Gernot Münster
@gernot-muenster.bsky.social
Professor for Theoretical Physics, retired, University of Münster, Center for Philosophy of Science, #WeStandWithUkraine
https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/
https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/
Pinned
Herzlich willkommen auf meinem Bluesky Account. Ab und zu gibt’s hier was zu Physik, Physik-Geschichte, Mathematik, Wissenschaftstheorie und Anderem.
⚛️ After a long summer break, more physics stories.
Find previous ones in my timeline.
Houtermans and the Lifespan of the Sun
In the 1950s, Fritz Houtermans was sitting in a café in Bern with a colleague, explaining how long, according to his calculations, the sun will continue to shine.
1/2
Find previous ones in my timeline.
Houtermans and the Lifespan of the Sun
In the 1950s, Fritz Houtermans was sitting in a café in Bern with a colleague, explaining how long, according to his calculations, the sun will continue to shine.
1/2
November 26, 2025 at 10:45 AM
⚛️ After a long summer break, more physics stories.
Find previous ones in my timeline.
Houtermans and the Lifespan of the Sun
In the 1950s, Fritz Houtermans was sitting in a café in Bern with a colleague, explaining how long, according to his calculations, the sun will continue to shine.
1/2
Find previous ones in my timeline.
Houtermans and the Lifespan of the Sun
In the 1950s, Fritz Houtermans was sitting in a café in Bern with a colleague, explaining how long, according to his calculations, the sun will continue to shine.
1/2
⚛️
#OTD vor 90 Jahren kam Schrödingers Katze auf die Welt. Was hat es damit auf sich? Hören Sie sich die 15 Min. „Zeitzeichen“ von heute an. Gibt’s auch zum Anhören und Downloaden auf dieser Seite:
www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr5/s...
#OTD vor 90 Jahren kam Schrödingers Katze auf die Welt. Was hat es damit auf sich? Hören Sie sich die 15 Min. „Zeitzeichen“ von heute an. Gibt’s auch zum Anhören und Downloaden auf dieser Seite:
www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr5/s...
19.08.1935: "Schrödingers Katze" beschreibt die Quantenphysik
Erwin Schrödinger ist einer der Väter der Quantenphysik. Wie diese interpretiert wird, gefällt ihm nicht immer. Er argumentiert darum mit einem Katzen-Gedankenexperiment.
www1.wdr.de
August 19, 2025 at 12:01 PM
⚛️
#OTD vor 90 Jahren kam Schrödingers Katze auf die Welt. Was hat es damit auf sich? Hören Sie sich die 15 Min. „Zeitzeichen“ von heute an. Gibt’s auch zum Anhören und Downloaden auf dieser Seite:
www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr5/s...
#OTD vor 90 Jahren kam Schrödingers Katze auf die Welt. Was hat es damit auf sich? Hören Sie sich die 15 Min. „Zeitzeichen“ von heute an. Gibt’s auch zum Anhören und Downloaden auf dieser Seite:
www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr5/s...
⚛️ Nice rainbow yesterday. You can clearly see Alexander’s band, the darker region between the inner primary rainbow and the outer one.
August 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
⚛️ Nice rainbow yesterday. You can clearly see Alexander’s band, the darker region between the inner primary rainbow and the outer one.
Physics stories ⚛️
Nernst as a singer
Walther Nernst once had the honor of presenting a radio broadcast to the German Emperor and Empress. Nernst operated the transmitter at the Physics Institute. For the broadcast, he had selected a recording of a song sung by the famous tenor Enrico Caruso.
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Nernst as a singer
Walther Nernst once had the honor of presenting a radio broadcast to the German Emperor and Empress. Nernst operated the transmitter at the Physics Institute. For the broadcast, he had selected a recording of a song sung by the famous tenor Enrico Caruso.
