Event

May 22, 2023
How the Saha Ionization Equation was Discovered

Although the Saha ionization equation is a standard topic in advanced statistical physics and most professional physicists would have some knowledge of it, the exact nature of Meghnad Saha’s contributions in this subject is not widely known.  Based on an analysis of Saha’s original papers and other relevant papers by contemporary scientists, as well as other source materials such as letters exchanged between scientists, I shall discuss how Saha used the theory of thermal ionization to solve some of the most important astrophysics problems of that era. 

Address
MPIWG, Harnackstraße 5, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Room
Villa, Room V005/Seminar Room
Contact and Registration

Link to the Zoom-Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94690790127 Meeting-ID: 946 9079 0127 no registration required. For more information contact Kseniia Mohelsky officeblum@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de

About This Series

The seminar series of the Research Group “Historical Epistemology of the Final Theory Program” runs once a month, usually on a Monday at 14:00 in the seminar room of the Villa (Harnackstraße 5). The talks deal primarily with the history, philosophy, and foundations of modern (post-WWII) physics or with wider epistemological questions related to the work of the group. There are no pre-circulated papers.

2023-05-22T14:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2023-05-22 14:00:00 2023-05-22 16:00:00 How the Saha Ionization Equation was Discovered Although the Saha ionization equation is a standard topic in advanced statistical physics and most professional physicists would have some knowledge of it, the exact nature of Meghnad Saha’s contributions in this subject is not widely known.  Based on an analysis of Saha’s original papers and other relevant papers by contemporary scientists, as well as other source materials such as letters exchanged between scientists, I shall discuss how Saha used the theory of thermal ionization to solve some of the most important astrophysics problems of that era.  MPIWG, Harnackstraße 5, 14195 Berlin, Germany Villa, Room V005/Seminar Room MPRG Final Theory Program MPRG Final Theory Program Europe/Berlin public