Walter Greiner (29 October 1935 – 6 October 2016) was a German
theoretical physicist. His research interests lay in
atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. Atomic physics typically refers to the study of atomic structure and the interaction between atoms. It is primarily concerned wit ...
,
heavy ion physics,
nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter.
Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies t ...
, elementary
particle physics
Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
(particularly in
quantum electrodynamics and
quantum chromodynamics
In theoretical physics, quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory of the strong interaction between quarks mediated by gluons. Quarks are fundamental particles that make up composite hadrons such as the proton, neutron and pion. QCD is a type ...
). He is known for his series of books in theoretical physics, particularly in Germany but also around the world.
Biography
Greiner was born on 29 October 1935, in
Neuenbau,
Sonnenberg
Sonnenberg is a municipality in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, a ...
, Germany.
He studied physics at the University of Frankfurt (
Goethe University Frankfurt
Goethe University (german: link=no, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main) is a university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealt ...
), receiving a BSci in physics, a master's degree in 1960 with a thesis on Plasma-reactors, and a PhD in 1961 at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...
under , with a thesis on the nuclear polarization in μ-mesic atoms. From 1962 to 1964, he was assistant professor at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
, followed by a Research Associate position at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...
in 1964.
Starting in 1965, he became a full professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt until 1995.
Greiner has been a visiting professor to many universities and laboratories, including
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
, the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
, the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, University of Califor ...
, the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...
,
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
,
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research an ...
, and
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ...
.
In 2003, with
Wolf Singer, he was the founding Director of the
Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies
The Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) is a private-public institution for basic theoretical research in various areas of science
focusing on interdisciplinary research. It is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, at its own home a ...
(FIAS), and gave lectures and seminars in elementary particle physics. He died on 6 October 2016 at the age of 80.
After Greiner's death, several books and articles were published as tributes to him.
Graduate students
His doctoral students include
Berndt Müller,
Johann Rafelski and
Horst Stöcker.
The scientist Dr.
Sabine Hossenfelder
Sabine Hossenfelder (born 1976) is a German theoretical physicist, author, musician and YouTuber. She is currently employed as a research fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. She is the author of ''Lost in Math: How Beauty L ...
was among his students.
Awards
Greiner has received numerous scientific awards, including the
Max Born Prize
The Max Born Medal and Prize is a scientific prize awarded yearly by the German Physical Society (DPG) and the British Institute of Physics (IOP) in memory of the German physicist Max Born, who was a German-Jewish physicist, instrumental in the ...
, the
Otto Hahn Prize, and the
Alexander von Humboldt Medal
The International Association for Vegetation Science (IAVS) promotes contact between scientists and others interested in the study of vegetation ecology, promotes research and publication of research results. In 1939 the International Phytosoci ...
.
American Physical Society
/ref> Many of his students are holders of chairs at home and abroad or employees at renowned scientific institutions.
Books
Greiner's books cover most of theoretical physics, although there are more in the areas of his research (quantum mechanics and field theory, with applications). Following are the English translations of the books. See the German Wikipedia
The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia.
Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedi ...
for the original German editions (which includes a volume on hydrodynamics
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) a ...
, not published in the English series).
;Classical theoretical physics series
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;Theoretical physics series
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References
External links
Summary of his books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greiner, Walter
1935 births
2016 deaths
Theoretical physicists
University of Freiburg alumni
20th-century German physicists
21st-century German physicists
Goethe University Frankfurt alumni
Goethe University Frankfurt faculty
University of Maryland, College Park faculty