Georges Charpak(French:[ʃaʁpak];bornJerzy Charpak,(1 August 1924 – 29 September 2010) was a Polish-born Frenchphysicistwho was awarded theNobel Prize in Physicsin 1992.[1][2][3]
Georges Charpak | |
|---|---|
 Charpak in 2005 | |
| Born | Jerzy Charpak 1 August 1924 |
| Died | 29 September 2010(aged 86) Paris,France |
| Citizenship | French |
| Alma mater | École des Mines Collège de France |
| Known for | Multiwire proportional chamber MicroMegas detector |
| Spouse |
Dominique Vidal (m.1953) |
| Children | 3, includingNathalie |
| Relatives | André Charpak(brother) |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | CERN ESPCI Paris |
| Academic advisors | Frédéric Joliot-Curie |
Life
editGeorges Charpak was born on 1 August 1924[4]as Jerzy Charpak toJewishparents, Anna (Szapiro) and Maurice Charpak, in the village of Dąbrowica inPoland(nowDubrovytsiainUkraine). Charpak's family moved fromPolandtoPariswhen he was seven years old, beginning his study of mathematics in 1941 at the Lycée Saint Louis.[5]The actor and film directorAndré Charpakwas his younger brother.
DuringWorld War IICharpak served in theresistanceand was imprisoned byVichyauthorities in 1943. In 1944 he was deported to theNaziconcentration campatDachau,where he remained until the camp was liberated in 1945.
Afterclasses préparatoiresstudies atLycée Saint-Louisin Paris and later atLycée Joffrein Montpellier,[6]he joined in 1945 the Paris-basedÉcole des Mines,one of the most prestigious engineering schools in France. The following year he became a naturalized French citizen. He graduated in 1948, earning the French degree ofCivil Engineer of Mines(Ingénieur Civil des Minesequivalent to aMaster's degree) becoming a pupil in the laboratory ofFrédéric Joliot-Curieat theCollège de Franceduring 1949,[5][7]the year after Curie had directed construction of the firstatomic pilewithin France.[8]While at the Collège, Charpak secured a research position[5]for theNational Centre for Scientific Research(CNRS). He received his PhD in 1954[9]innuclear physicsat the Collège de France, receiving the qualification after having written a thesis on the subject of very-low-energy radiation due to disintegration of nuclei (Charpak & Suzor).[5][10]
In 1959, he joined the staff ofCERN(European Organization for Nuclear Research) inGeneva,where he invented and developed[11]themultiwire proportional chamber.The chamber was patented and that quickly superseded the old bubble chambers, allowing for better data processing.[12][13]This new creation had been made public during 1968.[14]Charpak was later to become a joint inventor with Nlolc and Policarpo of the scintillation drift chamber during the latter parts of the 1970s.[15]He eventually retired from CERN in 1991. In 1980, Georges Charpak became professor-in-residence at École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles in Paris (ESPCI) and held the Joliot-Curie Chair there in 1984. This is where he developed and demonstrated the powerful applications of the particle detectors he invented, most notably for enabling better health diagnostics. He was the co-founder of a number of start-up in the biolab arena, including Molecular Engines Laboratories, Biospace Instruments and SuperSonic Imagine – together withMathias Fink.He was elected to theFrench Academy of Scienceson 20 May 1985.
Georges Charpak was awarded theNobel Prize in Physicsin 1992 "for his invention and development ofparticle detectors,in particular themultiwire proportional chamber",with affiliations to both École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles (ESPCI) and CERN. This was the last time a single person was awarded the Physics prize, as of 2023. In 1999, Charpak received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[16]
In France, Charpak was a very strongadvocate for nuclear power.Charpak was a member of the Board of Sponsors of theBulletin of the Atomic Scientists.[17]
Charpak married Dominique Vidal in 1953. They had three children.[18]The pediatricianNathalie Charpak(born 1955) is his daughter.
Charpak died on 29 September 2010, inParis,at the age of 86.
Publications
editBooks
edit- La vie à fil tendu,co-authored with Dominique Saudinos (1993Odile Jacob,ISBN2-7381-0214-X)
- Devenez sorciers, devenez savants,co-authored with Henri Broch (Odile Jacob,ISBN90-5814-005-9). Published in English as "Debunked!" by theJohns Hopkins University Press.
Technical reports
edit- Charpak, G. & M. Gourdin."The K0K0System ",European Organization for Nuclear Research,Paris University,(July 11, 1967).
- Charpak, G."Evolution of Some Particle Detectors Based On the Discharge in Gases",European Organization for Nuclear Research,(November 19, 1969).
