Paul Peter Ewald

Paul Peter Ewald ( born January 23, 1888 in Berlin, † August 22, 1985 in Ithaca, New York ) was a German physicist.

Ewald received his doctorate at the University of Munich under Arnold Sommerfeld. In 1921 he became associate professor at the Technical University of Stuttgart and sat in the same year an offer of employment at the University of Münster. In 1928 he received a small private institute at the Technical University of Stuttgart, which closely cooperated with the Institute of Radiology of Richard Glocker.

Paul Peter Ewald was the first who provided the X-ray peaks of the crystals with a theoretical basis and details of the X-ray scattering experiments of Max von Laue (1911 /12) could make themselves understood.

Ewald established the dynamical theory of X-ray interference, which can be applied to other types of radiation (electrons, neutrons, light). Among other things, Ewald received for it the highest award of the German Physical Society, the Max Planck Medal.

Is extensively used today Ewald's design, the aim is to determine the possible diffraction directions of a primary X-ray upon impinging on a crystal. The core of the Ewald 's construction is called the Ewald sphere in the reciprocal lattice point ( the crystal), characterize the points of lattice planes in the crystal.

Paul Peter Ewald was from 1932 to 1933 Rector of the Technical University of Stuttgart. In April 1933, he resigned from this office, as under the Nazis no proper execution of the tasks was possible. In 1938 he left Germany.

1962 appointed him the Bavarian Academy of Sciences corresponding member of the Mathematics and Natural Sciences. In 1979, he became the first winner of the Gregori Aminoff Prize -. In 1966 he was elected a member of the Leopoldina.

Paul Peter Ewald was the father of Nobel Prize winner Hans Bethe.

In May 1991, the city of Stuttgart was in honor of the physicist, a commemorative plaque on the building of the former X-ray Institute, lake road 71 Fit, .