Einstein Nobel Prize 1921. The scientist who opened the door to new physics with three blows. The beginning of the path to world fame

Albert EINSTEIN , without any doubt, is one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century. This is probably why there have always been many rumors and myths around his figure, many of which are still popular today, although they do not correspond to reality at all.

I bring to your attention a short note in which an attempt is made to refute a couple of such persistent misconceptions about the personality of the great physicist.

I assure you that I am not going to lure anyone into the deep theoretical jungle in this note, especially since I myself know little about physics (only at the level of a long-forgotten school curriculum). To convince you of this, I will start my post with an anecdote about Einstein (and end it with an anecdote).

An American journalist once interviewed Einstein.
- What is the difference between time and eternity? - she asked.
“Dear child,” Einstein replied good-naturedly, “if I had time to explain this difference to you, an eternity would pass before you would understand it.”

Try asking someone Why did Albert Einstein receive Nobel Prize . Most likely they will tell you what kind of creature it is theory of relativity .
In fact, this is not at all the case.

Albert Einstein in 1921
(Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921)

Nobel Committee in 1922 awarded Einstein a prize for discovery of the laws of the photoelectric effect (and this confirms the quantum theory of Max Planck).
However, Albert Einstein had previously been nominated for the Nobel Prize three times (and specifically for the theory of relativity) - in 1910, 1911 and 1915. But to the members of the Nobel Committee, Einstein's work seemed so revolutionary that they did not dare to recognize it.

This is best seen in a letter to Einstein from the Secretary of the Swedish Academy of Sciences, Christopher Aurivillius, dated November 10, 1922: “As I have already informed you by telegram, the Royal Academy of Sciences, at its meeting yesterday, decided to award you the Prize in Physics for the past year, thereby recognizing your work in theoretical physics, in particular the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, without taking into account your work on the theory of relativity and the theory of gravity, which will be evaluated once confirmed in the future."

Among modern schoolchildren with poor grades (those who are ordinary lazy people, but not without intellectual abilities, otherwise they would not even know the name of a physicist) it has long been circulating the story that Einstein did poorly at school and even failed the math exam. Apparently they are trying to justify themselves with this: you see, Einstein was, like me, a poor student, and then became a great scientist! And I can do it, look!

I hasten to disappoint them.

Einstein's grades in both mathematics and physics were beyond praise. Another thing is that he was intolerant of the cane discipline that reigned in the Munich gymnasium (now, by the way, it bears his name). According to Einstein, the teachers of the junior classes reminded him of sergeants in their behavior, and the senior teachers reminded him of lieutenants. The teachers didn’t particularly like him either, because the behavior of the obstinate student called into question the entire orderly education system at the school. It was because of this that he gained a reputation as a bad student, and not at all because of a lack of knowledge or ability to think.

Albert Einstein's certificate from the Swiss school in Aarau in 1879
(grades are given on a 6-point scale). As you can see, in algebra, geometry and physics
The highest scores were given, but only a “C” in French:

In fairness, it should be noted that among the legends about the great scientist there are also stories that, quite possibly, could actually happen to him.

So, they write that one day he opened a book and found in it as a bookmark an unused check for one and a half thousand dollars. This could well have happened, since in everyday life Einstein was extremely distracted. They say that he did not even remember his home address - 112 Mercer Street, Princeton, New Jersey.

It is quite possible that the following anecdotal story is true:

Albert Einstein in his youth loved to wear only a tattered jacket.
- How do you dress so casually that people will talk about you? - the neighbors were surprised.
“Why,” Einstein asked, “nobody knows me here anyway.”
Thirty years have passed. Einstein wore the same jacket.
- Why do you dress so casually that people will talk about you? - the new neighbors were already surprised.
- And what? - asked the now famous physicist. - Everyone here already knows me!

Thank you for your attention.
Sergey Vorobiev.

Prize for 1921

It was obvious that Einstein would one day receive the Nobel Prize in Physics. In fact, he has already even agreed, when this happens, to transfer the bonus money to his first wife Mileva Maric. The only question was when this would happen. And why?

When it was announced in November 1922 that he had been awarded the prize for 1921, new questions arose: why so late? And why “especially for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”?

There is such a legend: Einstein learned that he was finally the winner on his way to Japan. “The Nobel Prize has been awarded to you. Details by letter,” read the telegram sent on November 10. However, in fact, he was warned about this long before the trip, as soon as the Swedish Academy made its decision in September.

