Helmut Hönl

Who was Helmut Hönl?

Helmut Hönl was a German theoretical physicist who made contributions to quantum mechanics and the understanding of atomic and molecular structure.

From 1921 to circa 1923, Hönl studied at the University of Heidelberg and the University of Göttingen, followed by the University of Munich, where he studied under Arnold Sommerfeld. He was granted his doctor of philosophy in 1926. In 1929, he became assistant to Paul Peter Ewald at the Stuttgart Technische Hochschule until 1933, after which he was a Privatdozent. 1940 he became extaordinary professor at the University of Erlangen and 1943 ordinary professor for theoretical physics at the University of Freiburg, where he emerited 1971.

Even before acquiring his doctorate at Munich, Hönl had done seminal work which contributed to the advancement of quantum mechanics and the understanding of atomic and molecular structure and spectra. Some of his work was done in collaboration with Fritz London. As is the case in any fast developing field with a high level of interest, others independently make similar findings. This was the case with his work on the intensity of Zeeman effect spectral lines.