Pierre Victor Auger
Pierre Victor Auger | |
|---|---|
 Pierre Auger (1959) | |
| Born | 14 May 1899 Paris,France |
| Died | 24 December 1993(aged 94) Paris,France |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | University of Paris |
| Known for | Air shower Cosmic rays Auger effect Auger electron spectroscopy Auger recombination |
| Awards | Kalinga Prize(1971) Three Physicists Prize(1967) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Académie des sciences (France) |
Pierre Victor Auger(French pronunciation:[oʒe];14 May 1899 – 24 December 1993) was a Frenchphysicist,born in Paris. He worked in the fields ofatomic physics,nuclear physics,andcosmic rayphysics.[1]He is famous for being one of the discoverers of theAuger effect,named after him.
Early life
[edit]Pierre's father was chemistry professor Victor Auger. Pierre Auger was a student at theÉcole normale supérieurein Paris from 1919 to 1922, the year when he passed theagrégationof physics. He then joined the physical chemistry laboratory of the faculté des sciences of theUniversity of Parisunder the direction ofJean Perrinto work there on thephotoelectric effect.
Career
[edit]In 1926, he obtained his doctorate in physics from the University of Paris. In 1927, he was named assistant to the faculté des sciences of Paris and, at the same time, adjoint chief of service to l'Institut de biologie physico-chimique. Chief of work to faculty in 1934 and general secretary of the annual tables of the constants in 1936, he was named university lecturer in physics to the faculty on the first of November 1937. He was charged with, until 1940, the course on the experimental bases of thequantum theorywithin the chair of theoretical physics and astrophysics. He was also adjoint director of the laboratory of physical chemistry. He then occupied the chair of quantum physics and relativity of the faculté des sciences of Paris.
At the end ofWorld War II,he was named director of higher education from 1945 to 1948, which permitted him to introduce the first chair ofgeneticsat theSorbonne,conferred uponBoris Ephrussi.
The process whereAuger electronsare emitted fromatomsis used inAuger electron spectroscopyto study the elements on the surface of materials.[1]This method was named after him, independently fromLise Meitnerwho discovered the process one year before in 1922, albeit in a different, and then controversial, context about the nature of the beta-rays versusCharles Drummond Ellis.[2][3]
Findings
[edit]In his work withcosmic rays,he found that the cosmic radiation events were coincident in time meaning that they were associated with a single event, anair shower.He estimated that the energy of the incoming particle that creates large air showers must be at least 1015electronvolts(eV) = 106particles of 108eV (critical energy in air) and a factor of ten for energy loss from traversing the atmosphere.[1][4]
Honors and achievements
[edit]- He wasEuropean Space Research Organisation(ESRO) first Director General and one of the forefathers for theCERNfoundation.[1]
- He was president of the Centre international de calcul (Rome). From 1948 to 1959, he directed atUNESCOthe department of mathematical and natural sciences.
- He was elected a member of theAcadémie des sciencesin 1977.
- He hosted a broadcast ofpopularization of exacting scienceon Friday evenings on the public radio stationFrance Culturefrom September 1969 to June 1986, entitledLes Grandes Avenues de la science moderne.
- The world's largest cosmic ray detector, thePierre Auger Observatory,is named after him.[5][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdLars Persson (1996). "Pierre Auger-A Life in the Service of Science".Acta Oncologica.35(7): 785–787.doi:10.3109/02841869609104027.PMID9004753.
- ^Controversy and Consensus: Nuclear Beta Decay 1911–1934.doi:10.1007/978-3-0348-8444-0.
- ^Hardouin Duparc, Olivier (2009-09-01)."Pierre Auger – Lise Meitner: Comparative contributions to the Auger effect".International Journal of Materials Research.100(9): 1162–1166.doi:10.3139/146.110163.ISSN2195-8556.
- ^P. Auger; et al. (1939). "Extensive Cosmic-Ray Showers".Rev. Mod. Phys.11(3–4): 288–291.Bibcode:1939RvMP...11..288A.doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.11.288.
- ^Watson, Alan (July 2006)."The future's bright for the Pierre Auger Observatory".CERN Courier.46(6): 12–14.
- ^"Auger observatorycelebrates progress".CERN Courier.46(1): 8. February 2006.
External links
[edit]- Private papersand aninterviewwith Pierre Auger are consultable at theHistorical Archives of the European Unionin Florence
- Pierre Auger: The Pioneering Work
- (in French)Entretien du 23 avril 1986 avec Pierre Auger
