Karl Schwarzschild
Karl Schwarzschild (German: [kaːl ˈʃvaːtsʃɪlt] ⓘ; 9 October 1873 – 11 May 1916) was a German physicist and astronomer.
Karl Schwarzschild | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 October 1873 |
| Died | 11 May 1916 (aged 42): xix Potsdam, German Empire |
| Alma mater | Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich University of Strasbourg |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics Astronomy |
| Doctoral advisor | Hugo von Seeliger |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Service/ | Imperial German Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1916 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Schwarzschild provided the first exact solution to the Einstein field equations of general relativity, for the limited case of a single spherical non-rotating mass, which he accomplished in 1915, the same year that Einstein first introduced general relativity. The Schwarzschild solution, which makes use of Schwarzschild coordinates and the Schwarzschild metric, leads to a derivation of the Schwarzschild radius, which is the size of the event horizon of a non-rotating black hole.
Schwarzschild accomplished this while serving in the German army during World War I. He died the following year from the autoimmune disease pemphigus, which he developed while at the Russian front. Various forms of the disease particularly affect people of Ashkenazi Jewish origin.
Asteroid 837 Schwarzschilda is named in his honour, as is the large crater Schwarzschild, on the far side of the Moon.