| After his initial hesitation, Wolfgang Pauli installed himself
permanently in Zurich. In the summer semester of 1946, he resumed his teaching
and research activities and in October moved into the house in Zollikon again.
In 1949 his efforts to become naturalised were finally crowned with success. In
a short time Wolfgang Pauli employed a group of about ten theoreticians. He
continued to act as a magnet toward physicists throughout the world and was one
of the causes for lack of space at the Physics Institute of the ETH. Up till
1952, the old physics building was able to be expanded and a new one erected to
house the cyclotron facility that had been constructed under the direction of
Paul Scherrer by well-known Swiss firms. The
development to larger and larger research facilities led finally to the
founding of the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire
(CERN) in Geneva. Wolfgang Pauli also took part in the preparatory meetings,
but the driving force on the Swiss side was Paul Scherrer. |
Paul Scherrer's lecture in the new lecture hall
© ETH-Library |
"Tea time" at the Physics Institute of the ETH Zürich.
From left to right:
Armin Thellung, Ernst Heer, Wolfgang Pauli, Fritz Gimmi.
© Armin Thellung, Zürich |
In the scientific community, Pauli's reputation as the
"conscience of physics" was being consolidated. In controversies of theory he
was considered to be the final instance. His colleagues valued his impartial
criticism but also feared it. His frequent international duties meant that
Wolfgang Pauli had to take leave of absence several times, even during the
semester. In 1954, 1956 and 1958 he was Visiting Professor in Princeton and
1952 in India. The assistants had to deputise for him in the lectures and also
to take care of the increasing number of undergraduates. In comparison with his
first period of tenure, Pauli now engaged himself more strongly in the matters
of the institute and in 1950 became head of the department for two years. On
his suggestion the ETH Zurich created an assistant professorship for
theoretical physics, which was filled in 1955 by the former assistant favoured
by Pauli, Res Jost. At the end of the 1950's, physics at the ETH Zurich
underwent a massive expansion with the creation of three additional full
professorships for physics, including nuclear physics. Wolfgang Pauli took an
active part in these changes. |
