Ludwig Hopf

Who was Ludwig Hopf?

Ludwig Hopf was a German theoretical physicist who made contributions to mathematics, special relativity, hydrodynamics, and aerodynamics.

Hopf studied under Arnold Sommerfeld at the University of Munich, where he received his Ph.D. in 1909, on the topic of hydrodynamics. Shortly after this, at a physics conference in Salzburg, Sommerfeld introduced Hopf to Albert Einstein. Later that year, Einstein, needing an assistant at the University of Zurich, hired Hopf; it was an added bonus that Hopf was a talented pianist, since Einstein played the violin and liked to play duets. In 1910, he collaborated and published with Einstein two papers on classical statistical aspects of radiation. Hopf’s collaboration with Sommerfeld on integral representations of Bessel Functions resulted in the publication of a paper in 1911. Also in that year, Hopf accompanied Einstein to the Karl-Ferdinand University in Prague; however, he did not stay with Einstein long – due to “unsanitary conditions” in Prague. He accepted a position at the Aachen Technische Hochschule, where he eventually became a professor in hydrodynamics and aerodynamics.