Wolfgang Paul
Wolfgang Paul (German pronunciation: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈpaʊ̯l] (
listen); 10 August 1913 – 7 December 1993) was a German professor awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989.
Wolfgang Paul | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 August 1913 |
| Died | 7 December 1993 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | Germany |
| Alma mater | Technical University of Munich Technical University of Berlin University of Göttingen |
| Known for | Ion traps |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in physics (1989) Dirac Medal (1992) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of Bonn University of Kiel |
| Notes | |
He humorously referred to Wolfgang Pauli as his "imaginary part".[1] | |
Biography
Paul was born on August 10 of 1913 in the German city of Lorenzkirch, Saxony. When he was young, his family moved to Munich, where his father taught pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Munich. In 1932, he began his studies of physics at the Superior School in Munich, and soon moved to the 1934 at the headquarters of Berlin, getting his doctorate in 1939.
In 1944, he began his teaching at the University of Göttingen and 1952 was hired at the University of Bonn as director of its Institute of Experimental Physics, a position he kept until his death.
Wolfgang Paul died December 7 of 1993 at his residence in Bonn.
Scientific research
During WWII he investigated the separation of isotopes, which is necessary to produce material to make nuclear fission for use in nuclear weapons.
He started his research into ions, developing the so-called ion trap.
For this discovery, in 1989 he was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with Hans G. Dehmelt.
Between 1965 and 1967, he was appointed Director of the Division of Nuclear Physics at CERN.
References
- ↑ Gerald E. Brown and Chang-Hwan Lee (2006): Hans Bethe and His Physics, World Scientific, ISBN 981-256-610-4, p. 338