- Charpak, G.; Sauli, F. (1973)."High-accuracy, two-dimensional read-out in multiwire proportional chambers".Nuclear Instruments and Methods.113(3): 381–385.Bibcode:1973NucIM.113..381C.doi:10.1016/0029-554X(73)90503-X.OSTI4364786.
- Charpak, G.; Jeavons, A.; Sauli, F. & R. Stubbs,"High-Accuracy Measurements of the Centre of Gravity of Avalanches in Proportional Chambers",European Organization for Nuclear Research,(September 24, 1973).
- Crittenden, J.A.; Hsiung, Y.B.; Kaplan, a.D.M.; Hubbard, J.R.; Mangeot, P.; Peisert, A.; Charpak, G.; Sauli, F.; Brown, C.N.; Childress, S.; et al. (1986)."Inclusive hadronic production cross sections measured in proton-nucleus collisions at √s = 27. 4 GeV".Physical Review D.34(9): 2584–2600.Bibcode:1986PhRvD..34.2584C.doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.34.2584.OSTI7244218.PMID9957451.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Earth Times | News and Information about Environmental Issues".earthtimes.org.Retrieved2023-04-09.
- ^Giomataris, I. (2010)."Georges Charpak (1924–2010)".Nature.467(7319): 1048.Bibcode:2010Natur.467.1048G.doi:10.1038/4671048a.PMID20981084.
- ^"Georges Charpak: Nobel Physics Prize 1992".CERN Courier.32(10): 1–6. December 1992. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-03-10.
- ^"Georges Charpak: Facts"
- ^abcdCERNScientific Information Service - Archive.CERN. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-02-14.Retrieved2012-01-29.
- ^"Tribulations d'un immigré d'Europe centrale, Georges Charpak"Archived2012-03-24 at theWayback Machineon Lycée Joffre website(in French)
- ^Charpak, Georges (1995).Research on Particle Imaging Detectors.World Scientific.ISBN978-981-02-1902-4.
- ^"Frédéric Joliot - Biography".Nobelprize.org.29 Jan 2012 + [atomic pile=fiArchived2012-01-26 at theWayback Machine+anlArchived2012-02-18 at theWayback Machine+us]
- ^Charpak, G.; Suzor, F. (1954-05-01). "Étude expérimentale des électrons de l'atome résiduel éjectés de leurs orbites lors de la désintégration de32P ".Journal de Physique et le Radium(in French).15(5): 378–380.doi:10.1051/jphysrad:01954001505037802.OSTI4395224.
- ^Suzor, F.; Charpak, G. (1959)."Étude des électrons et des raies X d'autoionisation émis simultanément avec le rayonnement β du prometheum 147"(PDF).Journal de Physique et le Radium(in French).20(6): 647–648.doi:10.1051/jphysrad:01959002006064700.
- ^Bouclier, R.; Charpak, G.; Dimčovski, Z.; Fischer, G.; Sauli, F.; Coignet, G.; Flügge, G. (1970). "Investigation of some properties of multiwire proportional chambers".Nuclear Instruments and Methods.88(1): 149–161.Bibcode:1970NucIM..88..149B.doi:10.1016/0029-554X(70)90872-4.
- ^Giomataris, Ioannis (December 2010)."Georges Charpak-a true man of science".CERN Courier.50(10): 33–36.
- ^Catapano, Paola (March 2009)."Georges Charpak: hardwired for science".CERN Courier.42(2): 24–28.
- ^"Milestones:CERN Experimental Instrumentation, 1968".ETHW.2015-12-31.Retrieved2023-04-09.
- ^Aprile, Elena; Bolotnikov, Aleksey E.; Bolozdynya, Alexander I.; Doke, Tadayoshi (2007-02-27).Noble Gas Detectors.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-3-527-60963-5.
- ^"Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement".www.achievement.org.American Academy of Achievement.
- ^"Board of Sponsors".Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.Retrieved2023-04-09.
- ^Maugh II, Thomas H. (October 8, 2010)."Georges Charpak dies at 86; French physicist won Nobel Prize".Los Angeles Times.
External links
edit
- Georges Charpakon Nobelprize.orgincluding the Nobel Lecture, December 8, 1992Electronic Imaging of Ionizing Radiation with Limited Avalanches in Gases
- Georges Charpakon nobel-winners.com
- Georges Charpak U.S. Patents
- Georges CharpakonINSPIRE-HEP
- Georges Charpak,Nobel Luminaries Project,The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot
