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D. Blanuša's fromulae for transforming heat and temperature in relativistic thermodynamics and his correspondence with W. Pauli in 1948

Danilo Blanuša (December 7, 1903 - August 8, 1987) was one of the greatest Croatian mathematicians and physicists of the XXth century. His fundamental contribution to physics is connected with applications of the special theory of relativity to phenomenological thermodynamics. In 1947, Blanuša derived original formulae for transforming the quantities of heat and temperature, which were essentially different from those derived by Planck and Einstein in 1907. The situation was controversial with respect to the fact that the Planck-Einstein formulae were stated to be correct and indisputable by W. Pauli in his famous book on the theory of relativity (1921). Due to his greatest respect for Pauli's work and his big role in physics, Blanuša wrote a comprehensive scientific letter (March 15, 1948) to Pauli and to P. Urban (June 1, 1948) in Graz, an old friend from his student days in Vienna. In both letters Blanuša discussed his thermodynamical concepts, demonstrating arguments for his formulae. Blanuša's starting point for developing his formulae was associating simplified physical pictures with thermodynamics quantities under a Lorentz transformation, and clearing up conceptual contradictions which were concealed in Planck’ s deduction. By presuming that Pauli was an admirer of Planck due to agreement of his deduction with works of Einstein and Minkowsky, Blanuša had approved his formulae also by means of Blanuša's tensor Bik of components connected with phenomenological heat convection. Blanuša had reported or published his formulae a few times (1947, 1949, and 1951) either in Croatian or Yugoslav journals, but never in any of the prestige journals of physics of that time. Those formulae were historically attributed to H. Ott (Zeitschrift für Physik 175, (1963) 70– 104), who had also discussed and derived them in a pure relativistic manner. In Ott's paper, Blanuša’ s work which had been done 16 years earlier, was not referred to at all. Blanuša was not mentioned in a paper by H. Arzeli&egrave ; s (Nuovo Cimento 35, (1965) 792) either. However, in the recent profound theoretical examination by I. Derado and E. Ferrari (FIZIKA A (Zagreb) 8 (1999) 4, 223 - 228) the importance of Blanuša’ s contribution to the subject was strongly emphasized. A basic motivation for Blanuša's letter to Pauli was scientific truth, particularly his intimate wish that de Broglie could have incorporated Blanuša’ s formulae in his new project of developing quantum mechanical thermodynamics, rather than those of Planck. In an oral presentation at the ICHS2005, the facts and arguments to attempt to give Blanuša a historical place of the first inventor of the correct formulae for transforming heat and temperature in relativistic thermodynamics will be demonstrated.

special theory of relativity and thermodynamics; Planck-Einstein formulae; Blanuša's formulae; Blanuša's understanding of the responsibility of scientist

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