Even knowing that he had finally won, Einstein did not consider it possible to postpone the trip - to some extent, because he was passed over so often that it was already irritating him.

He was first nominated for the prize in 1910 by Wilhelm Ostwald, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry who had refused to hire Einstein nine years earlier. Ostwald referred to special relativity, emphasizing that it was a fundamental physical theory and not merely a philosophy, as some of Einstein's detractors claimed. He defended this point of view again and again, re-promoting Einstein for several more years in a row.

The Swedish Nobel Committee strictly followed the instructions of Alfred Nobel's will: the Nobel Prize is awarded for “the most important discovery or invention.” The committee members believed that the theory of relativity did not exactly meet any of these criteria. Therefore, they responded that “before agreeing with this theory, and in particular awarding the Nobel Prize for it,” we should wait for its more explicit experimental confirmation 2 .

Over the next decade, Einstein continued to be nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work on the theory of relativity. He received the support of many prominent theorists, such as Wilhelm Wien. True, Lorenz, who was still skeptical about this theory, was not one of them. The main obstacle was that at that time the committee was suspicious of pure theorists. Between 1910 and 1922, three of the five committee members were from Sweden's Uppsala University, known for its ardent passion for improving experimental techniques and measuring instruments. “The committee was dominated by Swedish physicists, known for their love of experimentation,” notes Robert Mark Friedman, a science historian from Oslo. – They considered precision measurement supreme goal his science." This was one of the reasons why Max Planck had to wait until 1919 (he was awarded the prize for 1918, which had not been awarded the previous year), and Henri Poincaré did not receive the Nobel Prize at all 3.

In November 1919, exciting news arrived: the sighting solar eclipse largely confirmed Einstein's theory - 1920 became the year of Einstein. By this time, Lorenz was no longer so skeptical. Along with Bohr and six other scientists who were officially eligible to nominate for the Nobel Prize, he spoke out in support of Einstein, emphasizing the completeness of his theory of relativity. (Planck also wrote a letter in support of Einstein, but it was late, arriving after the deadline for nominations.) As Lorentz’s letter asserted, Einstein “ranks with the most outstanding physicists of all times.” Bohr's letter was equally clear: “Here we are dealing with an achievement of fundamental importance.” 4

Politics intervened. Until now, the main justification for refusing the Nobel Prize has been purely scientific: the work is entirely theoretical, not based on experiment, and does not appear to involve the “discovery” of new laws. After the observation of the eclipse, the explanation of the shift in Mercury's orbits, and other experimental confirmations, these objections were still voiced, but now they sounded more like a prejudice associated with differences in cultural levels, and with a prejudiced attitude towards Einstein himself. To Einstein's critics, the fact that he suddenly became a superstar - the most famous international scientist since lightning tamer Benjamin Franklin was a Parisian street idol - was more a sign of his penchant for self-promotion than of his being worthy of a Nobel Prize.

This was clearly evident in the seven-page internal report written by Arrhenius, the chairman of the Nobel Committee. Arrhenius explained why Einstein would not be awarded the prize for 1920. He pointed out that the results of observing the eclipse are ambiguous and scientists have not yet confirmed the theory’s prediction, according to which the light coming from the sun, due to the sun’s attraction, shifts to the red region of the spectrum. He also quoted the discreditable arguments of Ernst Gehrke, an anti-Semite critic of relativistic theory, one of the organizers of the famous anti-Einstein convention, which took place in the summer of the same year in Berlin. Gehrke argued that other theories could explain the shift in Mercury's orbits.

Behind the scenes, Philip Lenard, another leading anti-Semitic critic of Einstein, was preparing for crusade against him. (On next year Lenard nominated Gehrke as a candidate for the prize!) Sven Hedin, the famous Swedish traveler, geographer and prominent member of the Academy, later recalled that Lenard took great pains to make him and everyone else believe that “the theory of relativity is not really a discovery” and that there is no evidence of its validity 5 .

In his report, Arrhenius cited Lenard's “compelling critique of the oddities of Einstein's general theory of relativity.” Lenard presented his point of view as a criticism of physical ideas that were not based on experiment and specific discoveries. But, although implicitly, Lenard's hostility was strongly felt in the report, expressed in words such as “philosophizing,” which he considered characteristic feature“Jewish science” 6.

