Menu ☰

Back to Top

Physics History Network

Over 1000 biographies of physicists and histories of institutions with information pertaining to their lives, careers, and research.

Tip: Search within this page by using Ctrl + F or ⌘ + F


Search Our Catalogs

Archives Books

Collections

Emilio Segré Visual Archives Digital Collections Oral Histories Archival Finding Aids Physics History Network Member Society Portals Ethical Cataloging Statement

Preservation and Support

Donating Materials Suggest a Book Purchase Saving Archival Collections Grants to Archives Documentation Projects History Newsletters

Center for History of Physics

Scholarship & Outreach

Main Navigation

HomeAboutTopic GuidesFeedback

Table of Contents

Biography

AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjects

Relationships

PeopleInstitutions

Resources

Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as Subject

Gregor Wentzel

Photo

Dates

February 17, 1898 – August 12, 1978

Authorized Form of Name

Wentzel, Gregor, 1898-1978

Additional Forms of Names

Wentzel, G. (Gregor), 1898-1978

Biography

Abstract

Gregor Wentzel was Emeritus Professor of Physics at University of Chicago (1969-1978). Other institutional affiliations included University of Zurich. His research interests include quantum mechanics, meson theory, and condensed matter physics.

Important Dates

February 17, 1898Birth, Düsseldorf (Germany).

1921Obtained DPhil in Physics, University of Munich, Munich (Germany).

1922 – 1926Privatdozent in Theoretical Physics, University of Munich.

1926 – 1928Extraordinary Professor of Physics, University of Leipzig.

1928 – 1948Ordinary Professor of Physics, University of Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland).

1930Visiting Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

1947Visiting Professor, Purdue University.

1948 – 1978Professor of Physics (1948-1969) and Emeritus Professor of Physics (1969-1978), University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).

1949Visiting Professor, Stanford University.

1951Visiting Professor, Intitute of Fundamental Research, Bombay.

1954Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley.

1959Member, National Academy of Sciences.

August 12, 1978Death, Ascona (Switzerland).

Occupation

Theoretical physicist.

Places

Birth

Düsseldorf (Germany)

Graduate Education

Munich (Germany)

Employment

Zurich (Switzerland)

Chicago (Ill.)

Death

Ascona (Switzerland)

Subjects

Condensed matter.

Mesons.

Quantum theory.

Theoretical physics.

Relationships

People

Family

Wentzel, Annie

Wife.

Wentzel, Donat G., 1934-

Son.

Advisors & Collaborators

Bargmann, V. (Valentine), 1908-1989

Advised by Wentzel at University of Zurich, "Ueber die durch Elektronenstrahlen in Kristallen angeregte Lichtemission."

Fierz, Markus

Advised by Wentzel at University of Zurich, "Über die künstliche Umwandlung des Protons in ein Neutron."

Fried, Burton D.

Advised by Wentzel at University of Chicago.

Kaufman, Allan N. (Allan Nathan), 1927-

Advised by Wentzel at University of Chicago.

Kemmer, N.

Advised by Wentzel at University of Zurich.

Sommerfeld, Arnold, 1868-1951

PhD advisor at University of Munich, "Zur Systematik der Röntgenspekten."

Stueckelberg, E. C. G. (Ernst Carl Gerlach), 1905-1984

Post-doc advised by Wentzel at University of Zurich.

Villars, Felix, 1921-

Advised by Wentzel at ETH Zurich, "Ein Beitrag zum Deuteronproblem."

Colleagues

Allison, Samuel King, 1900-1965

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Anderson, Herbert Lawrence

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Ashcroft, Neil W.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Cohen, Morrel H.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Crewe, Albert V.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Dempster, Arthur Jeffrey

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Falicov, L. M. (Leopoldo Maximo), 1933-1995

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fano, Ugo

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fisk, Zachary

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Franck, James, 1882-1964

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Friedman, Jerome I. (Jerome Isaac), 1930-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fritzsche, Hellmut

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Garwin, Richard L.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Goldberger, Marvin L.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Kadanoff, Leo P.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Koshiba, Masatoshi, 1926-2020

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Mayer, Maria Goeppert, 1906-1972

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Mulliken, Robert Sanderson

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Nambu, Yoichiro, 1921-2015

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Parker, E. N. (Eugene Newman), 1927-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Phillips, J. C.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Sachs, Robert Green, 1916-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Schrieffer, J. R. (John Robert), 1931-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Simpson, John A. (John Alexander), 1916-2000

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Szilard, Leo

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Telegdi, Val, 1922-2006

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Treiman, Sam B.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Tsui, D. C. (Daniel Chee), 1939-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Wald, Robert M.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Webster, David Locke, 1888-1976

Both employed at Stanford University.

