Archive Frits Zernike
Number of the collection: UBG 039
Callnumber: uklu Zernike 039
Description of the archive made by:
Christian Zeeman, 2026
Brief overview
Name of the archive:
F. Zernike, (1988 - 1966), physicist
Dated: 1900-1977
Size: 21 archive boxes
Provenance: Bequests, institutional transfers from University Museum, private donations
Language of the materials: Dutch, English, French, German
Summary:
Archive: Frits Zernike, professor of theoretical physics, Nobel laureate, inventor of the phase-contrast microscope
Institute: University of Groningen
Retainer: University Library, Special Collections
Provenance and acquisition
Biography:
Frits Zernike (1888–1966) studied chemistry at the University of Amsterdam from 1905 to 1912 and was awarded a doctorate cum laude for his thesis L’Opalescence critique, théorie et expériences. From 1913 until his retirement in 1958, he worked at the University of Groningen, initially as an assistant, then as a lecturer from 1915, and from 1920 as a professor of mathematical physics and theoretical mechanics. Zernike’s invention of the phase-contrast microscope and his discovery of the phase-contrast method earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1953. He died in 1966 in a hospital in Amersfoort after a long illness.
Acquisition: Bequests, institutional transfers from University Museum, private donations
Future additions: not expected
Contents and collation: The collection comprises reprints, correspondence, audio material on cassette and SSD, notes, manuscripts and typescripts
Instructions for users of the archive
Accessibility
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Limitations to use
Material from this collection is for library use only. Consultation is subject to the Regulations for the Use of Library Facilities. Copying is subject to the rules of Copyright
Accessing the archive
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Citations
When referencing (materials from) this archive, the following information must be provided in full at least once. After this, an abbreviated citation suffices.
Archive: University Library Zernike
Individual items: Groningen UB 039
Requests
The materials in this archive can be requested through SmartCat or by sending an email to the Special Collections department.