Wilhelm Walcher
William Walcher (* July 7, 1910 in Kaufbeuren, Allgaeu, † November 9, 2005 in Marburg an der Lahn) was a university professor of physics and author of the popular textbook Practical Physics, which was published in many editions since 1971.
Life
He studied in Munich (Technical University ) and Berlin and graduated in 1933 as a graduate engineer. Until 1937 he was a research assistant at the Technical University Berlin among others, Gustav Hertz, Wilhelm Westphal and Hans Geiger, and where he received his doctorate in 1937, he was a mass spectrometer for isotope separation at Hans Kopfermann ( Dr. Ing ) From 1937 to 1942 assistant at the Kiel University ( where he followed Kopfermann ), where he qualified in 1942. First, he represented in Kiel to by the departure of Kopfermann to Göttingen ( he became director of the second physical Institute ) vacated the Chair The habilitation thesis was initially rejected for political unreliability, through the influence of Kopfermann it was then but still recognized. Walcher followed Kopfermann to Göttingen, where he was the senior assistant and lecturer from 1942 to 1947. A professor at the University of Leipzig, he struck out in 1946 and instead went as a successor of Wilhelm Grüneisen to Marburg.
Walcher was concerned with atomic and nuclear physics ( nuclear moments, hyperfine structure, nuclear reactions, low energy ), optical pumping, the Mössbauer effect, with electron and ion optics for the construction of mass spectrometers, for accelerator and equipment for isotope separation. He continued his work on isotope separation continued as part of the Uranium Club in World War II. In 1947 he was appointed full professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Marburg (Hesse), where he was in 1949 appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science and its rector, he was from 1952 to 1954. He was also a longtime director of the Physics Institute. In 1978 he became Professor Emeritus.
Around 1980, " recycled " the Walcher built for the work in Uranverein electromagnet for the construction of the Helios separator for nuclear fission fragments at the TRIGA Mainz research reactor.
From 1959 to 1961 he coined as chairman of the German Physical Society (DPG, German Physical association then companies) with much. He was much involved in it, that in 1963 the founding of the DPG succeeded, as the old Physical Society had been dissolved by the Allies after the Second World War. Walcher was instrumental in the founding of DESY and GSI. From 1961 to 1967 he was Vice President of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. In 1975 he received the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. 1962 to 1991 he was co-editor of the Annals of Physics. In 1976 he was made an honorary Doctor of Ruhr- University Bochum. In 1989 he became an honorary member of the DPG.
Walcher was also very socially engaged, in particular, he was one of the Göttingen 18, 1957 clearly spoke out against nuclear rearmament of West Germany.
His doctoral Peter Brix counts.
Writings
- Practical Physics. 9th edition. Vieweg / Teubner, 9th edition, 2006. ISBN 3-51-923038-0 ( first 1966)
- With Detlef Kamke: Physics for physicians. Teubner 1994.
- With Max Wutz, Hermann Adam: Handbook of vacuum technology. 6th edition. Vieweg 1997
- Wolfgang Riezler (ed.) nuclear technology. Several volumes. Teubner 1958