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On 1964 July 24 Professor Erwin Finlay-Freundlich, formerly the first Napier Professor of Astronomy in the University of St. Andrews, died at the age of 79 at his home in Wiesbaden (Germany).
The turbulent events which shaped his life are characteristic of past European history, and in particular of the sufferings of many German scientists under the impact of the Nazis, when these came to power in the dark days of the 1930's, invading not only political but also the cultural spheres of life.
Erwin Finlay-Freundlich, son of a German father and of an English mother, Ellen Elisabeth Finlayson from Cheltenham, was born on 1885 May 29 in Biebrich, Rhein, Germany. In 1910 he completed his studies at the University of Göttingen, obtaining his Ph.D. in mathematics for a thesis carried out under the famous mathematician Felix Klein. It was just at this time that Einstein had developed his Special Theory of Relativity. It fascinated the young student Freundlich to such an extent that an essential part of his life's work was devoted to studies of its astronomical implications and to the empirical tests of its consequences. (The Foundations of Einstein's Theory of Gravitation; Cambridge, 1920, and The Theory of Relativity; London, 1924.) In 1924 he created on the grounds of the Astrophysical Observatory in Potsdam the Einstein-Institut, often called the Einstein Tower, of which he was the Director for a decade (Das Turmteleskop der Einstein-Stiftung; Berlin 1927). Equipped with the first large tower telescope to be established in Europe and with two powerful spectrographs by Carl Zeiss in Jena, as well as with modern spectrographic laboratories, the whole scientific design and even its architectural style were ahead of its time. Under Freundlich's enthusiastic and stimulating leadership the Institute soon became a most lively centre of research and attracted a large number of visitors from all over the world. The work in hand went beyond the limits of pure astrophysics and included researches in pure physics having a more or less direct bearing on astrophysical problems. The team-spirit there under Freundlich was a fine and most happy one and the splendid tradition which he brought into being continued long after he had left.
Besides his own work in stellar dynamics (Astr. Nachr. 218, 369, 1923; Zeit. für Phys. 14, 226, 1923, and 24, 221, 1923; Publ. Astrophys. Obs. Potsdam No. 86, 1928), Freundlich also organized in Potsdam two solar eclipse expeditions to Sumatra, (1926 to Benkoelen and 1929 to Takengon) specially equipped for an attempt to measure the relativistic light deflection and also to obtain new spectrographic and photometric observations of the solar corona. The 1929 expedition was particularly successful; the expected light-deflection was measured with the smallest mean error so far obtained, but the numerical value exceeded the predicted amount (Abhandl. Preuss. Akad. d. Wissensch., Berlin 1931; Zeit. für Astrophys. 3, 171; 1931). This tendency towards larger values than predicted by the theory is common to nearly all other measurements made up to the present day, and it was this discrepancy which exercised and interested Freundlich throughout his whole life (Zeit. für Astrophys. 6, 218, 1933).
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Einstein and many of Germany's best scientists left their country for good. Freundlich himself had to give up everything he had so successfully created when he emigrated from Potsdam to Turkey. In the three years which he spent in Istanbul he built another observatory there and equipped it with a modern Zeiss astrographic telescope, at the same time bringing a new astronomical department into being. His next post was in Prague, where he was appointed a professor at the University in 1936. Three years later the Nazis began to extend their power to the east and in 1939 Freundlich had to leave Central Europe for good. He regarded himself as fortunate to be appointed in the same year to a lectureship at St. Andrews University. Following the foundation of a Chair in 1951 he became the first Napier Professor of Astronomy there.
Freundlich remained in St. Andrews until his retirement in 1959, became a British citizen and, in 1941, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In St. Andrews he built up the fourth astronomical department of his life. An Observatory was completed as early as 1940, but was used during the war mainly for navigational courses for the R.A.F. (Air Navigation; Edinburgh, 1945). Again, Freundlich was much occupied by his theoretical studies in stellar dynamics (M.N. 105, 237, 1945 and 107, 268, 1947), the relativistic light deflection (Μ.Ν. 104, 40, 1944) and the red-shift of spectral lines (Ann. d'Astrophys. 19, 183 and 215, 1956, and 22, 727, 1959). At the same time he was much concerned as he had been earlier in Potsdam and Istanbul – to create also the necessary facilities for observational and laboratory work. Following a successful test with a 17-in. pilot model at the Mills Observatory at Dundee (Nature 165, 703, 1950), the construction of a special 37-in. Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was undertaken (Sky and Telescope 12, 176, 1953) the optical design of which was due to Dr E. H. Linfoot. The optical work, as well as that on essential parts of the mounting, were carried out by Freundlich's very skilful optician and chief mechanic R. L. Waland in the workshop of St. Andrews Observatory. But when Freundlich retired from St. Andrews at the age of 74, this extensive task was still uncompleted.
