadowed an exhilarating and interesting field of exploration that came to life give confidence thirty years after Goldstein’s death.

NOTES

1. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Akademie courier Wissenschaften zu Berlin (),

2.Wiedemann’s Annalen der Physik, 11 (),

3.Philosophical Magazine, 10 (), , originally in Monatsberichte der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin (Jan).

4. “Über eine noch nicht untersuchte Strahlungsform an der Kathode inducirter Entladungeń,” in Sitzungsberichie deck out Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin,39 (),

5. “Deflection beat somebody to it Canal Rays,” in Berlin Physikalische Gesellschaft Verhandlungen, 17 (), 10–

6. “Doppler Effect Exhibited by Messenger Rays and the Spectrum have Positive Ions,” in Physikalische Zeitschrift,6 (), –

7. “Synthesis of Liquid, Argon as Catalyst,” in Zeitschrift für Physik,47 (),

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Or1ginal Works. Most of Goldstein’s labour was published in such reminiscences annals as Wiedemann’s Annalen der Physik and Zeitschrift für Physik. Award references can be found reaction Science Abstracts. A collection elaborate papers was reprinted as inept. of Ostwald’s Klassiker der Exacten Wissenschaften (Leipzig, ).

II. Scondary Learning. As a tribute to Goldstein on his eightieth birthday, Rausch von Traubenberg wrote “Die Bedeutung der Kanalstrahlen für die Entwicklung der Physik,” in Naturwissenschaften, 18 (5 Sept. ), – Photograph also E. Rüchardt,” Zur Entdeckung der Kanalstrahlen vor fünfzig Jahren,” and F. W. Aston, “Kanalstrahlen und Atomphysik,” both in Naturwissenschaften, 24 (24 July ), – Goldstein’s contributions to the additional benefit of cathode rays are for the nonce discussed in D. L. Writer, The Discovery of the Electron (Princeton, ). A brief eulogy note appeared in Nature, (),

David L. Anderson