Johannes rydberg biography

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Biography

Swedish physicist Johannes Rydberg’s discoveries in the field of spectroscopy were largely overlooked during the 19 century. However, in recent times, Rydberg’s work in this area is being explored for its potential use in supercomputers. His research on the hydrogen spectral series laid the foundation for ongoing research by scientists. In celebration of his birthday, let’s explore his early life, work in spectroscopy, and legacy.

A Long Journey Through Academia

Johannes Rydberg was born on November 8, 1854, in Halmstad, Sweden, the only child of Sven Rydberg and Maria Anderson Rydberg. His father was a merchant who died when Rydberg was just four years old, leaving his family struggling financially. He was a good student and developed an interest in mathematics and physics in secondary school. He attended the University of Lund in Sweden, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1875 and his PhD in mathematics in 1879.

After receiving his doctorate, he remained at the University of Lund for his entire career. His first role at the university was as an amanuensis, or scribe, after which he advanced to the role of docent, or assistant professor, in math and physics. To make ends meet with his modest income as an assistant professor, he also worked as an accountant at a local bank. In 1886, he married Lydia Eleonora Mathilda Carlsson, with whom he had two daughters and a son. He held a range of assistant and temporary professor positions before becoming a full professor of physics at the University of Lund in 1901.

A portrait of Johannes Rydberg taken by Per Bagge. Licensed in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Original photograph in the collections of The Archive and Museum of the Academic Society in Lund, Sweden.

Devising the Rydberg Formula

In his research on spectroscopy, Rydberg was trying to determine the wavelengths of photons (of visible light and other electromagnetic radiation) that is em

(b. Halmstad, Sweden, 8 November 1854; d. Lund, Sweden. 28 December 1919)

mathematics, physics.

Rydberg was the son of Sven R. and Maria Anderson Rydberg. After completing the Gymnasium at Halmstad in 1873, he entered the University of Lund, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1875. He continued his studies at Lund and was granted a doctorate in mathematics in 1879 after defending a dissertation on the construction of conic sections. In 1880 Rydberg was appointed a lecturer in mathematics. After some work on frictional electricity, he was named lecturer in physics in 1882 and was promoted to assistant at the Physics Institute in 1892. Rydberg married Lydia E.M. Carlsson in 1886: they had two daughters and a son. After provisionally occupying the professorship in physics at Lund from 1897, he was granted the appointment permanently in March 1901 and held it until November 1919. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Society in 1919.

Rydberg’s most significant scientific contributions were to spectroscopy: but his involvement with spectra had its origin in his interest in the periodic system of the elements, an interest that endured throughout his professional life. His earliest published papers in physics dealt with the periodic table. In the introduction to his major work on spectra (1890), he stated that he considered it only a part of a broader investigation, the goal of which was to achieve amore exact knowledge of the nature and constitution of the chemical and physical properties of the elements. He held that the effective force between atoms must be a periodic function of their atomic weights and that the periodic motions of the atoms, which presumably gave rise to the spectral lines and were dependment on the effective force, thus might be a fruitful study leading to a better knowledge of the mechanics, nature, and structure of atoms and molecules and to a deeper understanding of the

Swedish physicist (1854–1919)

Johannes (Janne) Robert Rydberg (Swedish:[ˈrŷːdbærj]; 8 November 1854 – 28 December 1919) was a Swedishphysicist mainly known for devising the Rydberg formula, in 1888, which is used to describe the wavelengths of photons (of visible light and other electromagnetic radiation) emitted by changes in the energy level of an electron in a hydrogen atom.

Biography

Rydberg was born 8 November 1854 in Halmstad in southern Sweden, the only child of Sven Rydberg and Maria Anderson Rydberg. When he was 4 years old his father died, and the family was forced to live on a small income. In 1873 he graduated from Halmstads elementärläroverk, where he received high grades in maths and physics. Later that year he enrolled in Lund University, and two years later he was awarded his bachelor's degree. In 1879 he was awarded his Doctor of Philosophy with his dissertation "Konstruktioner af kägelsnitt i 3- och 4-punktskontakt".

Rydberg began his career as an amanuensis in the institution. He became a docent in maths in 1880, and in 1882 became a docent in physics. At this time he began studying the standard atomic weight, because he wondered what was the reason for the seemingly random increase in weight for the atoms in Mendeleev's periodic system. He searched for a formula for several years to no avail.

His next work was about investigating the atomic spectra, explaining why these occurred. Rydberg's research was preceded by Johann Jakob Balmer's, who presented an empirical formula for the visible spectral lines of the hydrogen atom in 1885. However, Rydberg's research led him to publish a formula in 1888 which could be used to describe the spectral lines not only for hydrogen but other elements as well. After his publication in 1890 on the subject, Rydberg returned to his fruitless research on the periodic table.

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