Julius Elster

Julius Johann Phillipp, Ludwig Elster ( born December 24, 1854 in Blankenburg, † April 6, 1920 in Bad Harzburg ) was a teacher and an eminent physicist.

Life

The Master of Forestry Geitel family had moved in 1861 to Blankenburg. Elster and Geitel grew up in the immediate neighborhood and attended school and high school together. The personal friendship deepened by the same interest in the natural sciences during the study years in Heidelberg and Berlin. After completed in Brunswick teacher exam went their separate ways for a short time. As of 1881 they were working together at the High School Great School in Wolfenbüttel and used their leisure for experimental research. There also scored Karlberg joke (1875-1958) to their students.

Elster was a member of the Leopoldina since 1892. An honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Braunschweig awarded - 1915, he was - along with Geitel. 1919 was diagnosed with Julius Elster a disease (diabetes mellitus). In April 1920, the Privy Councilor Julius Elster in Bad Harzburg died during a spa stay.

Work

Together with his friend Hans Geitel he has well over 100 publications on atmospheric electricity, the intensity of the starlight, to problems of ionizing radiation (example: "On the radioactivity of the earth substrate and its possible relationship to the geothermal " ) and other important areas of research a valuable contribution made to the advancement of physics. So Julius Elster 1893 with Geitel invented the first photovoltaic cell, the photocell.