Hel Braun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Professor
Helene (Hel) Braun
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Hel Braun at the University of Marburg in 1941.
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| Born | 3 June 1914 |
| Died | 15 May 1986 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | German |
| Education | University of Marburg |
| Known for | Proving the convergence of the Eisenstein series |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | number theory, modular forms |
| Institutions | University of Göttingen, University of Hamburg |
| Doctoral advisor | Carl Ludwig Siegel, Georg Aumann |
Helene (Hel) Braun (June 3, 1914 – May 15, 1986) was a German mathematician. She was an expert in number theory, which is the study of whole numbers. She also specialized in modular forms, which are special types of math functions.
Helene Braun wrote a book about her life called The Beginning of A Scientific Career. In this book, she shared what it was like to be a female scientist. This was especially challenging because she worked in a field mostly for men, during the time of Nazi Germany. She is well-known for proving an important idea about Eisenstein series, which are special math formulas.
Helene Braun's Math Journey
Helene Braun began her math studies in 1933. She attended the University of Marburg until 1937. In 1937, she started working with a famous mathematician, Carl Ludwig Siegel, in Frankfurt. They studied how to break down quadratic forms (a type of math equation) into sums of squares.
Her main research project, called a dissertation, was about this topic. It was also guided by Georg Aumann. After she finished her dissertation, she became a scientific assistant. Soon after, in 1940, she became a professor herself. She taught about Hermitian forms, another area of mathematics.
Teaching and Research
In 1941, Helene Braun became a lecturer at the University of Göttingen. A lecturer is like a teacher at a university. She worked hard and became a full professor there in 1947. From 1947 to 1948, she was also a member of the Institute for Advanced Study. This is a special place where top scientists and thinkers do research.
In 1951, Professor Braun moved to the University of Hamburg. There, she continued her work as a professor. She had the chance to meet and work with other famous mathematicians. One of them was Emil Artin, who was known around the world for his math ideas.
Her Life Outside of Work
Helene Braun never got married. However, in the 1960s, while she was a professor in Hamburg, she shared an apartment with Emil Artin. Many people who knew them saw their relationship as being like a marriage. They were very close companions.
Helene Braun retired from her work in 1981. She spent the rest of her life living in Hamburg. She passed away in 1986.
