Myron Mathisson: what little we know of his life
History and Philosophy of Physics
2008-02-22 v1
Abstract
Myron Mathisson (1897-1940) was a Polish Jew known for his work on the equations of motion of bodies in general relativity and for developing a new method to analyze the properties of fundamental solutions of linear hyperbolic differential equations. In particular, he derived the equations for a spinning body moving in a gravitational field and proved, in a special case, the Hadamard conjecture on the class of equations that satisfy the Huygens principle. His work still exerts influence on current research. Drawing on various archival and secondary sources, in particular his correspondence with Einstein, we outline Mathisson's biography and scientific career.
Cite
@article{arxiv.0802.2971,
title = {Myron Mathisson: what little we know of his life},
author = {Tilman Sauer and Andrzej Trautman},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0802.2971},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
19 pp., 4 figs