Johannes Stark

Johannes Stark was a man who studied light.

He won a very big prize for this work. He was a teacher at many schools. He also studied math and chemistry.

Later, Stark did some very bad things. He joined a mean group in Germany. He was not kind to other scientists.

He thought science should only help his own land. He did not like the ideas of others. This caused much trouble.

After a war, a court looked at his actions. He had to pay a fine. He died at the age of 83.

Johannes Stark was a German physicist. He was born in 1874. He studied many subjects like math and chemistry.

Stark is famous for the Stark effect. This is a way that light splits when it is in an electric field. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1919 for this discovery. He even asked Albert Einstein to write about relativity early in his career.

However, Stark's life took a dark turn. He supported Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. He joined a group called Deutsche Physik. This group wanted to remove Jewish scientists from German schools. Stark attacked the ideas of Einstein. He believed science should only serve the German nation. He even wrote mean things about other scientists.

After World War II, a court looked at his past. They found him guilty of being a major offender. Later, his punishment was changed to a lesser offender. He had to pay a fine. Stark lived on a farm in his later years. He died in 1957 at age 83. A crater on the Moon once had his name. That name was removed in 2020.

Johannes Stark was a German physicist who changed how we see light. He was born on April 15, 1874, in Schickenhof, Germany. Stark studied many subjects like physics, math, and chemistry at the University of Munich. In 1897, he earned his Ph.D. by studying the optical properties of soot. He worked as an assistant to Eugen von Lommel until 1900. Later, he taught at many different universities in places like Göttingen, Hanover, and Aachen. His long career in science led to very important discoveries about the natural world.

Stark is most famous for discovering the Stark effect. This is a thing that happens when light is placed in an electric field. When this happens, the spectral lines of light split apart. He also studied the Doppler effect in canal rays. Because of these discoveries, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1919. This prize is one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. He even used his prize money to build a private lab at his home.

Early in his career, Stark actually helped a very famous scientist. In 1907, he asked Albert Einstein to write an article about relativity. At that time, Einstein was not yet a world-famous figure. Stark even used Einstein's ideas to help calculate the energy of an electron. However, Stark's views changed as time went on. He later became a strong critic of Einstein and his theories. This change in his beliefs is a very important part of his history.

Stark's life became very difficult because of his political choices. From 1924, he supported Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. He joined a movement called Deutsche Physik with Philipp Lenard. This group wanted to remove Jewish scientists from German schools and jobs. Stark attacked scientists like Einstein and Werner Heisenberg. He believed science should only serve the German nation and its industry. In 1934, he even wrote a book about National Socialism and science.

After World War II ended, a court looked at Stark's actions. In 1947, a denazification court found him guilty as a "Major Offender." This meant he had played a large role in the Nazi regime. In 1949, an appeals court changed this to "Lesser Offender." He was ordered to pay a fine of 1,000 marks. Stark lived on his estate in Upper Bavaria until he died in 1957. He was 83 years old when he passed away.

Johannes Stark was a German physicist who made significant contributions to our understanding of light and electricity. Born on April 15, 1874, in Schickenhof, Germany, he became a central figure in early 20th-century physics. He is most widely recognized for discovering the Stark effect. This phenomenon involves the splitting of spectral lines when atoms are placed in an electric field. Because of this discovery, along with his work on the Doppler effect in canal rays, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1919. His life, however, is also defined by his controversial political involvement during the Nazi era.

Stark's scientific journey began with a deep study of various disciplines. He attended the gymnasium in Bayreuth and Regensburg before entering the University of Munich in 1894. There, he studied physics, mathematics, chemistry, and crystallography. In 1897, he earned his Ph.D. under the supervision of Eugen von Lommel. His doctoral thesis investigated the physical and optical properties of soot. After his studies, he served as an assistant to von Lommel until 1900. This period laid the foundation for a long and prolific academic career.

As his career progressed, Stark held several prestigious teaching positions across Germany. In 1900, he became a Privatdozent, or unsalaried lecturer, at the University of Göttingen. He later served as an Extraordinary Professor at the Royal Technical College in Hanover in 1906. By 1909, he moved to the Technical College of Aachen as a professor. Between 1917 and 1922, he held professorships at the universities of Greifswald and Würzburg. Stark was a highly productive researcher, publishing more than 300 scientific papers. Much of his research focused on the complex nature of electricity.

Interestingly, Stark's early work actually intersected with the rise of Albert Einstein. In 1907, while serving as an editor, Stark asked Einstein to write a review on the principle of relativity. At that time, Einstein was not yet a globally famous figure. Stark appeared to respect Einstein's early ideas. In a 1907 paper, Stark used Einstein's equations to calculate the energy related to an electron at rest. He specifically cited the relationship between mass and energy, known as E=mc². This connection is considered ironic because Stark later became a vocal opponent of Einstein's theories.

Stark's political views shifted dramatically as he became a supporter of Adolf Hitler starting in 1924. He became a leader of the Deutsche Physik movement, also known as Aryan Physics. Alongside fellow Nobel laureate Philipp Lenard, Stark sought to remove Jewish physicists from German academic institutions. He attacked the work of Albert Einstein and Werner Heisenberg, labeling their theories as "Jewish physics." Stark believed that science should primarily serve the German nation and its industrial needs. He argued that scientific positions should be reserved for those of pure German blood.

His opposition to other scientists was often aggressive and public. After Werner Heisenberg defended Einstein's theory of relativity, Stark published an angry article in the SS newspaper, Das Schwarze Korps. In this article, he referred to Heisenberg as a "White Jew." Stark also used his influence to pressure other academics. In 1934, he wrote a letter to Max von Laue, demanding that he follow the Nazi party line. During the Nazi regime, Stark held powerful positions, including President of the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt. He also served as President of the Emergency Association of German Science.

Following the defeat of Germany in World War II, Stark faced legal consequences for his actions. In 1947, a denazification court found him guilty as a "Major Offender." This classification reflected his significant role within the Nazi scientific community. He was originally sentenced to four years of imprisonment, though the sentence was suspended. In 1949, an appeals court in Munich reduced his status to "Lesser Offender." This change included a fine of 1,000 marks. Stark spent his final years on his estate in Upper Bavaria. He died on June 21, 1957, at the age of 83.