This hidden treasure, brought to light by Alfonso San Miguel, a researcher at the Institute of Light Matter (iLM) in partnership with Bernard Pallandre, a volunteer curator at the museum, is a true discovery that sheds light on a crucial chapter in the history of physics. The Einstein-de Haas experiment, carried out in collaboration with the Dutch physicist Wander de Haas, was published in 1915. It demonstrated the existence of Ampère's molecular currents, an essential prediction in understanding magnetic phenomena and orbiting electrons.
After several months of meticulous research, San Miguel and Pallandre followed the trail of this precious object through correspondences and historical texts, finally rediscovering and authenticating it in the reserves of the Ampère Museum in Poleymieux-au-Mont-d'Or. This experimental device, donated by Mrs. de Haas in the late 1950s, is now on display to the public, revealing an invaluable connection between the past and present of modern physics.
Enjoy the fascinating journey through the history of physics and witness the link between the past and present with this remarkable discovery!
An extraordinary discovery in the reserves of the Ampère Museum
"We uncovered old documents that indicated that Mrs. de Haas, also a physicist, had donated to us an original version of the famous Einstein-de Haas experiment, the only one on which Einstein, the great theorist, ever published," recounts Alfonso San Miguel as reported by Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University. "After several months of research and various twists and turns, we finally found the object in the museum's reserves on March 7, 2023. The object had never been inventoried. Additional months were needed to authenticate it and be certain that we had found the only complete copy of the only experiment on which Einstein had ever experimented and published."
In an article to be published in the journal...Europhysics News »; San Miguel and Pallandre present this extraordinary discovery, allowing visitors to the Ampère Museum to dive into the heart of an extraordinary scientific adventure. A real treasure that, thanks to their perseverance, offers a new perspective on the scientific legacy of Albert Einstein and his collaborators.