Therefore, in 1920, the prize went to another graduate of the Zurich Polytechnic, Charles Edouard Guillaume, who was the scientific opposite of Einstein. This man was the director of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. His modest contribution to science is associated with the refinement of standards used in measurements and the discovery of metal alloys that had practical applications, in particular, in the manufacture of measuring rods. “When the physics community became involved in an incredible intellectual adventure, it was astonishing that it was Guillaume's achievements, the result of routine work and simple theoretical calculations, that were considered a beacon that pointed the way to success,” says Friedman. “Even opponents of the theory of relativity recognized Guillaume’s nomination as strange.” 7

For better or worse, in 1921 Einstein mania reached its apogee, and his work gained widespread support among both theorists and experimentalists. Among them was a German like Planck, and among the foreigners was Eddington. Fourteen people who officially had the right to nominate candidates spoke for Einstein, far more than for any of his competitors. “Einstein, like Newton, is far superior to all his contemporaries,” Eddington wrote. Coming from a member of the Royal Society, this was the highest praise 8 .

The committee now assigned a report on the theory of relativity to Alvar Gullstrand, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Uppsala, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for 1911. Not being competent in either physics or the mathematical apparatus of the theory of relativity, he sharply but illiterately criticized Einstein. Gullstrand clearly intended to reject Einstein's candidacy in any way, so in his fifty-page report he argued, for example, that bending a light beam could not, in fact, serve as a true test of Einstein's theory. He said that Einstein's results have not been confirmed experimentally, but even if this is so, there remain other possibilities to explain this phenomenon within the framework of classical mechanics. As for the orbits of Mercury, Gullstrand declared, “without further observations it is generally unclear whether Einstein’s theory corresponds to the experiments in which the precession of its perihelion was determined.” And the effects of the special theory of relativity, in his words, “lie beyond the experimental error.” As a man who had won laurels for inventing equipment for precision optical measurements, Gullstrand seemed particularly outraged by Einstein's theory that the length of a rigid measuring stick could change depending on the movement of the observer 9 .

Although some members of the entire Academy were aware that Gullstrand's objections were naive, this obstacle was not easy to overcome. He was a respected, popular Swedish professor. He insisted both publicly and privately that the great Nobel Prize should not be awarded to a highly speculative theory that would cause inexplicable mass hysteria, the end of which could be expected very soon. Instead of finding another speaker, the Academy did something that was less (or perhaps more) a public slap in the face to Einstein: the academicians voted not to select anyone and, as an experiment, to postpone the award of the prize for another year to another year. 1921

The deadlocked situation threatened to become indecent. Einstein's lack of a Nobel Prize began to have a negative impact not so much on Einstein, but on the prize itself. “Imagine for a moment what they will say fifty years from now if Einstein’s name is not on the list of Nobel Prize winners,” wrote French physicist Marcel Brillouin in 1922, nominating Einstein 10 .

Salvation came from theoretical physicist Karl Wilhelm Oseen of the University of Uppsala, who became a member of the Nobel Committee in 1922. Oseen was a colleague and friend of Gullstrand's, which helped him carefully deal with some of the ophthalmologist's obscure but stubbornly defended objections. But Oseen understood that this whole story with the theory of relativity had gone so far that it was better to use a different tactic. Therefore, it was he who made considerable efforts to ensure that the prize was awarded to Einstein “for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

Every part of this sentence was carefully thought out. Of course, it was not the theory of relativity that was nominated. Although some historians think so, in essence it was not Einstein’s theory of light quanta, even though the corresponding article for 1905 was mainly meant. The prize was not for any theory at all, but for discovery of the law.

The previous year's report discussed "theory photoelectric effect” by Einstein, but Oseen clearly outlined a different approach to the problem, calling his report "Law photoelectric effect of Einstein” (italics by the author). Oseen did not elaborate on theoretical aspects Einstein's work. Instead, he talked about a law of nature proposed by Einstein and reliably confirmed by experiments, which was called fundamental. Namely, they meant mathematical formulas showing how the photoelectric effect can be explained if we assume that light is emitted and absorbed in discrete quanta, and how this relates to the frequency of light.