In the laboratory of his department research was carried out into the production of multicoated interferometer plates (A. H. Jarrett, Zeit. für Astrophys. 34, 91, 1954). This technique was then successfully used at three solar eclipse expeditions (1954, 1955 and 1958) in collaboration with the Cambridge University Observatories for the interferometric investigation of coronal emission lines (M.N. 122, 223, 1961). Furthermore, this technique also led to fruitful investigations at St. Andrews into the nature of aurorae and of the night glow. Two of the eclipses mentioned (1954 and 1955) were used by Freundlich for a new attempt to determine once again the gravitational light deflection. It was possible, thanks to the courtesy of the Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory, to use the large and specially designed equipment which had proved so successful in 1929; unfortunately, however, bad weather prevented success on each occasion.
During his last years Freundlich became keenly interested in a question which he had previously discussed with Professor Max Born in 1951 (Nachr. Akad. Wiss., Göttingen, 1953): namely whether there might exist an as yet unobserved photon-photon reaction within radiation fields, which would account for the discrepancy between the theoretically predicted and the actually observed light deflection and redshift of spectral lines (Zeit. für Astrophys. 58, 283, 1964).
In 1959 Freundlich retired (Nature 184, 768, 1959) to the house he had built at Wiesbaden, always active and full of enthusiastic interest in a wide range of scientific and cultural problems. In these years of retirement and up to his death he lectured as Honorary Professor at the University of Mainz. His wife Kate, née Hirschberg, always his faithful companion on all his wide travels, survives him.
In his personal relationships, Freundlich was a most lively, stimulating and always encouraging friend. Unfailing in his helpfulness towards his collaborators and friends in all scientific and personal matters, he displayed a rare warm humanity. He was a master in organising research facilities and in the support of his staff even under difficult conditions. Admittedly, due to his occasionally uncompromising attitude, dealings with him were sometimes not quite easy. But his enthusiasm was infectious and the ideal spirit of teamwork, which permeated everything, will be remembered with lasting affection by his collaborators, students and friends everywhere.
H. VON KLÜBER
The turbulent events which shaped his life are characteristic of past European history, and in particular of the sufferings of many German scientists under the impact of the Nazis, when these came to power in the dark days of the 1930's, invading not only political but also the cultural spheres of life.
Erwin Finlay-Freundlich, son of a German father and of an English mother, Ellen Elisabeth Finlayson from Cheltenham, was born on 1885 May 29 in Biebrich, Rhein, Germany. In 1910 he completed his studies at the University of Göttingen, obtaining his Ph.D. in mathematics for a thesis carried out under the famous mathematician Felix Klein. It was just at this time that Einstein had developed his Special Theory of Relativity. It fascinated the young student Freundlich to such an extent that an essential part of his life's work was devoted to studies of its astronomical implications and to the empirical tests of its consequences. (The Foundations of Einstein's Theory of Gravitation; Cambridge, 1920, and The Theory of Relativity; London, 1924.) In 1924 he created on the grounds of the Astrophysical Observatory in Potsdam the Einstein-Institut, often called the Einstein Tower, of which he was the Director for a decade (Das Turmteleskop der Einstein-Stiftung; Berlin 1927). Equipped with the first large tower telescope to be established in Europe and with two powerful spectrographs by Carl Zeiss in Jena, as well as with modern spectrographic laboratories, the whole scientific design and even its architectural style were ahead of its time. Under Freundlich's enthusiastic and stimulating leadership the Institute soon became a most lively centre of research and attracted a large number of visitors from all over the world. The work in hand went beyond the limits of pure astrophysics and included researches in pure physics having a more or less direct bearing on astrophysical problems. The team-spirit there under Freundlich was a fine and most happy one and the splendid tradition which he brought into being continued long after he had left.
Besides his own work in stellar dynamics (Astr. Nachr. 218, 369, 1923; Zeit. für Phys. 14, 226, 1923, and 24, 221, 1923; Publ. Astrophys. Obs. Potsdam No. 86, 1928), Freundlich also organized in Potsdam two solar eclipse expeditions to Sumatra, (1926 to Benkoelen and 1929 to Takengon) specially equipped for an attempt to measure the relativistic light deflection and also to obtain new spectrographic and photometric observations of the solar corona. The 1929 expedition was particularly successful; the expected light-deflection was measured with the smallest mean error so far obtained, but the numerical value exceeded the predicted amount (Abhandl. Preuss. Akad. d. Wissensch., Berlin 1931; Zeit. für Astrophys. 3, 171; 1931). This tendency towards larger values than predicted by the theory is common to nearly all other measurements made up to the present day, and it was this discrepancy which exercised and interested Freundlich throughout his whole life (Zeit. für Astrophys. 6, 218, 1933).