1/2
June 21, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Physics stories ⚛️
Nernst as a singer
Walther Nernst once had the honor of presenting a radio broadcast to the German Emperor and Empress. Nernst operated the transmitter at the Physics Institute. For the broadcast, he had selected a recording of a song sung by the famous tenor Enrico Caruso.
1/2
Nernst as a singer
Walther Nernst once had the honor of presenting a radio broadcast to the German Emperor and Empress. Nernst operated the transmitter at the Physics Institute. For the broadcast, he had selected a recording of a song sung by the famous tenor Enrico Caruso.
1/2
Including a chapter about Lucy Mensing, forgotten pioneer of Quantum Mechanics, by Michel Janssen and myself. In 1925 she made the first application of the newly formulated matrix mechanics to molecules, contributing significantly to its acceptance.
Highlighting Women in Quantum History - new book. Some names to add to your lectures on quantum physics. 🧪 ⚛️ 🎢👩🔬
Highlighting women in quantum history
The authors of a new book tell the stories of 16 women who made crucial contributions to quantum physics yet whose names don’t usually appear in textbooks.
pubs.aip.org
June 21, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Including a chapter about Lucy Mensing, forgotten pioneer of Quantum Mechanics, by Michel Janssen and myself. In 1925 she made the first application of the newly formulated matrix mechanics to molecules, contributing significantly to its acceptance.
Reposted by Gernot Münster
I guess I should have figured this would happen, but seeing all these articles claiming Heisenberg "discovered" quantum mechanics on Helgoland in June 1925 makes me want to throw up. For the true story, check out my April 2025 piece in @physicstoday.bsky.social!
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
Demythologizing quantum history
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics in 2025 without providing appropriate context risks reinforcing a long legacy of hagiography and hero wor
pubs.aip.org
June 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I guess I should have figured this would happen, but seeing all these articles claiming Heisenberg "discovered" quantum mechanics on Helgoland in June 1925 makes me want to throw up. For the true story, check out my April 2025 piece in @physicstoday.bsky.social!
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
Er ist studierter Mathematiker. Da wäre doch „Pius der 3,14te“ sehr passend.
May 8, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Er ist studierter Mathematiker. Da wäre doch „Pius der 3,14te“ sehr passend.
Reposted by Gernot Münster
Wir feiern 2025 das 100-jährige Jubiläum der #Quantenphysik. Der Fachbereich #Physik lädt aus diesem Anlass zur Vortragsreihe „Physik zur Mittagszeit“ ein. Dabei gibt es für die breite Öffentlichkeit verständliche und kurzweilige Einblicke in die Wissenschaft. Der Auftakt findet am 12. April statt.
Spannende Quantenphysik nach dem Markt-Besuch am Samstag
Menschen auf der ganzen Welt feiern 2025 das 100-jährige Jubiläum der Quantenphysik. Der Fachbereich Physik lädt aus diesem Anlass zur Vortragsreihe „Physik zur Mittagszeit“ ein. Dabei gibt es für die...
www.uni-muenster.de
April 9, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Wir feiern 2025 das 100-jährige Jubiläum der #Quantenphysik. Der Fachbereich #Physik lädt aus diesem Anlass zur Vortragsreihe „Physik zur Mittagszeit“ ein. Dabei gibt es für die breite Öffentlichkeit verständliche und kurzweilige Einblicke in die Wissenschaft. Der Auftakt findet am 12. April statt.
⚛️ Pauli effect 3
(Find previous ones in my timeline.)
One afternoon, in the late 1920s or early 1930s, a complicated apparatus exploded in the laboratory of physicist James Franck at the University of Göttingen. Franck reported the mishap to Pauli, who lived in Zurich, in a letter,
1/3
(Find previous ones in my timeline.)
One afternoon, in the late 1920s or early 1930s, a complicated apparatus exploded in the laboratory of physicist James Franck at the University of Göttingen. Franck reported the mishap to Pauli, who lived in Zurich, in a letter,
1/3
April 8, 2025 at 8:13 PM
⚛️ Pauli effect 3
(Find previous ones in my timeline.)
