Donald S. Bethune

Donald S. Bethune (* 1948 in Philadelphia ) is an American physicist.

Bethune studied physics at Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in 1970 and received her PhD in 1977 from the University of California, Berkeley , under Yuen-Ron Shen for research in nonlinear optics . He then went to the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center , where he did research in laser spectroscopy under Peter Sorokin . There he invented the Bethune dye cell and was one of the developers of Time Resolved Infrared Spectral Photography (TRISP). From 1983 he was at the IBM Research Center in San Josè (later IBM Almaden Research Center ) and dealt with nonlinear optics, gas-surface interaction and novel carbon materials such as fullerenes , metal fullerenes and carbon nanotubes with single walls, for the synthesis of which he in the form of transition metals how cobalt found a catalyst in 1993 .

Later he dealt with quantum information theory . With William P. Risk he developed a fiber optic quantum cryptography system and they developed a new method to detect single photons . He also participated in lasers and optics for a lithography system for structures under 30 nanometers. He researched lithium-air batteries , RAM systems and materials for new semiconductor memories .

In 2001 he was awarded the James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials for the discovery and development of carbon nanotubes with a wall that can behave like metals or semiconductors, conduct electricity better than copper , and heat better than diamond and are among the strongest materials known ( Laudation). The discovery was made independently of Sumio Iijima , who also received the McGroddy Prize in 2002 .

Web links

• IBM Research
• McGroddy Prize for Bethune

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Laudation: For the discovery and development of single-wall carbon nanotubes, which can behave like metals or semiconductors, can conduct electricity better than copper, can transmit heat better than diamond, and rank among the strongest materials known.