Oseen also proposed giving Einstein the prize that had not been awarded in 1921, allowing the Academy to use this as a basis for simultaneously awarding the 1922 prize to Niels Bohr, given that his model of the atom was based on the laws that explain the photoelectric effect. It was a smart ticket for two, ensuring that two of the greatest theorists of the time became Nobel laureates without irritating conservative academic circles. Gulstrand agreed. Arrhenius, having met Einstein in Berlin and been fascinated by him, was ready to accept the inevitable. On September 6, 1922, a vote was held at the Academy: Einstein received the prize for 1921, and Bohr, respectively, for 1922.

So, Einstein won the Nobel Prize for 1921, which, according to the official wording, was awarded “for services to theoretical physics and especially for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” Both here and in the letter from the Secretary of the Academy officially notifying Einstein of this, a clearly unusual explanation was added. Both documents specifically emphasized that the prize was awarded “without taking into account your theories of relativity and gravity, the importance of which will be assessed after their confirmation” 11 . It ended with Einstein not receiving the Nobel Prize for either the special or the general theory relativity and for nothing other than the photoelectric effect.

The fact that it was the photoelectric effect that allowed Einstein to receive the prize seemed like a bad joke. In deducing this “law” it was based mainly on measurements made by Philip Lenard, who was now the most passionate participant in the campaign to persecute Einstein. In a 1905 paper, Einstein praised Lenard's “pioneering” work. But after the anti-Semitic rally of 1920 in Berlin they became worst enemies. Therefore, Lenard was doubly furious: despite his opposition, Einstein received the prize, and, worst of all, for work in the field where he, Lenard, was a pioneer. He wrote an angry letter to the Academy - the only official protest received - where he argued that Einstein misunderstood the real nature of light and, moreover, that he was a Jew flirting with the public, which was alien to the spirit of a truly German physicist 12.

Einstein missed the official award ceremony on December 10. At this time he traveled by train around Japan. After much debate about whether he should be considered German or Swiss, the prize was awarded to to the German ambassador, although both citizenships were indicated in the documents.

The speech of the Chairman of the Arrhenius Committee, who represented Einstein, was carefully verified. “There is probably no living physicist whose name is as widely known as Albert Einstein,” he began. “His theory of relativity became the central topic of most discussions.” He then went on to say, with obvious relief, that “this has chiefly to do with epistemology and is therefore hotly debated in philosophical circles.”

Dwelling briefly on Einstein's other works, Arrhenius explained the rationale behind the Academy's choice. “Einstein's law of the photoelectric effect has been very thoroughly tested American physicist Milliken and his students and passed this test brilliantly,” he said. “Einstein’s law became the basis of quantitative photochemistry, just as Faraday’s law is the basis of electrochemistry” 13.

Einstein gave his Nobel lecture the following July at a scientific conference in Sweden in the presence of King Gustav V Adolf. He spoke not about the photoelectric effect, but about the theory of relativity and ended by emphasizing the importance of his new hobby - the search for a unified field theory, which should unite the general theory of relativity, electromagnetism, and possibly quantum theory 14.

That year the bonus in monetary terms was 121,572 Swedish kronor, or $32,250, which was more than ten times the average salary of a professor for the year. According to the divorce agreement with Maric, Einstein sent part of this amount directly to Zurich, placing it in a trust fund from which she and their sons were to receive income. The rest was sent to an account in America, from which she could also enjoy interest.

This caused another scandal. Hans Albert complained that the trust agreement, which had been agreed upon in advance, allowed the family to use only a percentage of the money invested. Zanger intervened again, and the disputants were calmed down. Einstein jokingly wrote to his sons: “One day you will be very rich, and such a wonderful day will come that I can ask you for a loan.” Maric eventually used the money to buy three apartment buildings in Zurich 15 .

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Nobel laureate Fridtjof Nansen, worldwide famous explorer Arctic, oceanographer and public figure, in 1922 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his humane activities.” After his polar expedition, Fridtjof Nansen devoted most of his time to the affairs of refugees, prisoners of war, those suffering from hunger, or those left homeless, people deprived of hope for the future.

In his speech when presenting him with the prize, the newly minted Nobel laureate drew attention to the fact that the living conditions of people who found themselves in dire straits after the World War were extremely poor. He was convinced that the League of Nations was the only organization capable of preventing wars and helping to overcome their destructive consequences.

