Lars Onsager

Lore & Background

Lars Onsager was born in Kristiania, Norway, to a lawyer father. While there, he studied A Course of Modern Analysis, which later proved instrumental. Despite their later importance, they went unrecognized for years. At Yale, he insisted on a new research project for his dissertation, which dealt with the Mathieu equation and was beyond the comprehension of the chemistry and physics faculty.

Reader's Guide

Lars Onsager's significance lies primarily in his development of the Onsager reciprocal relations, a set of equations in statistical mechanics that describe the behavior of systems out of equilibrium. His work provided a fundamental framework for understanding irreversible processes, linking thermodynamics and kinetics. This was a tour de force of mathematical physics, using generalized quaternion algebra and elliptic functions, and it became a cornerstone of statistical mechanics. His later work included theories of superfluid helium, liquid crystals, and the electrical properties of ice. His legacy endures through his profound theoretical insights, which continue to influence physical chemistry and condensed matter physics.

Did You Know?

• Onsager's statistical mechanics course at Brown University was nicknamed 'Sadistical Mechanics' by students.
• His tombstone originally read simply 'Nobel Laureate'; his children later added an asterisk and '*etc.' after his wife's death.