Erwin Schrödinger

Who is Erwin Schrödinger?

Erwin Schrödinger was an Austrian theoretical physicist born in Vienna, one of the principal architects of quantum mechanics. In 1926 he formulated the wave equation now bearing his name, the Schrödinger equation, which describes how the quantum state of a physical system evolves over time and became a foundation of modern physics. For this work he shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Paul Dirac. He is also widely known for the thought experiment known as Schrödinger's cat, which illustrates the paradoxes of quantum superposition. Beyond physics, his 1944 book What Is Life? explored the physical basis of living organisms and influenced the founders of molecular biology. Schrödinger held academic posts across Europe, left Austria during the Nazi era, and later helped establish the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in Ireland before eventually returning to Vienna, where he died in 1961.

Sources: Walter Moore, Schrödinger: Life and Thought, 1989 · Erwin Schrödinger, What Is Life?, 1944 · Nobel Foundation, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1933