History of the Institute

16.12.1882

Walther Meißner is born in Berlin

1901–1904

Study of mechanical engineering at the Technische Hochschule (TH) Berlin-Charlottenburg

1904–1906

Study of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Berlin

1907

PhD in Physics ("Zur Theorie des Strahlungsdrucks"), Thesis advisor: Max Planck

1908

Research activity in the laboratory for pyrotechnics at the Physikalisch Technische Reichsanstalt (PTR) in Berlin-Charlottenburg (president: Emil Warburg)

1911

Discovery of superconductivity (SC) of Hg in Leiden by Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes

1913

Passover to the Electrical Research Laboratory of the PTR

1913–1926

Investigation of transport in metals: electronic and thermal conductivity

1924

Discovery of superfluidity in liquid 4He in ...by Pjotr X. Kapitza

1922–1925

Installation of the world's third Helium liquifier (besides Leiden and Toronto)

1930

Assigantion of the Venia Legendi for Physics at the University Berlin

1928–1934

Investigation of the electronic conductivity of metals down to 1.3 K, Discovery of superconductivity in Ta, V, Ti and Nb

1933

Discovery of the magnetic field expulsion effect in superconductors (later referred to as Meißner-Ochsenfeld effect), Theoretical consulting (Max von Laue)

1934

Appointment to the Chair of Technical Physics as Professor at the TH Munich

1934–1952

Research and teaching activities at the TH Munich

1943

Evacuation of the low temperature laboratory to Hersching/Ammersee (two barracks)

1945

Director of the Staatliches Prüfamt für Technische Physik

1946–1950

President of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (BAdW), Director of the Deutsches Museum in Munich

1946

Foundation of the Commission for Low Temperature Physics of the BAdW and adoption of the Herrsching barracks by the commission

01.10.1952

Retirement of Walther Meißner (Successor: Prof. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz),  Walther Meissner continues research in Herrsching

01.10.1962

Discovery of fluxoid quantization in Herrsching by Robert Doll and Martin Näbauer

1965–1967

Construction of the "Zentralinstitut für Tieftemperaturforschung" (ZTTF) in Garching, Director: Prof. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, Technical Director: Prof. Franz Xaver Eder

1971

Discovery of superfluidity in 3He at Cornell University by David Lee, Douglas Osheroff and Robert C. Richardson

until 1972

Theory group of the Institute Laue Langevin is hosted at the ZTTF

15.11.1974

Walther Meißner dies in Munich

01.11.1980

Prof. Dr. Klaus Andres becomes Director of the ZTTF associated with the chair "Technical Physics" (E23) at the Technical University of Munich

1982

Renaming of the ZTTF into "Walther-Meißner-Institute" (WMI) on the occasion of Walther Meißner's 100. birthday

01.03.1999

Retirement of Prof. Klaus Andres

01.07.2000

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Gross becomes Director of the Walther-Meißner-Institute, associated with the chair for "Technical Physics" (E23) at the Technical University of Munich

before 1970

Foundations of superconductivity (fluxoid quantization, critical currents, type-II behavior)

1970-1980

Magnetism in rare earth compounds (Kondo and crystal field effects), Hyperfine interaction enhanced nuclear demagnetization

1977-1986

First experiments on superfluid 3He in Germany

1980-2000

Layered superconductors, intercalates, Organic superconductors, Heavy fermion superconductivity, Solid 3He,  Calorimetric particle detection, Metal-insulator transition Raman spectroscopy of metals and superconductors, development of low and ultralow temperature techniques

since 1983

Theory (Quantum fluids, superconductivity, transport theory)

since 2000

The research of the WMI is extended to the fields of mesoscopic physics, nanotechnology, quantum phenomena and quantum information Systems, ordering phenomena in transition metal oxides, spin dependent transport, spintronics, and spin caloritronics, thin film technology and crystal growth for transition metal oxides