Kamerlingh Onnes en Einstein: ‘Uw hulp zal dus veel goeds tot stand kunnen brengen’

Samenvatting

Kamerlingh Onnes and EinsteinIn 1901 Albert Einstein unsuccessfully applied for the post of assistant in Heike Kamerlingh Onnes’ cryogenics laboratory. Ten years later the two scientists finally met each other. Einstein was interested in the experimental research taking place in Leiden into critical light scattering, a field to which he had made theoretical contributions himself. Kamerlingh Onnes on his part hoped Einstein might throw light on the unexplained phenomenon of superconductivity and on the influence of quantum effects on Leiden’s key research topic: equation of state.