Ferdinand Cap

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Ferdinand Franz Cap (born June 25, 1924 in Payerbach ; † January 29, 2016 ) was an Austrian theoretical physicist.

biography

Cap attended a humanistic grammar school in Vienna and studied mathematics, physics and chemistry at the University of Vienna from 1942 . In 1943 he was drafted, but released on the advice of Erwin Fues because of outstanding academic achievements in theoretical physics. In 1944 he became a research assistant at the Institute for Theoretical Physics and received his master's degree. In 1945 he received his doctorate (dissertation: About two methods for solving one-dimensional unsteady gas dynamic problems). After the war he was Hans Thirring's assistant . In 1948 he was a visiting researcher at the ETH Zurich and in 1949 he was a deputy professor of the sick Arthur March at the University of Innsbruck . Cap completed his habilitation and, after March's death, became associate professor and full professor for theoretical physics in Innsbruck in 1960. In 1988 he retired.

In Innsbruck he worked with the mathematician Wolfgang Gröbner on orbital calculations for NASA, including in 1957 from spacecraft to the moon. From 1966 to 1975 he was Austrian representative at the Space Committee of the United Nations. He was a member of the International Academy of Astronautics . Since 1958, however, he mainly dealt with plasma physics , where he was also able to receive American research funding. He also organized a translation program for academic publishers and the Library of Congress. He founded the plasma physics laboratory at the University of Innsbruck and advocated Austrian participation in fusion research at an early stage. He wrote textbooks on mathematical methods (at almost 80 years of age a book on mathematical methods of physics with Mathematica ), plasma physics and in 1957 a book on the physics of nuclear reactors (the first in German).

He has published over 400 scientific papers and holds 60 patents. As a student he worked as a translator and translated, among other things, volumes 3 and 5 of the Berkeley physics course from English.

Fonts

  • Physics and technology of nuclear reactors, Springer 1957
  • Introduction to Plasma Physics, 3 volumes, Berlin: Akademie Verlag 1970 (Volume 1: Theoretical Basics, Volume 2: Waves and Instabilities, Volume 3: Magnetohydrodynamics)
  • Handbook of Plasma Instabilities, 3 volumes, Academic Press 1976, 1978, 1982
  • with Klaus Schöpf: Energy supply: Problems and resources, Teubner 1981
  • How to solve boundary value problems in physics and technology: instructions, examples, De Gruyter 1993
  • Textbook of plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics, Springer 1994
  • Mathematical methods in physics and engineering with Mathematica, CRC Press 2003
  • An end to religions?, Innsbrucker Studienverlag
  • Tsunamis and Hurricanes. A mathematical approach, Springer 2006
  • Faith and religion from the perspective of a natural scientist: Concepts of God, evolutionary debate and a referendum from the church, Vienna: Lit 2007
  • How to live to be 130 years old: humans as beings of nature, Böhlau 2008

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ At that time he was unable to receive the sub auspiciis praesidentis award , which Kurt Waldheim made up for in 1989 on the occasion of Cap's son's doctorate.
personal data
SURNAME Cap, Ferdinand
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cap, Franz Ferdinand
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian physicist
DATE OF BIRTH June 25, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Payerbach
DATE OF DEATH January 29, 2016