Editing Peter Debye (section)

===Scientific contributions===
His first major scientific contribution was the application of the concept of [[Electric dipole moment|dipole moment]] to the [[electric charge|charge]] distribution in asymmetric [[molecule]]s in 1912, developing equations relating dipole moments to temperature and [[Relative static permittivity|dielectric constant]]. In consequence, the units of molecular dipole moments are termed ''debyes'' in his honor. Also in 1912, he extended [[Albert Einstein]]'s theory of [[Specific heat capacity|specific heat]] to lower temperatures by including contributions from low-frequency [[phonon]]s. See [[Debye model]].

In 1913, he extended [[Niels Bohr]]'s theory of [[atomic structure]], introducing elliptical orbits, a concept also introduced by [[Arnold Sommerfeld]]. In 1914–1915, Debye  calculated the effect of temperature on [[X-ray scattering techniques|X-ray diffraction]] patterns of [[crystalline solid]]s with [[Paul Scherrer]] (the "[[Debye–Waller factor]]").
In 1923, together with his assistant [[Erich Hückel]], he developed an improvement of [[Svante Arrhenius]]' theory of electrical conductivity in [[electrolyte]] solutions. Although an improvement was made to the [[Debye–Hückel equation]] in 1926 by [[Lars Onsager]], the theory is still regarded as a major forward step in our understanding of [[Electrolyte|electrolytic]] solutions. Also in 1923, Debye developed a theory to explain the [[Compton effect]], the shifting of the frequency of [[X-ray]]s when they interact with [[electron]]s.