The Astrophysical Thoughts of Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker

Abstract Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker published two important papers on topics of nuclear astrophysics in 1937 and 1938 before he turned his attention elsewhere motivated by the discovery of fission and the outbreak of war in 1939. It seems, however, that he continued to actively think about issues related to astrophysics, namely the discussion and role of neutron stars and cosmology. Both are contemporary topics today. This paper presents the development of Weizsäcker’s thoughts in the years between 1935 and 1945, making use of his personal notes and letters.