One afternoon, in the late 1920s or early 1930s, a complicated apparatus exploded in the laboratory of physicist James Franck at the University of Göttingen. Franck reported the mishap to Pauli, who lived in Zurich, in a letter,
1/3
(Find previous ones in my timeline.)
One afternoon, in the late 1920s or early 1930s, a complicated apparatus exploded in the laboratory of physicist James Franck at the University of Göttingen. Franck reported the mishap to Pauli, who lived in Zurich, in a letter,
1/3
⚛️ Falls Sie nächsten Samstag mittag gerade in Münster sind:
"Kleine Teilchen, Große Fragen: Die faszinierende Geschichte der Quantenphysik"
www.uni-muenster.de/news/view.ph...
"Kleine Teilchen, Große Fragen: Die faszinierende Geschichte der Quantenphysik"
www.uni-muenster.de/news/view.ph...
Spannende Quantenphysik nach dem Markt-Besuch am Samstag
Menschen auf der ganzen Welt feiern 2025 das 100-jährige Jubiläum der Quantenphysik. Der Fachbereich Physik lädt aus diesem Anlass zur Vortragsreihe „Physik zur Mittagszeit“ ein. Dabei gibt es für die...
www.uni-muenster.de
April 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM
⚛️ Falls Sie nächsten Samstag mittag gerade in Münster sind:
"Kleine Teilchen, Große Fragen: Die faszinierende Geschichte der Quantenphysik"
www.uni-muenster.de/news/view.ph...
"Kleine Teilchen, Große Fragen: Die faszinierende Geschichte der Quantenphysik"
www.uni-muenster.de/news/view.ph...
Gefährlich wird es, wenn die Dummen fleißig werden.
March 26, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Gefährlich wird es, wenn die Dummen fleißig werden.
⚛️ Demythologizing quantum history
„Celebrating the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics in 2025 without providing appropriate context risks reinforcing a long legacy of hagiography and hero worship.“
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
„Celebrating the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics in 2025 without providing appropriate context risks reinforcing a long legacy of hagiography and hero worship.“
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
Demythologizing quantum history
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics in 2025 without providing appropriate context risks reinforcing a long legacy of hagiography and hero worship.
pubs.aip.org
March 26, 2025 at 8:53 PM
⚛️ Demythologizing quantum history
„Celebrating the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics in 2025 without providing appropriate context risks reinforcing a long legacy of hagiography and hero worship.“
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
„Celebrating the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics in 2025 without providing appropriate context risks reinforcing a long legacy of hagiography and hero worship.“
pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
Reposted by Gernot Münster
„Die Professoren sind der Feind“, erklärte J.D. #Vance vor drei Jahren. Nicht nur die Wortwahl zeigt, dass Donald #Trump und seine Bande der #Wissenschaft den Krieg erklärt haben … Unser Herausgeber Kai Herfort hat in unserem Blog dazu folgende Meinung: www.laborjournal.de/blog/?p=14184
March 21, 2025 at 9:34 AM
„Die Professoren sind der Feind“, erklärte J.D. #Vance vor drei Jahren. Nicht nur die Wortwahl zeigt, dass Donald #Trump und seine Bande der #Wissenschaft den Krieg erklärt haben … Unser Herausgeber Kai Herfort hat in unserem Blog dazu folgende Meinung: www.laborjournal.de/blog/?p=14184
This Friday is #PiDay
So, here is about
the most efficient rational approximation for pi.
It is known that the constant pi=3.141592653589... is irrational and therefore cannot be represented as a fraction. But it can be approximated with any precision using fractions p/q.
1/7
So, here is about
the most efficient rational approximation for pi.
It is known that the constant pi=3.141592653589... is irrational and therefore cannot be represented as a fraction. But it can be approximated with any precision using fractions p/q.
