Perspectives on Einstein's scientific works in Milan

TL;DR

This paper explores Einstein's scientific development during his Milanese period, highlighting how his visits to Milan and access to local scientific resources influenced his early ideas on molecular forces and light quanta.

Contribution

It provides new historical insights into Einstein's scientific questioning and ideas during his time in Milan, based on analysis of his interactions with local scientific institutions.

Findings

Einstein's Milan visits contributed to his ideas on molecular forces.

He developed early concepts related to light quanta.

The Milanese period was crucial for his scientific questioning.

Abstract

The Milanese period in Albert Einstein's life is a key one for the understanding of the development of his scientific questioning. While being a student in Z\"urich from 1896, Einstein returned regularly to Milan to meet his family for the holidays. There, he could work on the most recent articles in physics at the rich library of the Lombardo Institute, Academy of Sciences and Letters. Hopefully, this new perspective will help to trace back more accurately a few of Einstein's scientific ideas, such as the need to expand his first doctoral work on molecular forces to weakly compressed gases or as to conceive a first idea of light quanta.