Nansen said: “It is the blind fanaticism of both sides that takes conflicts to the level of struggle and destruction, whereas discussion, mutual understanding and tolerance can bring much greater success.” The Nobel laureate was confident that all interstate conflicts could be resolved peacefully. He encouraged other European countries to join the League.

A future Nobel laureate, but already a world-famous polar explorer, Nansen was highly respected by the international community. They listened to his words. Therefore, Fridtjof Nansen managed to overcome the political barriers that divided the world community into capitalist and socialist. Not other people, not even respectable ones international organizations, for example, such as the Red Cross, were not able to achieve such an agreement at that time.

Even before receiving the title of Nobel laureate, immediately after the First World War, Fridtjof Nansen actively worked in the League of Nations. In 1920, Nansen was invited to take part in monitoring the removal of German and Austrian prisoners of war from the territory of Soviet Russia. It was known that after the First World War, about half a million people were kept in camps. They were almost forgotten, since the power of the proletariat was just being established in the country, and chaos reigned. What was needed was a person capable of quickly and effectively solving problems of this level. The League of Nations entrusted this mission to Nansen.

The task was complicated by the fact that revolutionary Russia did not want to recognize the League of Nations, and therefore its decisions. And only the high international authority of the polar explorer made it possible to carry out the repatriation of prisoners. We can say that this was the personal contribution of a man who saved 437 thousand people from hunger, cold, disease, and sometimes even death.

It was thanks to Nansen that about half a million prisoners of war who fought on the side of Germany and lost in camps in Europe and Asia after the First World War were liberated and returned to their homeland. Therefore, Nobel laureate Fridtjof Nansen deservedly received his title.

The respect of the world community for the man who conquered the Arctic also helped when famine broke out in the Volga region and Ukraine. Nansen achieved the organization of assistance to people in need, despite initial resistance - Soviet Union on the one hand and the League of Nations on the other. However, the future Nobel laureate insists on providing assistance, and in 1921, on behalf of the International Red Cross, the “Nansen Help” committee was created to save the starving people of the Volga region. The funds collected by the committee saved the lives of ten million.

After the revolutionary coup, 1.5-2 million people fled from Russia, not recognizing the workers' and peasants' power. They wandered from country to country, finding no refuge. They were poor and sick. Typhus was raging then, and thousands of people were dying. Nansen began developing international agreements for refugees. Over time, 52 countries around the world recognized these documents. They were called “Nansen passports”. This was a year before Nansen received the Nobel laureate, or rather in 1921. At that time the great Norwegian held the post of High Commissioner of the League of Nations.

During the war between Greece and Turkey in 1922, Nansen helps the people of both sides, returning a million Greeks living in Turkey and half a million Turks living in Greece to the land of their ancestors.

The noble peacekeeping activities of Nobel laureate Fridtjof Nansen did not stop with his passing. In 1931, the Nansen International Refugee Agency was created in Geneva. And in 1938, following in the footsteps of its inspiration, it was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

It was obvious that Einstein would one day receive the Nobel Prize in Physics. In fact, he has already even agreed, when this happens, to transfer the bonus money to his first wife Mileva Maric. The only question was when this would happen. And why?

When it was announced in November 1922 that he had been awarded the prize for 1921, new questions arose: why so late? And why “especially for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect”?

There is such a legend: Einstein learned that he was finally the winner on his way to Japan. “The Nobel Prize has been awarded to you. Details by letter,” read the telegram sent on November 10. However, in fact, he was warned about this long before the trip, as soon as the Swedish Academy made its decision in September.

Even knowing that he had finally won, Einstein did not consider it possible to postpone the trip - to some extent because he was bypassed so often that it had already begun to irritate him.

1910s

He was first nominated for the prize in 1910 by Wilhelm Ostwald, the Nobel Prize winner in chemistry who had refused to hire Einstein nine years earlier. Ostwald referred to the special theory of relativity, emphasizing that it is a fundamental physical theory, and not just a philosophy, as some of Einstein's detractors claimed. He defended this point of view again and again, re-putting Einstein forward for several more years in a row.

The Swedish Nobel Committee strictly followed the instructions of Alfred Nobel's will: the Nobel Prize is awarded for "the most important discovery or invention." The committee members believed that the theory of relativity did not exactly meet any of these criteria. Therefore, they replied that “before agreeing with this theory, and in particular awarding the Nobel Prize for it,” we should wait for its more explicit experimental confirmation.

