Birth of Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schr”dinger
Birth of Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schr”dinger
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrodinger Biography and Timeline
Follow Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrodinger through 94 dated historical records for Austria.
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrodinger, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
94Distinct records
1 of 3Page
1887–1927Years on this page
1887
1898
Education
Attends the Akademisches Gymnasium
1906
Education
Between 1906 and 1910 Schrodinger studies in Vienna under Franz Serafin Exner (1849-1926) and Friedrich Hasenohrl (1874-1915)
University of Vienna Studies
Begins university study in Vienna, where courses in theoretical physics and mathematics provide the foundation for his later work on quantum theory.
1907
Studies with Friedrich Hasenohrl
Studies theoretical physics under Friedrich Hasenohrl, whose teaching strongly shapes his approach to mathematical and statistical physics.
1908
Eigenvalue Problem Studies
Develops a strong command of eigenvalue problems in continuous media, mathematical techniques that later become central to his formulation of wave mechanics.
1909
Experimental Physics Training
Gains practical experience in experimental physics through work associated with Franz Exner and Fritz Kohlrausch while completing his university studies.
1910
Doctorate Awarded
Receives his doctorate from the University of Vienna for research on the conduction of electricity over the surface of insulators in moist air.
Voluntary Military Service
Begins voluntary military service in fortress artillery after completing his doctorate, temporarily interrupting his academic work.
1911
Assistant to Franz Exner
Becomes an assistant in experimental physics under Franz Exner and gains laboratory experience that later informs his theoretical reasoning.
1912
Radioactivity Research
Investigates radioactivity and the statistical character of radioactive decay while working in Vienna.
1913
Crystal Lattice Research
Studies the kinetic theory of solids and the dynamics of crystal lattices as part of his early research programme.
1914
Habilitation
Completes his habilitation and obtains the qualification required to teach independently at university level.
First World War Military Service
Enters wartime service as an artillery officer in the Austro-Hungarian forces while continuing to think and write about physics.
1915
Physics Research During War
Continues scientific work during military service and maintains active engagement with theoretical physics despite wartime duties.
1916
Italian Front Service
Serves on the Italian front as an artillery officer while remaining intellectually active in physics.
1917
Statistical Physics Work
Continues developing ideas in statistical and theoretical physics during the later years of the First World War.
1918
Colour Vision Research Begins
Begins a substantial programme of research on physiological optics and colour vision that continues into the early 1920s.
Return to Vienna Research
Returns to academic work in Vienna after the war and resumes research in theoretical and experimental physics.
1919
Colour Theory Publications
Publishes work on colour theory and physiological optics, extending his interests beyond conventional theoretical physics.
1920
Marriage to Annemarie Bertel
Marries Annemarie Bertel while establishing his academic career in Germany.
Jena Appointment
Accepts an academic assistantship in Jena, beginning a rapid series of university appointments in Germany.
Stuttgart Professorship
Moves from Jena to Stuttgart as an extraordinary professor and continues research in theoretical physics and colour vision.
1921
Breslau Professorship
Takes an ordinary professorship at Breslau during a period of rapid advancement through German universities.
Zurich Chair of Theoretical Physics
Accepts the chair of theoretical physics at the University of Zurich, beginning the most productive period of his scientific career.
1922
Zurich Thermodynamics Research
Works on thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and the specific heats of solids during his early years at Zurich.
1923
Atomic Spectra Research
Investigates problems in atomic spectra as his attention increasingly shifts toward unresolved questions in quantum theory.
1924
Quantum Statistics Research
Begins intensive work on quantum statistics and the statistical behaviour of particles, helping redirect his research toward quantum foundations.
1925
Einstein Gas Theory Paper
Submits a paper on Einstein's gas theory that forms part of the immediate intellectual background to his development of wave mechanics.
de Broglie Matter Waves Influence
Studies Louis de Broglie's matter-wave ideas and recognizes that they may provide a new route to understanding atomic structure.
1926
First Eigenvalue Paper Submitted
Submits the first paper in his series on quantization as an eigenvalue problem, applying wave mechanics to the hydrogen atom.
Second Eigenvalue Paper
Publishes the second paper in his wave-mechanics series and extends the new formalism beyond the first hydrogen calculations.
Wave and Matrix Mechanics Equivalence
Publishes a demonstration that his wave mechanics and Heisenberg's matrix mechanics are mathematically equivalent formulations of quantum theory.
Coherent State Harmonic Oscillator Paper
Publishes work on the relation between microscopic and macroscopic mechanics that introduces what later become known as coherent states for the harmonic oscillator.
Undulatory Theory Physical Review Paper
Publishes an English-language account of wave mechanics in Physical Review under the title An Undulatory Theory of the Mechanics of Atoms and Molecules.
Quantisierung als Eigenwertproblem
Schrodinger publishes in Annalen der Physik the paper "Quantisierung als Eigenwertproblem" on wave mechanics and what is now known as the Schrodinger equation
Schrodinger Equation
Schrodinger publishes in Annalen der Physik the paper "Quantisierung als Eigenwertproblem" on wave mechanics and what is now known as the Schrodinger equation
Hydrogen Spectrum Wave Mechanics
Uses the new wave equation to derive the allowed energy levels of the hydrogen atom from an eigenvalue problem rather than prescribed electron orbits.
Wave Function Interpretation
Proposes a continuous wave-based physical interpretation of the quantum state while developing his new formulation of quantum mechanics.
1927
Solvay Quantum Theory Discussions
Takes part in the fifth Solvay Conference, where leading physicists debate the interpretation and foundations of the newly developed quantum mechanics.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.