1/7
March 14, 2025 at 6:32 PM
This Friday is #PiDay
So, here is about
the most efficient rational approximation for pi.
It is known that the constant pi=3.141592653589... is irrational and therefore cannot be represented as a fraction. But it can be approximated with any precision using fractions p/q.
1/7
So, here is about
the most efficient rational approximation for pi.
It is known that the constant pi=3.141592653589... is irrational and therefore cannot be represented as a fraction. But it can be approximated with any precision using fractions p/q.
1/7
Lucy Mensing, vergessene Pionierin der Quantenmechanik ⚛️
#OTD wurde Lucy Mensing 1901 in Hamburg geboren. In den 1920er Jahren leistete sie fundamentale Beiträge zur neuen Quantenmechanik. Dennoch ist sie heute fast ganz vergessen. Was hat sie beigetragen und was führte zum Ende
1/9
#OTD wurde Lucy Mensing 1901 in Hamburg geboren. In den 1920er Jahren leistete sie fundamentale Beiträge zur neuen Quantenmechanik. Dennoch ist sie heute fast ganz vergessen. Was hat sie beigetragen und was führte zum Ende
1/9
March 11, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Lucy Mensing, vergessene Pionierin der Quantenmechanik ⚛️
#OTD wurde Lucy Mensing 1901 in Hamburg geboren. In den 1920er Jahren leistete sie fundamentale Beiträge zur neuen Quantenmechanik. Dennoch ist sie heute fast ganz vergessen. Was hat sie beigetragen und was führte zum Ende
1/9
#OTD wurde Lucy Mensing 1901 in Hamburg geboren. In den 1920er Jahren leistete sie fundamentale Beiträge zur neuen Quantenmechanik. Dennoch ist sie heute fast ganz vergessen. Was hat sie beigetragen und was führte zum Ende
1/9
Lucy Mensing, forgotten pioneer of quantum mechanics ⚛️
Lucy Mensing was born #OTD in Hamburg in 1901. In the 1920s she made fundamental contributions to the new quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, she is almost completely forgotten today. What did she contribute and what led
1/8
Lucy Mensing was born #OTD in Hamburg in 1901. In the 1920s she made fundamental contributions to the new quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, she is almost completely forgotten today. What did she contribute and what led
1/8
March 11, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Lucy Mensing, forgotten pioneer of quantum mechanics ⚛️
Lucy Mensing was born #OTD in Hamburg in 1901. In the 1920s she made fundamental contributions to the new quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, she is almost completely forgotten today. What did she contribute and what led
1/8
Lucy Mensing was born #OTD in Hamburg in 1901. In the 1920s she made fundamental contributions to the new quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, she is almost completely forgotten today. What did she contribute and what led
1/8
Physics stories ⚛️
Pauli, Dirac, and pieces of sugar
I met Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker several times. Once he told the following story. There was a meeting in Copenhagen, where Wolfgang Pauli, P.A.M. Dirac and others discussed physics. Pauli was drinking tea.
1/4
Pauli, Dirac, and pieces of sugar
I met Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker several times. Once he told the following story. There was a meeting in Copenhagen, where Wolfgang Pauli, P.A.M. Dirac and others discussed physics. Pauli was drinking tea.
1/4
March 6, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Physics stories ⚛️
Pauli, Dirac, and pieces of sugar
I met Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker several times. Once he told the following story. There was a meeting in Copenhagen, where Wolfgang Pauli, P.A.M. Dirac and others discussed physics. Pauli was drinking tea.
1/4
Pauli, Dirac, and pieces of sugar
I met Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker several times. Once he told the following story. There was a meeting in Copenhagen, where Wolfgang Pauli, P.A.M. Dirac and others discussed physics. Pauli was drinking tea.
