Eur. Phys. J. H 35, 113–122 (2010)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/e2010-00012-2

Regular Article

James MacCullagh 1809 − 1847

Trinity College, The University of Dublin, College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland

^a e-mail: spearman@tcd.ie

Received: 7 April 2010
Published online: 26 October 2010

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to set out in general terms the life of the Irish mathematician and theoretical physicist James MacCullagh, in its context of place and time. MacCullagh, who was born two hundred years ago in 1809, was best known for his significant contributions to optics and light propagation, and in particular towards the development of a model of the aether, a central scientific concern during his lifetime.