Einstein meets Wissenschaftskolleg: Michael D. Gordin

Exploring Gravitational Waves: Einstein in Bohemia

Lecture and Discussion from and with Michael D. Gordin, Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Princeton University

The current enthusiasm over the announcement about the possible detection of gravitational waves at the „Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory“ (LIGO) has brought gravity into the news. But for the last two centuries, gravity has not been at the forefront of physics research. Even at the time when Einstein turned in earnest to gravitation, the topic was far overshadowed by the emergent quantum theory. Only his move to Prague in 1911 provided the conditions so he could pursue his thoughts without distraction, which led later to his theory of general relativity.

In his presentation on the occasion of the 147th birthday of Albert Einstein, Professor Michael C. Gordin will follow Einstein’s path from his time in Prague to the publication of the general theory of relativity in Berlin, and then briefly sketch historical ups and downs of gravitational research in the century since.

Michael D. Gordin

Michael D. Gordin is Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Princeton University, where he specializes in the history of modern science. He came to Princeton in 2003 after earning his A.B. (1996) and his Ph.D. (2001) from Harvard University, and serving a term at the Harvard Society of Fellows. In 2011 he was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship and was named a Guggenheim Fellow.

He has published on the history of science, Russian history, and the history of nuclear weapons.