Famous Austrian Physicists
Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.
A physicist is a scientist who is trained to study the interaction between matter and energy of the physical world. Though a degree in physics qualifies a person as a physicist, study of the subject is far and varied and does not but restrain physicists to but a single topic. There are many sub-fields in which they can specialize. Like every other country in the world, Austria too has had a long list of physicists, dealing in invention, analysis and improvement of the physical phenomenon. While some discovered new phenomenon, others developed the existing and still others analysed for newer creations. While Austrian Nobel laureates such as Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard, Erin Schrodinger, Victor Francis Hess and Wolfgang Pauli are universally popular for their feats in physicists, the country has been home to many more skilful and immensely talented physicists such as Christian Doppler, Josef Finger, Johann Josef Loschmidt, Ernst Mach, Lise Meitner and Gernot Zippe. Each of them has contributed immensely to the global platform of physics through their inventions, discoveries, analysis and studies. Find out in details about the life and works of famous Austrian physicist through this write-up.
Vote for Your Favourite Austrian Physicists
1
Erwin Schrödinger(Austrian Physicist Who Made Important Contributions to the Development of Quantum Mechanics)
Birthdate: August 12, 1887
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Erdberg, Vienna, Austria
Died: January 4, 1961
Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, is best known for the "Schrödinger's cat" experiment, or the Schrodinger equation. His book What Is Life? explored genetics through physics. The Nobel Prize winner also wrote on a variety of topics, such as color theory and thermodynamics, and tried to create a unified field theory.
2
Wolfgang Pauli(One of the Pioneers of Quantum Physics and Winner of 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics)
Birthdate: April 25, 1900
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: December 15, 1958
Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli is remembered for his contribution to quantum physics and for laying down the Pauli principle. While he was initially married to a cabaret dancer, the marriage ended in a divorce after a year. His written works are considered classics in science.
Birthdate: February 20, 1844
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Vienna
Died: September 5, 1906
Austrian physicist and philosopher, Ludwig Boltzmann, played a key role in the development of statistical mechanics. As a young man, he was appointed a professor of mathematical physics at the University of Graz. He worked extensively with other physicists over the course of his brilliant academic career. He suffered from bipolar disorder and died by suicide in 1906.
Birthdate: February 18, 1838
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Brno, Czech Republic
Died: February 19, 1916
Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach is remembered for his contributions to the study of shock waves. He is also credited for discovering a non-acoustic function of the inner ear that helps control human balance. As a philosopher of science, he is considered a major influence on logical positivism and American pragmatism.
5
Paul Ehrenfest
(Austrian Theoretical Physicist Who Made Major Contributions to the Field of Statistical Mechanics)
Birthdate: January 18, 1880
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: September 25, 1933
Paul Ehrenfest was an Austrian-Dutch theoretical physicist. A close associate of Albert Einstein, whom he had met during his visit to Prague in 1912, Ehrenfest frequently hosted Einstein in Leiden where he was serving as a professor. Paul Ehrenfest is best remembered for his work in the field of statistical mechanics.
6
Anton Zeilinger
(Physicist, Quantum physicist, Academic, University teacher, Non-fiction writer)
Birthdate: May 20, 1945
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ried im Innkreis
Anton Zeilinger, a noted Austrian quantum physicist who mostly researches in the area of fundamental aspects and applications of quantum entanglement, was conferred with the Inaugural Isaac Newton Medal by the Institute of Physics for his significant contributions in the field. He presently serves as Senior Scientist at the IQOQI and as professor of physics at the University of Vienna.
Birthdate: September 27, 1924
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: April 6, 2020
Austrian-American physicist and University of Virginia environmental sciences professor Fred Singer was one of the first to deny the harmful effects of global warming and second-hand smoking. He co-authored books such as Climate Change Reconsidered and pioneered numerous studies on space research and atmospheric physics. He also established the SEPP.
8
Richard von Mises
(Mathematician, Physicist, Philosopher, Engineer, University teacher)
Birthdate: April 19, 1883
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Lviv
Died: July 14, 1953
Richard von Mises was an Austrian Jewish scientist and mathematician. He is known for his work on solid mechanics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, fluid mechanics, and probability theory. He was the Gordon McKay Professor of Aerodynamics and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. He is the one who proposed the now-famous "birthday problem" in probability theory. He was married to mathematician Hilda Geiringer.
Birthdate: March 9, 1923
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: April 19, 2016
Walter Kohn was an Austrian-American theoretical physicist and theoretical chemist. He and fellow theoretical chemist John Pople were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998. Kohn made a major contribution to the development of density functional theory. He had an illustrious academic career and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
10
Heinz von Foerster
(Scientist, Physicist, University teacher)
Birthdate: November 13, 1911
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Vienna
Died: October 2, 2002
11
Victor Weisskopf
(Physicist)
Birthdate: September 19, 1908
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: April 22, 2002
12
Josef Stefan
(Physicist and Mathematician Known for Deriving the 'Stefan-Boltzmann Law')
Birthdate: March 24, 1835
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Klagenfurt, Austria
Died: January 7, 1893
Best known for originating the Stefan-Boltzmann law, Josef Stefan was an Austrian physicist, who published nearly eighty scientific papers in his life time. Starting his career as a lecturer in mathematical physics at University of Vienna, he rose to become director of Physical Institute, meanwhile empirically deriving the Stefan-Boltzmann law, thus paving the way for further work on blackbody radiation.
13
Carl Auer von Welsbach
(Austrian Chemist and Inventor Behind the Development of the Modern Light Bulb)
Birthdate: September 1, 1858
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: August 4, 1929
Austrian chemist and engineer Carl Auer, Freiherr von Welsbach isolated neodymium and praseodymium from didymium. His inventions include the gas mantle and ferrocerium "flints" that are used in lighters. He also worked on the tungsten filament that led to the development of the modern light bulb.
14
Joseph Loschmidt
(Scientist)
Birthdate: March 15, 1821
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Austrian Empire
Died: July 8, 1895
Birthdate: February 24, 1892
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Vienna
Died: June 3, 1978
16
Claire F. Gmachi
(University teacher, Engineer)
Birthdate: 1967 AD
Birthplace: Salzburg, Austria
An electrical engineer professor at the Princeton Institute of Materials, Claire F. Gmachi is best known for her research on quantum devices, such as lasers, and their use in the health and environment sectors. She also heads the education program of MIRTHE, a group of 6 universities, as its director.
17
Alexander Meissner
(Austrian Engineer and Physicist Who Discovered the Principle of Positive Feedback)
Birthdate: September 14, 1883
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: January 3, 1958
Austrian engineer and physicist Alexander Meissner made remarkable contributions to the development of the radio telegraphy system with his studies on antenna design. He was the first to design a rotary radio beacon and made pioneering discoveries in the amplification of high-frequency radio signals. He also taught at the Technical University of Berlin.
18
Martin Deutsch
(Professor)
Birthdate: January 29, 1917
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: August 16, 2002