Born: 1876 (Kiev, Ukraine)
Died: 1964 (Leiden, Netherlands)
Biography:
Tatyana Alexeyevna Afanasyeva (Russian: Татья́на Алексе́евна Афана́сьева) was a Russian/Dutch mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics. She was born on November 19, 1876, in Kiev, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire. Her father, Alexander Afanassjev, was a chief engineer on the Imperial Railways, and he often took Tatyana on his travels around the empire.
Unfortunately, Tatyana’s father passed away while she was still young, and she moved to St Petersburg to live with her aunt and uncle, Sonya and Peter Afanassjev. Peter, a professor at the St Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, played a crucial role in shaping Tatyana’s educational and intellectual growth.
Despite the limitations imposed on women at the time, Tatyana attended normal school in St Petersburg, specializing in mathematics and science. However, women were not allowed to attend universities in Russian territory. Undeterred, Tatyana enrolled in the Women’s University in St Petersburg, studying mathematics and physics under the guidance of Orest Chvolson.
In 1902, Tatyana transferred to the University of Göttingen in Germany, where she continued her studies with renowned mathematicians Felix Klein and David Hilbert. It was in Göttingen that she first crossed paths with Paul Ehrenfest, an Austrian physicist who would later become her husband.
A friendship blossomed between Tatyana and Paul, and they eventually tied the knot in December 1904. However, their marriage faced a significant obstacle due to the religious differences between them. According to Russian law, it was forbidden to marry someone of a different religion. To remain married, Tatyana and Paul renounced their respective faiths – Tatyana’s Russian Orthodox and Paul’s Jewish.
In 1912, Tatyana and Paul moved to Leiden in the Netherlands, where Paul had been appointed as a professor at the University of Leiden, taking over from the renowned physicist Hendrik Lorentz. The couple settled in Leiden and spent the rest of their lives there.
Tatyana’s collaboration with Paul yielded significant contributions to the field of statistical mechanics. They co-authored a seminal review of the statistical mechanics of Boltzmann, titled The Conceptual Foundations of the Statistical Approach in Mechanics, which was published in 1911. This work, initially an article for the German Encyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften (Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences), has since been translated and republished, solidifying their legacy in the field.
Throughout her career, Tatyana published numerous papers on various topics, including randomness, entropy, and the teaching of geometry to children. She made significant advancements in these areas, enriching the understanding of statistical mechanics and its applications.
Tatyana’s intellectual pursuits and contributions to the field of mathematics and physics attracted the attention and respect of renowned physicist Albert Einstein. He was a frequent guest at her home in Leiden during the 1920s, as evidenced by the many signatures on the walls. Even after Einstein moved to Princeton University, he continued to correspond with Tatyana Afanasyeva, demonstrating the profound impact she had made on the scientific community.
Tatyana Alexeyevna Afanasyeva passed away on April 14, 1964, in Leiden, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking research and inspiration for future generations of female scientists.