Günter Ecker

Günter Ecker (born June 12, 1924 in Siegburg ; † May 29, 2014 ) was a German physicist and university professor. He was considered a pioneer of plasma physics and technology in Germany.

Life

After graduating from high school in 1942 and doing military service, he studied in Göttingen, Munich and Bonn from 1943 and obtained his diploma in 1946. In 1948 the doctorate followed, in 1953 the habilitation ( on the theory of the arc cathode ). After holding a Royal Society scholarship at Queen's University Belfast in 1954 and visiting professorships in 1955 in Oklahoma and in 1957 at the University of California, Berkeley , he became a dietician at the University of Bonn in 1960 . Finally, in 1963, he took over a "corner professorship" ( chair ) at the Ruhr University in Bochum , where he became the founding senator and director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics. In 1986 he became chairman of the board of the “Working Group Plasma Physics” (APP) supported by the Universities of Bochum, Düsseldorf, Essen and Wuppertal and the Jülich Research Center . In 1989 he retired and in 1991 took over the chairmanship of the German Society for Plasma Technology (DGPT). In the same year he was appointed by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

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In addition to his research, Ecker has made a name for himself primarily as a science organizer. The current research focus “Plasma Science and Technology” at the Ruhr University goes back to a large extent to its many years of work in Bochum. In addition, he was

• Initiator and coordinator of several joint projects in the field of plasma technology funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Science
• Author of several studies on the importance of plasma technology in Germany
• Coordinator of the Collaborative Research Center "Plasma Physics Bochum / Jülich" (1972–1989)
• Initiator of the Collaborative Research Center “Physical Basics of Low Temperature Plasmas” with the participation of the Ruhr University Bochum, the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf , the University of Essen , the Bergische Universität Wuppertal and the Research Center Jülich (1990–2001).
• Chairman of the Working Group on Plasma Physics (APP) (from 1986 to 2002, then honorary chairman).
• Founding member of the "German Society for Plasma Technology eV (DGPT)" (1991), chairman from 1991 to 1997, then honorary chairman.
• Initiator of the "Federal German Conference on Plasma Technology" in 1985.

After reunification, Ecker did a great job as a consultant and expert for the Science Council in order to merge plasma research in East and West Germany. He was particularly involved in the establishment of the Institute for Low Temperature Plasma Physics in Greifswald (1992) and accompanied its development until 2004 as chairman of the general assembly and member of the institute's advisory board.

Publications (selection)

• The low temperature plasma , Düsseldorf: VDI-Verl., 1988
• On the technology potential of plasma physics , Düsseldorf: VDI-Verl., 1985
• The influence of the electron turbulence on the electrical microfield distribution in the plasma , Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1973
• Classic problems of gas electronics in a modern perspective , Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1972

Honors

• 1994 Honorary doctorate from the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald
• 1997 Honorary President of the German Society for Plasma Technology
• 2006 Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class

Web links

• Günter Ecker on the website of the Ruhr University Bochum

Individual evidence

1. ↑ RUB mourns the loss of Prof. Dr. Ecker. In: Website of the Ruhr University Bochum. Retrieved November 20, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald: Honorary Doctors ( Memento of the original from May 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ ruhr-uni-bochum.de: Pioneer of plasma technology Federal Cross of Merit for Prof. Günter Ecker - RUB physicist honored for outstanding services , September 11, 2006.