Wikipedia

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes(Dutch:[ˈɦɛikəˈkaːmərlɪŋˈɔnəs];21 September 1853 – 21 February 1926) was a DutchphysicistandNobel laureate in Physics.He exploited theHampson–Linde cycleto investigate how materials behave when cooled to nearlyabsolute zeroand later toliquefyheliumfor the first time, in 1908. He also discoveredsuperconductivityin 1911.[1][2][3]

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes
Kamerlingh Onnes in 1913
Born(1853-09-21)21 September 1853
Groningen,Netherlands
Died21 February 1926(1926-02-21)(aged 72)
Leiden,Netherlands
Alma materUniversity of Heidelberg
University of Groningen(MA,PhD)
Known for
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsUniversity of Leiden
ThesisNieuwe bewijzen voor de aswenteling der aarde (New proofs of the rotation of the earth)(1879)
Academic advisorsRobert Bunsen
Gustav Kirchhoff
Doctoral students

Early life

edit

Kamerlingh Onnes was born inGroningen,Netherlands. His father, Harm Kamerlingh Onnes, was a brickworks owner. His mother was Anna Gerdina Coers ofArnhem.[4]

In 1870, Kamerlingh Onnes attended theUniversity of Groningen.He studied underRobert BunsenandGustav Kirchhoffat theUniversity of Heidelbergfrom 1871 to 1873. Again at Groningen, he obtained his master's degree in 1878 and a doctorate in 1879. His thesis wasNieuwe bewijzen voor de aswenteling der aarde(tr.New proofs of the rotation of the earth). His doctoral thesis was onFoucault's pendulum.From 1878 to 1882 he was assistant toJohannes Bosscha,the director of theDelft Polytechnic,for whom he substituted as lecturer in 1881 and 1882.[4]

University of Leiden

edit

From 1882 to 1923 Kamerlingh Onnes served as professor ofexperimental physicsat theUniversity of Leiden.In 1904 he founded a very largecryogenicslaboratory and invited other researchers to the location, which made him highly regarded in the scientific community. The laboratory is known now as Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory.[4]Only one year after his appointment as professor he became member of theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[5]

Liquefaction of helium

edit
Commemorative plaque in Leiden

On 10 July 1908, he was the first to liquefyhelium,using several precooling stages and theHampson–Linde cyclebased on theJoule–Thomson effect.This way he lowered the temperature to the boiling point of helium (−269 °C, 4.2 K). By reducing the pressure of the liquid helium he achieved a temperature near 1.5 K. These were thecoldest temperatures achieved on earthat the time. The equipment employed is at theMuseum BoerhaaveinLeiden.[4]

For further research on low-temperature, he needed large amounts of helium. This he obtained in 1911 fromWelsbach's company, which processedthorianiteto producethoriumforgas mantles.Helium is produced as a side product. Previously, Onnes obtained helium from processingmonazite,and Onnes used the processed monazite (which still contained thorium) to trade for the helium. On earth, helium is usually found in coexistence with radioactive material, since it is a product of radioactive decay.[6]

Superconductivity

edit

In 1911 Kamerlingh Onnes measured the electrical conductivity of pure metals (mercury,and latertinandlead) at very low temperatures. Some scientists, such asWilliam Thomson(Lord Kelvin), believed thatelectronsflowing through aconductorwould come to a complete halt or, in other words, metal resistivity would become infinitely large at absolute zero. Others, including Kamerlingh Onnes, felt that a conductor's electrical resistance would steadily decrease and drop to nil.Augustus Matthiessensaid that when the temperature decreases, the metal conductivity usually improves or in other words, the electrical resistivity usually decreases with a decrease of temperature.[7][8]

On 8 April 1911, Kamerlingh Onnes found that at 4.2Kthe resistance in a solid mercury wire immersed in liquid helium suddenly vanished. He immediately realized the significance of the discovery (as became clear when his notebook was deciphered a century later).[9]He reported that "Mercury has passed into a new state, which on account of its extraordinary electrical properties may be called the superconductive state". He published more articles about the phenomenon, initially referring to it as "supraconductivity" and, only later adopting the term "superconductivity".

Nobel Prize

edit

Kamerlingh Onnes received widespread recognition for his work, including the 1913Nobel Prize in Physicsfor (in the words of the committee) "his investigations on the properties of matter at low temperatures which led,inter alia,to the production of liquid helium. "

Family

edit

He was married to Maria Adriana Wilhelmina Elisabeth Bijleveld (m. 1887) and had one child, named Albert. His brotherMenso Kamerlingh Onnes(1860–1925) was a painter (and father of another painter,Harm Kamerlingh Onnes), while his sister Jenny married another painter,Floris Verster(1861–1927).[citation needed]

Legacy

edit
Grave of Kamerlingh Onnes inVoorschoten

Some of the instruments Kamerlingh Onnes devised for his experiments can be seen at the Boerhaave Museum inLeiden.The apparatus he used to first liquefy helium is on display in the lobby of the physics department atLeiden University,where the low-temperature lab is also named in his honor. His student and successor as director of the labWillem Hendrik Keesomwas the first person who was able to solidify helium, in 1926. The former Kamerlingh Onnes laboratory building is currently the Law Faculty at Leiden University and is known as "Kamerlingh Onnes Gebouw" (Kamerlingh Onnes Building), often shortened to "KOG". The current science faculty has a "Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium" named after him, as well as a plaque and several machines used by Kamerling Onnes in the main hall of the physics department.

