Charles-Eugène Guye (French pronunciation:[ʃaʁløʒɛnɡi]; October 15, 1866 – July 15, 1942) was a Swiss experimental physicist noted for his experiments showing the dependence of the electron mass on its speed and attending the Solvay Conferences.
His older brother, Philippe-Auguste (1862–1922), was a distinguished chemist.[1]
Life and Work
Guye was born in Saint-Christophe (Champvent) on 15 October 1866. He studied physics at the University of Geneva, where he received his doctorate in 1889, studying the phenomenon of optical rotatory dispersion.[2]
From 1890 to 1892 Charles-Eugène worked as a Privatdozent (lecturer) in Geneva, and from 1894[3] to 1900 he was a Privatdozent at Zurich Polytechnic (now the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ETH Zurich), switching his research interests to electrical engineering. Albert Einstein was one of his students at the school. Starting in 1900[4] at the University of Geneva, Guye was professor of experimental physics and director of the Physics Institute. He retired in 1930 [5] and was conferred by the University the title of "honorary professor."
His research focus was in the fields of electric currents, magnetism, and electrical discharges in gases. Starting in 1907 and continuing for over a decade, he and his students Simon Ratnowsky and Charles Lavanchy conducted experiments with cathode rays that demonstrated the dependence of the electron mass on its speed,[6][7] with results supporting the predictions of Lorentz, Einstein, and the special theory of relativity against Max Abraham's rival theory of the electron.
He participated in the 5th (Leiben, 1927) and 7th (Paris, 1933) Solvay Conferences,[8] and was the author or co-author of over 200 papers in physics and several popular books, including philosophical works on the biological-physical-chemical basis of evolution and the limits of physics and biology.
Guye died in Geneva on Wednesday, 15 July 1942.[4][9]
