History of the University of Warsaw Institute of Theoretical Physics

The history of theoretical physics at the University of Warsaw begins on the date of October 1, 1921, when a Section of Theoretical Physics, headed by Professor Czesław Białobrzeski (1878 - 1953), was established within the Faculty of Philosophy. An extensive account of the activities of the Section of Theoretical Physics during the period between the World Wars was provided in an article by Zofia Ziółkowska, devoted to the development of physics in Poland until 1939.

Following World War II, the reconstruction of theoretical physics at Hoża street was undertaken by Czesław Białobrzeski and the world-renowned scientist Wojciech Rubinowicz (1889 - 1974). The latter arrived at the University of Warsaw after being resettled from Lwow, and following a brief stay in Cracow. Initially there were two sections engaged in theoretical physics: a Section of Theoretical Physics, headed by Czesław Białobrzeski, and a Section of Theoretical Mechanics, headed by Wojciech Rubinowicz. The entire staff of both sections consisted of barely six persons, not counting the two heads of sections.

In 1950, Leopold Infeld (1898 - 1968) returned to Poland from Canada and engaged himself very vigorously in setting up at Hoża a separate Institute of Theoretical Physics. Very soon the construction of another wing of the building at Hoża 69, which houses jointly the Institutes of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, was undertaken. The expansion was completed already in December of 1951 (further expansions of the wing that houses the Institute of Theoretical Physics were carried out in 1963, 1975 and 1993). Formally the Institute of Theoretical Physics was established by Ministry of Higher Education on May 15, 1952, and it consisted of Chair of Thermodynamics and Mechanics (headed by C. Białobrzeski), Chair of Electrodynamics and Relativity (headed by L. Infeld), and Chair of Mechanics and Optics (headed by W. Rubinowicz).

Infeld was also active as the organizer of summer conferences, known as "Infeldiads", held in the years 1950-1954. Those events contributed significantly to the formation of a highly qualified staff. Between the 25th and 31st of July, 1962, Infeld organized in Warsaw and Jablonna an international conference titled Relativistic Theories of Gravitation, with the participation of over a hundred leading theoretical physicists representing all fields of physics. Among those who came to Warsaw for that event were Peter Bergmann, Hermann Bondi, Paul Dirac, Richard Feynman, Vladimir Fock, Vitalii Ginzburg, Stanley Mandelstam, Christian Möller, Leon Rosenfeld, Leonard Schiff and John Archibald Wheeler. That was the first time after World War II that such a large meeting of physicists from all over the world took place in Warsaw.

We hope to expand these brief notes before long, into a more complete article on the history of the Institute.