Werner Heisenberg

Werner Karl Heisenberg was a famous German physicist. He was one of the founding fathers of Quantum Mechanics. He is mainly famous in the world of physics for his outstanding theorization of the Uncertainty Principle. Heisenberg was also one of the Nobel-Laureate physicists of the 20th century.

Werner Karl Heisenberg born on 5 December in 1901 in Wurzburg, Germany. His father August Heisenberg was a professor of Greek Language and Literature at the Munich University and mother Annie Heisenberg was an amateur musician. Heisenberg liked classical music, literature, and philosophy from his childhood. His family members astonished when they knew about his efficiency in calculus. He admitted into Munich University in 1920 and studied under modern physicist Arthur Sommerfield. He achieved the doctorate in 1923 and went to Bohr Institute in Denmark for research.

In Copenhagen, Heisenberg worked and experimented on the energy levels of an atom. As a matter of fact, he introduced a new method of measurement of atomic energy levels. This was one of the prime achievements in the world of physics. But perhaps his most influential achievement was the Uncertainty Principle. This theory helped physicists to run ahead the newly developed Quantum Mechanics to further inventions. He became the professor of theoretical physics at Leipzig University in 1927. He won Nobel Prize for physics in 1932.

During the second world war, Heisenberg performed a very controversial job. He helped the Nazi German government to develop their own Nuclear bomb. Many of his fellow scientists escaped from Europe to help the allied force except him. However, after the war the British government arrested him. The British authority released him in 1946.

After the great war, Heisenberg performed some of his important research. He worked to form a unified theory of fundamental particles. He presented this theory in 1958 in an international conference. Heisenberg also wrote his famous book ‘Physics and Philosophy’ in 1956.

In personal life, Elisabeth Schumacher was his wife. The couple had seven children.

Heisenberg died on 1 February in 1976 in Munich, Germany.