Issues

 / 

1995

 / 

April

  

From the history of physics


Walter Ritz as a theoretical physicist and his research on the theory of atomic spectra

 a,  b,  c
a Heat and Mass Transfer Institute, Belarus Academy of Sciences, ul. P Brovka 15, Minsk, 220072, Belarus
b Belarussian State University, prosp. Nezavisimosti 4, Minsk, 220030, Belarus
c B.I. Stepanov Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, prosp. F. Skoriny 70, Minsk, 220602, Belarus

An historical and methodological analysis is given of the scientific heritage of the remarkable Swiss theoretical physicist Walter Ritz (1878-1909) on the basis of a study of his complete works edited in 1911. The general characteristics of Ritz’s works — including the papers on spectroscopy, the variational method, and electrodynamics — are discussed, and his fundamental research in the theory of atomic spectra is considered in detail. The elastic and the magnetic atomic models, proposed by Ritz to explain the spectral laws and based on a classical approach, are discussed. It is shown that the generalised Balmer and Rydberg formulas and the combination principle, which later became a basis for the formulation of Bohr’s frequency condition, were obtained by Ritz as a result of mathematical deductions from his models and were not of semi-empirical character as is usually believed.

Fulltext pdf (615 KB)
Fulltext is also available at DOI: 10.1070/PU1995v038n04ABEH000083
PACS: 01.65.+g, 32.30.−r (all)
DOI: 10.1070/PU1995v038n04ABEH000083
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1995/4/d/
A1995RH54700004
Citation: El’yashevich M A, Kembrovskaya N G, Tomil’chik L M "Walter Ritz as a theoretical physicist and his research on the theory of atomic spectra" Phys. Usp. 38 435–455 (1995)
BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks

Оригинал: Ельяшевич М А, Кембровская Н Г, Томильчик Л М «Вальтер Ритц как физик-теоретик и его исследования по теории атомных спектров» УФН 165 457–480 (1995); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0165.199504d.0457

References (124) Cited by (3) Similar articles (20) ↓

  1. M.A. El’yashevich, N.G. Kembrovskaya, L.M. Tomil’chik “Rydberg and the development of atomic spectroscopy (Centennial of J. R. Rydberg’s paper on the laws governing atomic spectra)Sov. Phys. Usp. 33 (12) 1047–1060 (1990)
  2. S.G. Rautian, A.S. Yatsenko “Grotrian diagramsPhys. Usp. 42 205–208 (1999)
  3. V.P. Vizgin “The nuclear shield in the ’thirty-year war’ of physicists against ignorant criticism of modern physical theoriesPhys. Usp. 42 1259–1283 (1999)
  4. M.V. Vol’kenshtein “Complementarity, physics, and biologySov. Phys. Usp. 31 140–150 (1988)
  5. V.P. Milant’ev “Creation and development of Bohr’s theory (on the 90th anniversary of the Bohr theory of the atom)Phys. Usp. 47 197–203 (2004)
  6. A.R. Striganov “Progress in studying the spectra of atoms and ions and the current level of knowledge about themSov. Phys. Usp. 26 373–379 (1983)
  7. E.G. Maksimov “About Ginzburg — Landau, and a bit about othersPhys. Usp. 53 1185–1190 (2010)
  8. I.M. Ternov, V.A. Bordovitsyn “Modern interpretation of J.I. Frenkel’s classical spin theorySov. Phys. Usp. 23 679–683 (1980)
  9. G.B. Malykin, V.S. Savchuk, E.A. Romanets “Lev Yakovlevich Strum and the hypothesis of the existence of tachyonsPhys. Usp. 55 1134–1139 (2012)
  10. V.L. Ginzburg “Superconductivity and superfluidity (what was done and what was not)Phys. Usp. 40 407–432 (1997)
  11. B.M. Bolotovskii, Yu.N. Vavilov, A.N. Kirkin “Sergei Ivanovich Vavilov — the man and the scientist: a view from the threshold of the 21st centuryPhys. Usp. 41 487–504 (1998)
  12. I.L. Fabelinskii “Seventy years of combination (Raman) scatteringPhys. Usp. 41 1229–1247 (1998)
  13. V.I. Kogan “The discovery of the Planck constant: ’roentgenoscopy’ of the scientific situation (1900). Missed opportunities in the choice of the Second Step (on the centenary of the First Step of quantum theory)Phys. Usp. 43 1253–1259 (2000)
  14. I.L. Fabelinskii “The prediction and discovery of Rayleigh line fine structurePhys. Usp. 43 89–103 (2000)
  15. V.P. Vizgin “On the discovery of the gravitational field equations by Einstein and Hilbert: new materialsPhys. Usp. 44 1283–1298 (2001)
  16. I.L. Fabelinskii “The discovery of combination scattering of light in Russia and IndiaPhys. Usp. 46 1105–1112 (2003)
  17. D.E. Burlankov “Gravity and absolute space. The works of Niels Bjern (1865-1909)Phys. Usp. 47 833–844 (2004)
  18. I.M. Frank “A conceptual history of the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiationSov. Phys. Usp. 27 385–395 (1984)
  19. G.V. Kiselev “L D Landau in the Soviet Atomic Project: a documentary studyPhys. Usp. 51 911–954 (2008)
  20. B.B. Kadomtsev, V.I. Kogan et alOn the fiftieth anniversary of the paper by M. A. Leontovich and L. I. Mandel’shtam (’On the theory of the Schrödinger equation’)Sov. Phys. Usp. 21 272–273 (1978)

The list is formed automatically.

© 1918–2024 Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk
Email: ufn@ufn.ru Editorial office contacts About the journal Terms and conditions