Le Figaro Lyon
Alfonso San Miguel and Bernard Pallandre, both volunteers at the Ampère museum in Poleymieux-au-Mont-d'Or (in the metropolis of Lyon), made an extraordinary discovery.
In the reserves of this place dedicated to the famous Lyon physicist, André-Marie Ampère, the two men discovered the only complete and authentic version of the experiment carried out in 1915 by Albert Einstein and Wander de Haas on Ampère's molecular work. which made it possible to understand the movement of electrons around the nucleus of atoms.
A physicist by trade, Alfonso San Miguel is a volunteer at this cultural and scientific place located in the west of Lyon.
He quickly came across Einstein's work on the “experimental demonstration of the existence of Ampère's molecular currents”.
On site, he and curator Bernard Pallandre realized that the object described in Einstein's paper had been the subject of a bequest to the museum from the de Haas family.
Problem, impossible to find the artifact.
“
We went through the bulletins and documentation from the time to trace him back.
And just a year ago, Bernard found a photo of Einstein with the object.
Until now, we relied on the diagrams in the article.
But in the photo we realized that he was different.
The next day we found ourselves at the museum and got our hands on it
,” the researcher confided to Le
Figaro
.
“
An incredible moment
,” continues the latter.
Soon presented at the museum
This object, taken from a scientific publication by the most famous physicist, was also the only experimental work carried out by himself, when the Austrian scientist was more accustomed to theoretical experiments.
“
He worked on experiments but always suggested that others carry them out.
This is the only one in which he was personally involved.
In a letter sent to his friend Michele Besso, he wrote: “I discover the pleasures of experimentation
,” says Alfonso San Miguel.
An experiment carried out in 1915, the year at the end of which Albert Einstein published his article on general relativity.
The found object will be exhibited in mid-April in the Ampère museum.
But there is no question of reusing it to reproduce the experience.
“
Our museum was founded on the principle of showing the public science through interactive experimentation.
Theoretically, we could repeat Ampère's experiment with this artifact, but it is so precious that we don't dare connect it.
On the other hand, we made a reproduction with current equipment so that people can understand how it works and which will also be presented in the spring
,” concludes the researcher.
An article on this valuable discovery for the world of physics is to be published soon in the journal
Europhysics News
.