Ludvig Lorenz

Ludvig Lorenz
Born(1829-01-18)18 January 1829
Helsingør, Denmark
Died9 June 1891(1891-06-09) (aged 62)
Frederiksberg, Denmark
Resting placeAssistens Cemetery (Copenhagen), Denmark
NationalityDanish
Known forWiedemann–Franz–Lorenz law
Lorentz–Lorenz equation
Lorenz gauge condition
Lorenz–Mie theory
Scientific career
FieldsPhysicist
Signature

Ludvig Valentin Lorenz (/ˈlɒrənts/ LORR-ənts; 18 January 1829 – 9 June 1891) was a Danish physicist and mathematician. In 1867, he gave completely general integral solutions to the differential equations of electromagnetism, which contain retardation effects reflecting the finite speed of light. This paper also introduces the Lorenz gauge, named after him.

Lorenz also developed mathematical formulae to describe phenomena such as the relation between the refraction of light and the density of a pure transparent substance, and the relation between a metal's electrical and thermal conductivity and temperature (Wiedemann–Franz–Lorenz law).

His name is sometimes confused with that of the physicist Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, who is incorrectly credited for Lorenz's work.