List of scientific publications by Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was a renowned theoretical physicist of the 20th century who is best known for his theories of special relativity and general relativity. He also made important contributions to statistical mechanics, especially his treatment of Brownian motion, his resolution of the paradox of specific heats, and his connection of fluctuations and dissipation. Despite his reservations about its interpretation, Einstein also made seminal contributions to quantum mechanics and, indirectly, quantum field theory, primarily through his theoretical studies of the photon.

Einstein's scientific publications are listed below in four tables: journal articles, book chapters, books and authorized translations. Each publication is indexed in the first column by its number in the Schilpp bibliography ("Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist", pp. 694–730) and by its article number in Einstein's "Collected Papers". Complete references for these two bibliographies may be found below in the Bibliography section. The Schilpp numbers are used for cross-referencing in the Notes (the final column of each table), since they cover a greater time period of Einstein's life at present. The English translations of titles are generally taken from the published volumes of the "Collected Papers". For some publications, however, such official translations are not available; unofficial translations are indicated with a ^§ superscript. Although the tables are presented in chronological order by default, each table can be re-arranged in alphabetical order for any column by clicking on the arrows at the top of that column. For illustration, to re-order a table by subject—e.g., to group together articles that pertain "General relativity" or "Specific heats"—one need only click on the arrows in the "Classification and Notes" columns. To print out the re-sorted table, the page may be printed directly using the web-browser Print option; the "Printable version" link at the left gives only the default sorting. Collaborative works by Einstein are highlighted in lavender, with the co-author(s) provided in the final column of the table.

Einstein's many non-scientific works are not included here, to limit both the article's focus and size. The division of scientific and non-scientific works follows the Schilpp bibliography, which cites over 130 non-scientific works, often on humanitarian or political topics (pp. 730–746). Five volumes of Einstein's "Collected Papers" (volumes 1, 5, 8–10) are devoted to his correspondence, much of which is concerned with scientific questions. These letters are likewise not listed here, since they were not prepared for publication.

Chronology and major themes

The following chronology of Einstein's scientific discoveries provides a context for the publications listed below, and clarifies the major themes running through his work.

* In 1905, Einstein developed the theory of special relativity, which reconciled the relativity of motion with the observed constancy of the speed of light (a paradox of 19th-century physics). [Pais, pp. 111–174.] Special relativity is now a core principle of physics. Its counterintuitive predictions that moving clocks run more slowly, that moving objects are shortened in their direction of motion, and that the order of events is not absolute have been confirmed experimentally. Its relation "E=mc²" suggested that matter was a form of energy, which was later verified by the mass defect in atomic nuclei. The energy released in nuclear reactions—which is essential for nuclear power and nuclear weapons—can be estimated from such mass defects. [http://www.einstein-website.de/z_physics/wisspub-e.html List of Scientific Publications of Albert Einstein from 1901–1922] from the Einstein website
* [http://www.einstein.caltech.edu/ Einstein Papers Project] at the California Institute of Technology
* [http://www.alberteinstein.info/ Einstein Archives Online] at Hebrew University