Carl Henry Eckart
Carl Henry Eckart (born May 4, 1902 in St. Louis , Missouri , † October 23, 1973 in La Jolla , California ) was an American physicist and oceanographer .
After completing his master’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis , he completed his studies in physics in 1923 with a Ph.D. 1925 at Princeton University . He then worked at Caltech from 1925 to 1927 and as a Guggenheim Fellow with Arnold Sommerfeld at the University of Munich in 1927/28 . From 1928 to 1946 he was a professor at the University of Chicago (initially as an assistant professor, from 1931 as an associate professor).
Eckart is best known for his contributions to quantum physics , especially the Wigner-Eckart theorem (Reviews of Modern Physics, 1930).
During the Second World War he worked on underwater sound. 1946 to 1952 he was director of the Marine Physical Laboratory at the University of California . From 1948 to 1951 he was director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography . His successor in office was Roger Revelle . He then remained professor of geophysics at the Scripps Institute until his retirement in 1971.
From 1963 to 1965 he served on the Academic Senate of the University of California, San Diego . In 1965 he became Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at that university.
In 1958 he married Klara Dan von Neumann, the widow of John von Neumann , in his second marriage .
Since 1953 he was a member of the National Academy of Sciences , whose Alexander Agassiz Medal he received in 1966. In 1959 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . Together with FC Hoyt, he translated Werner Heisenberg's book The Physical Principles of Quantum Theory into English. In 1972 he received the William Bowie Medal .
Fonts
- The Application of Group theory to the Quantum Dynamics of Montomic Systems, Rev. Mod. Phys., Vol. 2, 1930, pp. 305-380
- with others: Principles and Applications of Underwater Sound, Washington DC, 1946 (originally secret, declassified in 1954 ), reprint by Navy Headquarters Naval Material Command 1968
- Hydrodynamics of Oceans and Atmospheres, Pergamon Press, 1960
Web links
- Biography at the APS with link to obituary at the National Academy of Sciences
- Directory of his estate, Library of Congress, pdf
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Eckart, Carl Henry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American physicist and oceanographer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 4, 1902 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Louis , Missouri |
| DATE OF DEATH | 23rd October 1973 |
| Place of death | La Jolla , California |