Yang, Chen Ning, 1922-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Zener, Clarence, 1905-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Additional

Bethe, Hans A. (Hans Albrecht), 1906-2005

Bleuler, Konrad, 1912-

Born, Max, 1882-1970

Brillouin, Léon, 1889-1969

Debye, Peter J. W. (Peter Josef William), 1884-1966

Dryden, Hugh L. (Hugh Latimer), 1898-1965

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955

Ewald, Paul Peter, 1888-1985

Heisenberg, Werner, 1901-1976

Heitler, Walter, 1904-

Herzfeld, Karl F. (Karl Ferdinand), 1892-

Houston, W. V. (William Vermillion), 1900-

Kronig, R. (Ralph), 1904-

Laporte, Otto, 1902-1971

Laue, Max von, 1879-1960

Pauli, Wolfgang, 1900-1958

Pauling, Linus, 1901-1994

Schrödinger, Erwin, 1887-1961

Schwinger, Julian, 1918-1994

Stark, Johannes, 1874-1957

Unsold, Albrecht, 1905-

Waller, Ivar, 1898-1991

Weisskopf, Victor Frederick, 1908-2002

Wentzel, Maria Ann Mayer

Daughter-in-law.

Wien, W. (Wilhelm), 1864-1928

Yukawa, Hideki, 1907-1981

Institutions

Major Positions

Universität Leipzig (1409-1953)

Extraordinary Professor of Physics.

Universität München

Obtained DPhil in Physics (1921). Privatdozent in Theoretical Physics.

Universitat Zurich

Ordinary Professor of Physics.

University of Chicago. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics and Emeritus Professor of Physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

Purdue University. Department of Physics

Visiting Professor.

Stanford University. Department of Physics

Visiting Professor.

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Visiting Professor.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Visiting Professor.

University of Wisconsin--Madison. Department of Physics

Visiting Professor.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Gregor Wentzel autobiographical letter to Hugh Dryden, 1959.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Gregor Wentzel papers, 1932-1968.

Zentralbibliothek Zürich.

Zurich, Switzerland

Julian S. Schwinger papers, 1920-1994.

University Research Library. Department of Special Collections

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575, USA

Oral history interview with Gregor Wentzel, 1964 February 3 to 5.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

Ivar Waller papers, circa 1912-1989.

Centrum för Vetenskapshistoria

Kungl. Svenska vetenskapsakademien

Stockholm, Sweden

Oral history interview with Albrecht Unsöld, 1978 June 6.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Albrecht Unsöld, 1984 February 24.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Clarence Melvin Zener, 1981 April 1.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Hans Bethe, 1964 January 17.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Hideki Yukawa, 1962 July 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with John Robert Schrieffer, 1974 September 26 and 1976 January 19.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Karl F. Herzfeld, 1962 June 14.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Konrad Bleuler, 1984 January 20.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Linus Carl Pauling, 1964 March 27.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Otto Laporte, 1964 January 29 and 31.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Paul Peter Ewald, 1968 May 17 and 24.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Ralph Kronig, 1991.

Deutsches Museum

Museumsinsel 1, 80306 Munich, Germany

Oral history interview with Valentine Bargmann, 1984 April 12.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Valentine L. Telegdi, 2008 March 4 and 9.

Institute Archives

California Institute of Technology

1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Oral history interview with Victor Frederick Weisskopf, 1963 July 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Walter Heitler, 1963 March 18 and 19.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Werner Heisenberg, 1962 November 30, 1963 February 7, 11, 13, 15, 19, 22, 25, 27, 28 and 1963 July 5, 12.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Wolfgang Pauli letters.

Bibliothek

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich

ETH Zentrum, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Published Resources

Author

Einführung in die quantentheorie der wellenfelder, von Gregor Wentzel …

Quantum theory of fields / tr. from the German by Charlotte Houtermans and J.M. Jauch ; with an appendix by J.M. Jauch.

Subject

"Gregor Wentzel: 1898-1978", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences

Gregor Wentzel Physics Today obituary.