Hertha Sponer

After studying in Tübingen and Göttingen, she received her PhD in 1920 with Peter Debye (over infra-red absorption of diatomic gases). From 1921 to 1925 she was an assistant, 1925/26, allowed a Rockefeller grant her a one-year research stay in Berkeley, California. By 1932, Sponer was lecturer and then associate professor in Göttingen until 1934. She was an employee of James Franck and worked among others with Edward Teller together. In 1934 she emigrated to Norway and got a visiting professor in Oslo. From 1936 to 1966 she was a professor at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. In 1946 she married James Franck. In 1966, Sponer back to Germany.

Services

Hertha Sponer made ​​important contributions to molecular physics and spectroscopy. It is known, for example, the Birge - Sponer plot for the determination of the dissociation energy of molecules from spectroscopic data. In honor of Hertha Sponer Prize is named, which is awarded annually to young, academically successful female physicists.

Works

• Molecular spectra and their application to chemical problems. Volume I: Tables. Volume II: Text. Berlin 1935/1936.
• H. Sponer, T. Birge: The Heat of Dissociation of Non- Polar Molecules. In: Physical Review. 28, 1926, pp. 259-283.
• J. Franck, H. Sponer, E. Teller: Remarks on the predissociation of triatomic molecules. In: Journal of physical chemistry. 18, 1932, pp. 88-101.