Early Life and Education

Wilhelm Wien was born January 13, 1864, in Gaffken, Prussia. He was the son of landowner Carl Wien.

Wien started his education in Rastenburg, where his family moved when he was two. He attended the city school of Heidelberg. After his graduation, he attended the University of Göttingen and the University of Berlin.

Career Beginnings

After Wien’s University education, he worked in the laboratory of Hermann von Helmholtz from 1883 to 1885.

Afterwards in 1886, he received his Ph.D. with a thesis on the diffraction of light upon metals and on the influence of various materials upon the color of refracted light.

Academic Positions

He also lectured in three different universities. Wien eventually became a professor of physics at the University of Würzburg as successor of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1900 and also at the University of Munich in 1919.

Research on Black-Body Radiation

At the University of Würzburg, he conducted extensive research on black-body radiation.

In 1896, Wien developed an equation that describes the curve of black-body radiation, although it was later refined by Max Planck.

One of his most notable achievements is the discovery of the displacement law of black-body radiation. According to this law, the wavelength at which a black body emits the most radiation is inversely proportional to its temperature.

Later Years and Nobel Prize

In 1919, he relocated to the University of Munich. Due to his groundbreaking work on heat radiation, Wilhelm Wien was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1911.

Contributions to Atomic Theory and Electrical Charge

Wien also had an interest in the composition of atoms and the characteristics of electrical charge. In 1898, he put forth a model of the atom, proposing that electrons are organized in circular formations around the nucleus. Furthermore, he suggested that electric charge is not a continuous entity, but rather consists of distinct units referred to as electrons.

Political and Scientific Influence

Wien throughout his life was active in science politics representing conservative and nationalistic positions. He was among the first physicists to acknowledge the significance of Planck and Albert Einstein’s quantum theory, and he endeavored to incorporate it into his own research.

Death

Wien passed away in Munich, Germany, in 1928 at the age of 64.