Peter Bergmann

For the soap opera actor, see Peter Bergman; for the Firesign Theatre member, see Peter Bergman (comedian).

Peter Gabriel Bergmann (Berlin, 24 March 1915 – Seattle, 19 October 2002) was a German-American physicist best known for his work with Albert Einstein on a unified field theory encompassing all physical interactions. After obtaining his Ph.D at the German University in Prague in 1936 under the direction of Philipp Frank he went to work with Einstein, as his research assistant, at the Institute for Advanced Study. In 1942, Bergmann published the first textbook on General relativity, Introduction to the Theory of Relativity, with a foreword by Einstein. The second edition of this book was published by Dover Publications in 1976. His other textbooks were:

• The Riddle of Gravitation (Dover Publications, 1993)
• Basic Theories of Physics (Prentice Hall, 1951)

He also co-wrote Albert Einstein: His Influence on Physics, Philosophy and Politics, together with Peter C. Aichelburg and Roman Ulrich Sexl (Vieweg, 1979).

Bergmann was a professor at Syracuse University from 1947 to 1982 and at New York University. He was posthumously awarded the first Einstein Prize in 2003.

References

• Overbye, Dennis (October 23, 2002). "Obituary: Peter G. Bergmann, 87; Worked With Einstein". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E6DF143CF930A15753C1A9649C8B63 
• Schmutzer, Ernst (October 17, 2003). "Peter Gabriel Bergmann — outstanding scientist and good friend". Annals of Physics 12 (7–8): 411–414. Bibcode 2003AnP...515..411S. doi:10.1002/andp.200310018.