There is such a legend: Einstein learned that he was finally the winner on his way to Japan. However, in reality in fact he was warned about this long ago before the trip

Over the next decade, Einstein continued to be nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work on the theory of relativity. He received the support of many prominent theorists, such as Wilhelm Wien. True, Hendrik Lorenz, who was still skeptical about this theory, was not one of them. The main obstacle was that at that time the committee was suspicious of pure theorists. Between 1910 and 1922, three of the five committee members were from Sweden's Uppsala University, known for its ardent passion for improving experimental techniques and measuring instruments. “The committee was dominated by Swedish physicists, known for their love of experimentation,” notes Robert Mark Friedman, a science historian in Oslo. “They considered precision measurement to be the highest goal of their science.” This was one of the reasons why Max Planck had to wait until 1919 (he was awarded the prize for 1918, which had not been awarded the previous year), and Henri Poincaré did not receive the Nobel Prize at all.

1919

In November 1919, exciting news arrived: the observation of a solar eclipse largely confirmed Einstein's theory; 1920 became the year of Einstein. By this time, Lorenz was no longer so skeptical. Along with Bohr and six other scientists who officially had the right to nominate for the Nobel Prize, he spoke out in support of Einstein, emphasizing the completeness of his theory of relativity. (Planck also wrote a letter in support of Einstein, but it was late, arriving after the deadline for nominations.) As Lorentz's letter stated, Einstein "ranks with the most outstanding physicists of all time." Bohr's letter was equally clear: "Here we are dealing with an achievement of fundamental importance."

Politics intervened. Until now, the main justification for refusing the Nobel Prize has been purely scientific: the work is entirely theoretical, not based on experiment, and does not appear to involve the discovery of new laws. After the observation of the eclipse, the explanation of the shift in the orbits of Mercury and other experimental confirmations, these objections were still voiced, but now they sounded more like a prejudice associated both with differences in cultural levels and with a prejudiced attitude towards Einstein himself. To Einstein's critics, the fact that he suddenly became a superstar, the most famous international scientist since lightning tamer Benjamin Franklin was a Parisian street idol, was more a testament to his penchant for self-promotion than to his being worthy of a Nobel Prize.

1921

For better or worse, in 1921 Einstein mania reached its apogee, and his work gained widespread support among both theorists and experimentalists. Among them was the German Planck, and among the foreigners was Eddington. Fourteen people who officially had the right to nominate candidates spoke for Einstein, far more than for any of his competitors. “Einstein, like Newton, is far superior to all his contemporaries,” Eddington wrote. Coming from a member of the Royal Society, this was the highest praise.

The committee now assigned a report on the theory of relativity to Alvar Gullstrand, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Uppsala, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for 1911. Not being competent in either physics or the mathematical apparatus of the theory of relativity, he sharply but illiterately criticized Einstein. Gullstrand clearly intended to reject Einstein's candidacy in any way, so in his fifty-page report, for example, he argued that bending a light beam could not in fact serve as a true test of Einstein's theory. He said that Einstein's results have not been confirmed experimentally, but even if this is so, there remain other possibilities to explain this phenomenon within the framework of classical mechanics. As for the orbits of Mercury, Gullstrand stated, “without further observations it is generally not clear whether Einstein’s theory corresponds to the experiments in which the precession of its perihelion was determined.” And the effects of the special theory of relativity, in his words, “lie beyond the limits of experimental error.” As a man who had won laurels for inventing equipment for precision optical measurements, Gullstrand seemed particularly outraged by Einstein's theory that the length of a rigid measuring stick could change depending on the movement of the observer.

Einstein's lack of a Nobel Prize began to have a negative impact not only on Einstein, how much for the award itself

Although some members of the entire Academy were aware that Gullstrand's objections were naive, this obstacle was not easy to overcome. He was a respected, popular Swedish professor. He insisted both publicly and privately that the great Nobel Prize should not be awarded to a highly speculative theory that would cause inexplicable mass hysteria, the end of which could be expected very soon. Instead of finding another speaker, the Academy did something that was less (or perhaps more) a public slap in the face to Einstein: the academicians voted not to select anyone and, as an experiment, to postpone the award of the prize for 1921

The deadlocked situation threatened to become indecent. Einstein's lack of a Nobel Prize began to have a negative impact not so much on Einstein, but on the prize itself.

