Hannes Alfvén

Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén ( pronunciation: [ ˌ ː han əs alve ː n], * May 30, 1908 in Norrköping, † April 2, 1995 in Djursholm ) was a Swedish physicist. He received the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his fundamental achievements and discoveries in magnetohydrodynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics ".

Life

Hannes Alfvén was born in 1908 in Norrköping. His parents, John and Anna- Clara Romanus Alfvén, were both practicing physicians. His uncle Hugo Alfvén was a renowned composer and conductor.

From 1926 to Alfvén studied physics and philosophy at the University of Uppsala in 1934 he received a doctorate for his " investigation of the ultra-short electromagnetic waves ". In the same year he began teaching at his university as a physics lecturer. In 1937 he got a job at the Nobel Institute for Physics in Stockholm, in 1940, he was appointed at the Royal Institute of Technology professor of electromagnetic theory and electrical measurements.

1935 married Alfvén Kerstin Maria Erikson, daughter of engineer Rolf Erikson and his wife Maria Uddenberg. Together they moved five large children: Cecilia, Inger, Gösta, Reidun and Berenice. The only son, Gösta, later became a doctor; Inger was a writer, another daughter lawyer.

Alfvén was also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( Stockholm ); he was also one of the few scientists of his time, who were members of the American and the Soviet Academy of Sciences at the same time.

Alfvén died in 1995 at the age of 86 years.

The Alfvén waves ( mechanical waves in the interior of the plasma ) and Alfvén speed are named after him, and also the asteroid ( 1778) Alfvén received its name in honor of his contribution to astrophysics.

Work

Alfvén examined from 1939, the emergence of auroras and magnetic storms, and the influence of magnetic fields in the formation of the solar system. He played a central role in the study of plasma physics, charged particles - rays, interplanetary physics, magnetospheric physics and the significantly influenced by him territory of the MGD.

He was also known as an opponent of the Big Bang theory: Alfvén had argued in 1963, later confirmed the theory that the universe contained a long-range, fiber- like structure (filaments ), which clearly spoke for it with a big bang. He kept the idea of ​​a plasma universe for the most plausible, but they could not prevail.

Although Alfvén received numerous awards during his life, his ideas have long been ignored or rejected by the experts. Alfvén was often forced to publish his scientific treatises in insignificant journals; particular criticism of the respected British astronomer and geophysicist Sydney Chapman to his theories of magnetospheric physics made ​​it Alfvén hard to get support for his work. Even today, only a few physicists is unknown how many areas of physics were influenced by his work, and what lessons are to thank for his research.

Awards

Alfvén was awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics " for his fundamental achievements and discoveries in magnetohydrodynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics ". He also received the following additional awards:

• Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1967 )
• Gold Medal of the Franklin Institute ( 1971)
• Lomonosov Gold Medal of the USSR Academy of Sciences ( 1971)
• William Bowie Medal of the American Geophysical Union ( 1988)

In honor of Hannes Alfvén - Award is named for Plasma Physics of the European Physical Society.

Bibliography

In addition to his scientific publications Alfvén also wrote popular science books, some of them together with his wife:

• Atoms, man and the universe. The long chain of complications. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1984, ISBN 3-518-36639-4.
• With Kerstin Alfvén: M 70 Humanity of the seventies. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1984, ISBN 3-518-36534-7.
• Cosmology and antimatter. About the origin of the universe. 2nd edition. Umschau -Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1984, ISBN 3-524-00264-1.
• Saga of the big computer. A look back from the future. Limes Verlag, Wiesbaden 1970.