It is with deep sadness that the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Wien announces that our esteemed colleague Erich Söllner passed away on April 12, 2024.

Erich Söllner was born on March 22, 1947 in Krems. His father Dr. Alois Söllner was of physics teacher at a high school (Piaristengymnasium) in Krems. In his classes he taught the later well-known Austrian physicists and university professors Franz Viehböck and Michael Higatsberger. In a sense, Erich was born into the group of physicists from Krems.

After graduating from high school in 1965, Erich Söllner enrolled at the Technical University in Vienna and studied physics. He completed his studies in March 1972 with the 2^nd state examination and was graduated as a master (Diplomingenieur) for technical physics.

As he had already dealt with the investigation of thin layers in his diploma thesis, after completing his studies he began his dissertation on Topic “Schwingquarz-Mikrowägung” (quartz crystal micro balance) at the Institute for General Physics headed by Prof. Franz Viehböck (formerly: Institute for Experimental Physics II, today: Institute for Applied Physics). He completed his doctoral studies on December 16, 1977. During his dissertation, Erich Söllner held a position as a research assistant. The key scientific publication from his dissertation is considered one of the pioneering works in this field and is still well cited today.

In 1975 he married Rita Müller from Bensheim. The marriage resulted in two children, Stephan (1976) and Christina (1980).

On March 1, 1977, he was appointed to the position of a university assistant at the TU Vienna. From 1981 he switched to the role of a scientific officer. His focus then shifted from his successful scientific work to organizational tasks. Above all, he took on organizational responsibility for teaching, especially the introductory lecture in physics. For the lecture, he maintained and demonstrated an extensive collection of experiments and created scripts.

As head of administration, he ensured smooth processes at the institute with his specialist knowledge and thoroughness. Due to his special helpfulness coupled with problem-solving capacity, he enjoyed great popularity among students and colleagues. In the case of a colleague who died early, he undertook a detailed literature study and was able to show that his illness was most likely due to occupational exposure, which led to a significant social improvement for his family.

As a physicist and scientific officer, Dr. Söllner provided indispensable support to three heads of institute over a period of almost 30 years until his retirement in 2010. His personality made him crucial to the success and cohesion of the institute. On April 12, 2024, he left us forever all too soon.

Herbert Störi und Markus Valtiner 

On behalf of all colleagues of the department of applied physics