1922

Salvation came from theoretical physicist Karl Wilhelm Oseen of the University of Uppsala, who became a member of the Nobel Committee in 1922. Oseen was a colleague and friend of Gullstrand's, which helped him carefully deal with some of the ophthalmologist's obscure but stubbornly defended objections. But Oseen understood that this whole story with the theory of relativity had gone so far that it was better to use a different tactic. Therefore, it was he who made considerable efforts to ensure that the prize was awarded to Einstein “for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

Every part of this sentence was carefully thought out. Of course, it was not the theory of relativity that was nominated. Although some historians think so, in essence it was not Einstein’s theory of light quanta, even though the corresponding article for 1905 was mainly meant. The prize was not for any theory at all, but for the discovery of a law. The previous year's paper had discussed Einstein's "theory of the photoelectric effect," but Oseen clearly outlined a different approach to the problem, calling his paper "Einstein's Law of the Photoelectric Effect." Oseen did not dwell in detail on the theoretical aspects of Einstein's work. Instead, he talked about a law of nature proposed by Einstein and reliably confirmed by experiments, which was called fundamental. Namely, they meant mathematical formulas showing how the photoelectric effect can be explained if we assume that light is emitted and absorbed in discrete quanta, and how this relates to the frequency of light.

Oseen also proposed giving Einstein the prize that had not been awarded in 1921, allowing the Academy to use this as a basis for simultaneously awarding the 1922 prize to Niels Bohr, given that his model of the atom was based on the laws that explain the photoelectric effect. It was a smart ticket for two, ensuring that two of the greatest theorists of the time became Nobel laureates without irritating conservative academic circles. Gulstrand agreed. Arrhenius, having met Einstein in Berlin and been fascinated by him, was ready to accept the inevitable. On September 6, 1922, a vote was held at the Academy: Einstein received the prize for 1921, and Bohr, respectively, for 1922. So, Einstein won the Nobel Prize for 1921, which, according to the official wording, was awarded “for services to theoretical physics and especially for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” Both here and in the letter from the Secretary of the Academy officially notifying Einstein of this, a clearly unusual explanation was added. Both documents specifically emphasized that the prize was awarded “without taking into account your theories of relativity and gravity, the importance of which will be assessed after their confirmation.” It ended up that Einstein did not receive the Nobel Prize for either the special theory or the general theory of relativity or for anything else except the photoelectric effect.

Einstein missed December 10 official award ceremony. After much debate about Should he be considered German or Swiss?, the award was presented to the German ambassador

The fact that it was the photoelectric effect that allowed Einstein to receive the prize seemed like a bad joke. In deducing this "law" it was based mainly on measurements made by Philip Lenard, who was now the most passionate participant in the campaign to persecute Einstein. In a 1905 paper, Einstein praised Lenard's "pioneering" work. But after the anti-Semitic rally of 1920 in Berlin, they became bitter enemies. Therefore, Lenard was doubly furious: despite his opposition, Einstein received the prize, and, worst of all, for work in the field where he, Lenard, was a pioneer. He wrote an angry letter to the Academy - the only official protest received - where he argued that Einstein misunderstood the real nature of light and, moreover, that he was a Jew flirting with the public, which was alien to the spirit of a truly German physicist.

Einstein missed the official award ceremony on December 10. At this time he traveled by train around Japan. After much debate about whether he should be considered German or Swiss, the prize was awarded to the German ambassador, although both citizenships were indicated on the documents.

The speech of the Chairman of the Arrhenius Committee, who represented Einstein, was carefully verified. “There is probably no living physicist whose name is as widely known as Albert Einstein,” he began. “His theory of relativity became the central topic of most discussions.” He then went on, with obvious relief, to say that “it has chiefly to do with epistemology and is therefore hotly debated in philosophical circles.”

That year the bonus in monetary terms was 121,572 Swedish kronor, or $32,250, which was more than ten times the average salary of a professor for the year. According to the divorce agreement from Mileva Maric, Einstein sent part of this amount directly to Zurich, placing it in a trust fund, from which she and their sons were to receive income. The rest was sent to an account in America, from which she could also enjoy interest.

Ultimately, Maric used the money to buy three apartment buildings in Zurich.

Book PROVIDED published by Corpus