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Einstein and many of Germany's best scientists left their country for good. Freundlich himself had to give up everything he had so successfully created when he emigrated from Potsdam to Turkey. In the three years which he spent in Istanbul he built another observatory there and equipped it with a modern Zeiss astrographic telescope, at the same time bringing a new astronomical department into being. His next post was in Prague, where he was appointed a professor at the University in 1936. Three years later the Nazis began to extend their power to the east and in 1939 Freundlich had to leave Central Europe for good. He regarded himself as fortunate to be appointed in the same year to a lectureship at St. Andrews University. Following the foundation of a Chair in 1951 he became the first Napier Professor of Astronomy there.
Freundlich remained in St. Andrews until his retirement in 1959, became a British citizen and, in 1941, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In St. Andrews he built up the fourth astronomical department of his life. An Observatory was completed as early as 1940, but was used during the war mainly for navigational courses for the R.A.F. (Air Navigation; Edinburgh, 1945). Again, Freundlich was much occupied by his theoretical studies in stellar dynamics (M.N. 105, 237, 1945 and 107, 268, 1947), the relativistic light deflection (Μ.Ν. 104, 40, 1944) and the red-shift of spectral lines (Ann. d'Astrophys. 19, 183 and 215, 1956, and 22, 727, 1959). At the same time he was much concerned as he had been earlier in Potsdam and Istanbul – to create also the necessary facilities for observational and laboratory work. Following a successful test with a 17-in. pilot model at the Mills Observatory at Dundee (Nature 165, 703, 1950), the construction of a special 37-in. Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was undertaken (Sky and Telescope 12, 176, 1953) the optical design of which was due to Dr E. H. Linfoot. The optical work, as well as that on essential parts of the mounting, were carried out by Freundlich's very skilful optician and chief mechanic R. L. Waland in the workshop of St. Andrews Observatory. But when Freundlich retired from St. Andrews at the age of 74, this extensive task was still uncompleted.
In the laboratory of his department research was carried out into the production of multicoated interferometer plates (A. H. Jarrett, Zeit. für Astrophys. 34, 91, 1954). This technique was then successfully used at three solar eclipse expeditions (1954, 1955 and 1958) in collaboration with the Cambridge University Observatories for the interferometric investigation of coronal emission lines (M.N. 122, 223, 1961). Furthermore, this technique also led to fruitful investigations at St. Andrews into the nature of aurorae and of the night glow. Two of the eclipses mentioned (1954 and 1955) were used by Freundlich for a new attempt to determine once again the gravitational light deflection. It was possible, thanks to the courtesy of the Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory, to use the large and specially designed equipment which had proved so successful in 1929; unfortunately, however, bad weather prevented success on each occasion.
During his last years Freundlich became keenly interested in a question which he had previously discussed with Professor Max Born in 1951 (Nachr. Akad. Wiss., Göttingen, 1953): namely whether there might exist an as yet unobserved photon-photon reaction within radiation fields, which would account for the discrepancy between the theoretically predicted and the actually observed light deflection and redshift of spectral lines (Zeit. für Astrophys. 58, 283, 1964).
In 1959 Freundlich retired (Nature 184, 768, 1959) to the house he had built at Wiesbaden, always active and full of enthusiastic interest in a wide range of scientific and cultural problems. In these years of retirement and up to his death he lectured as Honorary Professor at the University of Mainz. His wife Kate, née Hirschberg, always his faithful companion on all his wide travels, survives him.
In his personal relationships, Freundlich was a most lively, stimulating and always encouraging friend. Unfailing in his helpfulness towards his collaborators and friends in all scientific and personal matters, he displayed a rare warm humanity. He was a master in organising research facilities and in the support of his staff even under difficult conditions. Admittedly, due to his occasionally uncompromising attitude, dealings with him were sometimes not quite easy. But his enthusiasm was infectious and the ideal spirit of teamwork, which permeated everything, will be remembered with lasting affection by his collaborators, students and friends everywhere.
H. VON KLÜBER
Erwin Finlay-Freundlich's obituary appeared in Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society 6:1 (1965), 82-84.