1/4
⚛️
Physics stories
137, Eddington and Pauli
The strength of the electromagnetic interactions is characterized by a number alpha, "Sommerfeld's fine-structure constant". It's value is approximately 1/137. Accurate to 4 decimal places, its inverse is 137.036. This number
1/9
137, Eddington and Pauli
The strength of the electromagnetic interactions is characterized by a number alpha, "Sommerfeld's fine-structure constant". It's value is approximately 1/137. Accurate to 4 decimal places, its inverse is 137.036. This number
1/9
February 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
⚛️
Physics stories
137, Eddington and Pauli
The strength of the electromagnetic interactions is characterized by a number alpha, "Sommerfeld's fine-structure constant". It's value is approximately 1/137. Accurate to 4 decimal places, its inverse is 137.036. This number
1/9
137, Eddington and Pauli
The strength of the electromagnetic interactions is characterized by a number alpha, "Sommerfeld's fine-structure constant". It's value is approximately 1/137. Accurate to 4 decimal places, its inverse is 137.036. This number
1/9
February 7, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Physics stories
137, Eddington and Pauli
The strength of the electromagnetic interactions is characterized by a number alpha, "Sommerfeld's fine-structure constant". It's value is approximately 1/137. Accurate to 4 decimal places, its inverse is 137.036. This number
1/9
137, Eddington and Pauli
The strength of the electromagnetic interactions is characterized by a number alpha, "Sommerfeld's fine-structure constant". It's value is approximately 1/137. Accurate to 4 decimal places, its inverse is 137.036. This number
1/9
Physics stories ⚛️
Dirac, the large numbers, and two anecdotes
The physicist Dirac, pioneer of quantum theory, discoverer of the Dirac equation and Nobel Prize winner, pointed out the following remarkable facts in 1937:
1/10
Dirac, the large numbers, and two anecdotes
The physicist Dirac, pioneer of quantum theory, discoverer of the Dirac equation and Nobel Prize winner, pointed out the following remarkable facts in 1937:
1/10
January 12, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Physics stories ⚛️
Dirac, the large numbers, and two anecdotes
The physicist Dirac, pioneer of quantum theory, discoverer of the Dirac equation and Nobel Prize winner, pointed out the following remarkable facts in 1937:
1/10
Dirac, the large numbers, and two anecdotes
The physicist Dirac, pioneer of quantum theory, discoverer of the Dirac equation and Nobel Prize winner, pointed out the following remarkable facts in 1937:
1/10
When I met Einstein
January 5, 2025 at 3:49 PM
When I met Einstein
I forgot the physics tag, here it is: ⚛️
"Negative time" in quantum physics?
In the fall of 2024, a physics experiment hit the headlines. News portals such as London Daily News, NDTV, The Independent, Science Alert and others reported on the discovery of “negative time”,
1/11
In the fall of 2024, a physics experiment hit the headlines. News portals such as London Daily News, NDTV, The Independent, Science Alert and others reported on the discovery of “negative time”,
1/11
January 4, 2025 at 5:06 PM
I forgot the physics tag, here it is: ⚛️
"Negative time" in quantum physics?
In the fall of 2024, a physics experiment hit the headlines. News portals such as London Daily News, NDTV, The Independent, Science Alert and others reported on the discovery of “negative time”,
1/11
In the fall of 2024, a physics experiment hit the headlines. News portals such as London Daily News, NDTV, The Independent, Science Alert and others reported on the discovery of “negative time”,
1/11
January 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
"Negative time" in quantum physics?
In the fall of 2024, a physics experiment hit the headlines. News portals such as London Daily News, NDTV, The Independent, Science Alert and others reported on the discovery of “negative time”,
1/11
In the fall of 2024, a physics experiment hit the headlines. News portals such as London Daily News, NDTV, The Independent, Science Alert and others reported on the discovery of “negative time”,
1/11
What is this? Strange attractor? Poincare map? Vortex turbulence?
December 31, 2024 at 11:03 AM
What is this? Strange attractor? Poincare map? Vortex turbulence?