Ernst Lecher

Ernst Lecher ( born June 1, 1856 in Vienna, † July 19, 1926 in Vienna ) was an Austrian physicist who became known as the founder of the measurement technique at high frequencies in the history of physics.

Life

Ernst Lecher was the son of writer and journalist Konrad Zacharias Lecher (1829-1905), publisher and chief editor of the Vienna newspaper Neue Freie Presse. After visiting the Academic Gymnasium in Vienna Ernst Lecher studied physics at the University of Vienna and in 1879 received his doctorate from the University of Innsbruck. He married the philanthropist Helene Lecher ( born of Rosthorn ).

He began as a lecturer in physics and went in 1882 to Vienna, where he worked as assistant researcher until 1890 at the Physics Department of the University and in the meantime (1884 ) habilitation in experimental physics. Lecher was then from 1891 to 1895 professor in Innsbruck and then. Than followers of Ernst Mach, professor of experimental physics at the German University in Prague, and from 1909 in Vienna

In recognition of his research results, the University of Vienna convened in 1909 to head the Lecher first Physics Institute and the Vienna Academy of Sciences took him in 1914 as a member on the.

In October 1925, a severe suffering forced him into retirement. Lecher died six months later in Vienna.

He is buried in an honorary grave dedicated to the Döblinger Cemetery (Group 3, number 35) in Vienna. 1960 Lecherweg in Vienna-Favoriten was named after him.

Work

Lecher began his research work in 1875 in the field of calorimetry. 1880 to 1883 he worked with the absorption of heat radiation (infrared radiation). After that Lecher employed with the properties of Heinrich Hertz ( * 1857, † 1894) in 1886 discovered electromagnetic waves.

In 1889 he invented (also known as Lecher wires ) in his investigations an arrangement for accurate measurement of the wavelength and frequency of electrical waves, which later was named after him Lecher line. This device is still used in the investigation of standing waves in a transmission line and thus keeps the memory of the great physicists awake.

With its measuring method Lecher was able to confirm the analogy between the propagation velocity of electric waves and the speed of light experimentally for the first time. In his further work Lecher dealt with both electro-dynamic issues (eg 1887 unipolar induction ) and 1905 /06 with the exploration of thermoelectric phenomena.

Ernst Lecher and his father had in 1895 of great importance in spreading the news of the discovery of X- rays.

Publications

• Study on electrical resonance phenomena, Wied. Note 41 (1890 ) p. 850
• Physics textbook for physicians, biologists and psychologists, BGTeubner Verlag, 1912 (2nd edition 1917, 3rd edition 1919, 4th edition 1921, 5th edition 1928) Latest edition by Edited by Esther Krosigk, VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken 2007, ISBN 978-3-8364-1290-2