The Race for the Nobel Prize in Physics

This chapter presents an analysis of Poincaré’s multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize in Physics, as well as the strategy devised by his friend, the Swedish mathematician Gösta Mittag-LefflerMittag-Leffler, Gösta, to win him the award. It will be shown that, despite all his efforts, he was unable to convince the members of the Nobel committee, who were at that time very attached to the idea of awarding the prize to research in the field of experimental physics and not mathematical physics, as Poincaré’s work was. A study of Poincaré’s application files showed above all that he regarded his work “On the Dynamics of the Electron” (“Sur la dynamique de l’lectron”) as a development of Lorentz’s theoryLorentz (Theory of electrons), and not as his contribution to a special theory of relativitySpecial theory of relativity. In so doing, Poincaré’ put a definitive end to the controversy over the authorship of this theory.