Hans Jensen (25.06.1907-11.02.1973) was a German theoretical physicist and a member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (1949). He was born in Hamburg. He graduated from the University of Hamburg (1932). In 1937—41 he worked at the same university and in 1941 —48 he was professor at the Technological Institute in Hanover. From 1949 he was professor at the University of Heidelberg and in 1949— 68 director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the university.
His work was in the field of the theory of the nucleus and solid-state physics. In 1950, independently of M. Goeppert-Mayer, he introduced the idea of spin-orbit coupling and developed the shell model of the nucleus (Nobel Prize, 1963). He was one of the first to apply the Thomas — Fermi method to the theory of the solid state. He studied the interaction of ions in a crystal and found how the total energy of a crystal depends on the interatomic distance.