TheKamerlingh Onnes Award(1948) and theKamerlingh Onnes Prize(2000) were established in his honour, recognising further advances in low-temperature science.

TheOnnes effectreferring to the creeping ofsuperfluidhelium is named in his honor.

The craterKamerlingh Onneson the Moon is named after him.

Onnes is also credited with coining the word "enthalpy".[10]

Onnes's discovery of superconductivity was named anIEEE Milestonein 2011.[11]

Honors and awards

edit

Selected publications

edit
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "Nieuwe bewijzen voor de aswenteling der aarde." Ph.D. dissertation. Groningen, Netherlands, 1879.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "Algemeene theorie der vloeistoffen."Amsterdam Akad. Verhandl;21, 1881.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "On the Cryogenic Laboratory at Leyden and on the Production of Very Low Temperature."Comm. Phys. Lab. Univ. Leiden;14, 1894.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "Théorie générale de l'état fluide."Haarlem Arch. Neerl.;30, 1896.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "Further experiments with liquid helium. C. On the change of electric resistance of pure metals at very low temperatures, etc. IV. The resistance of pure mercury at helium temperatures."Comm. Phys. Lab. Univ. Leiden;No. 120b, 1911.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "Further experiments with liquid helium. D. On the change of electric resistance of pure metals at very low temperatures, etc. V. The disappearance of the resistance of mercury."Comm. Phys. Lab. Univ. Leiden;No. 122b, 1911.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "Further experiments with liquid helium. G. On the electrical resistance of pure metals, etc. VI. On the sudden change in the rate at which the resistance of mercury disappears."Comm. Phys. Lab. Univ. Leiden;No. 124c, 1911.
  • Kamerlingh Onnes, H., "On the Lowest Temperature Yet Obtained."Comm. Phys. Lab. Univ. Leiden;No. 159, 1922.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^Sengers, Johanna Levelt:How Fluids Unmix: Discoveries by the School of Van der Waals and Kamerlingh Onnes.(Edita—the Publishing House of the Royal, 2002, 318 pp)
  2. ^van Delft, Dirk (2007)Freezing physics, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes and the quest for cold,Edita, Amsterdam,ISBN9069845199.
  3. ^Blundell, Stephen:Superconductivity: A Very Short Introduction.(Oxford University Press, 1st edition, 2009, p. 20)
  4. ^abcd"The Nobel Prize in Physics 1913: Heike Kamerlingh Onnes".Nobel Media AB.Retrieved24 April2012.
  5. ^"Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853–1926)".Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.Retrieved22 July2015.
  6. ^van Delft, Dirk (1 March 2008)."Little cup of helium, big science".Physics Today.61(3): 36–42.Bibcode:2008PhT....61c..36V.doi:10.1063/1.2897948.ISSN0031-9228.
  7. ^Matthiessen, A.; von Bose, M. (1862)."On the Influence of Temperature on the Electric Conducting Power of Metals".Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.152:1–27.doi:10.1098/rstl.1862.0001.
  8. ^Matthiessen, A.; Vogt, C. (1864)."On the Influence of Temperature on the Electric Conducting-Power of Alloys".Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.154:167–200.doi:10.1098/rstl.1864.0004.
  9. ^van Delft, Dirk; Kes, Peter (September 2010)."The Discovery of Superconductivity"(PDF).Physics Today.63(9): 38–43.Bibcode:2010PhT....63i..38V.doi:10.1063/1.3490499.
  10. ^Howard, Irmgard (2002). "H Is for Enthalpy, Thanks to Heike Kamerlingh Onnes and Alfred W. Porter".Journal of Chemical Education.79(6): 697.Bibcode:2002JChEd..79..697H.doi:10.1021/ed079p697.
  11. ^"Milestones:List of IEEE Milestones".IEEE Global History Network.IEEE.Retrieved29 July2011.
  12. ^"The Nobel Prize in Physics 1913".Nobel Foundation.Archivedfrom the original on 19 September 2008.Retrieved9 October2008.
  13. ^"APS Member History".search.amphilsoc.org.Retrieved8 November2023.
  14. ^"Heike Onnes".nasonline.org.Retrieved8 November2023.

Further reading

edit
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related toHeike Kamerlingh Onnes.
Listen to this article(15minutes)
This audio filewas created from a revision of this article dated 28 January 2016(2016-01-28),and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help·More spoken articles)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heike_Kamerlingh_Onnes&oldid=1259725881"