Hannes Alfvén

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Hannes Alfvén (1942)

Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén [ ˌhanːəs alˈveːn ] (born May 30, 1908 in Norrköping , † April 2, 1995 in Djursholm ) was a Swedish physicist . In 1970 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for "his fundamental achievements and discoveries in magnetohydrodynamics with fruitful applications in various parts of plasma physics ".

Life

Hannes Alfvén was born in Norrköping in 1908. His parents, Johannes Alfvén and Anna-Clara Romanus, were both practicing doctors. His uncle Hugo Alfvén was a well-known composer and conductor.

From 1926 on, Alfvén studied physics and philosophy at the University of Uppsala , where he received a doctorate in 1934 for his "Investigation of ultra-short electromagnetic waves" . In the same year he began teaching as a physics lecturer at his university. In 1937 he got a position at the Nobel Institute for Physics in Stockholm, in 1940 he was appointed professor of electromagnetic theory and electrical measurements at the Royal Institute of Technology.

In 1935 Alfvén married Kerstin Maria Erikson, daughter of the engineer Rolf Erikson and his wife Maria Uddenberg. Together they raised five children: Cecilia, Inger , Gösta, Reidun and Berenike. The only son, Gosta, later became a doctor; Inger became a writer, another daughter a lawyer.

Alfvén was among other things a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Stockholm) ; He was also one of the few scientists of his time who were simultaneously a member of the American and Soviet Academy of Sciences.

In 1995 Alfvén died at the age of 86.

The Alfvén waves (mechanical waves inside plasma ), the Alfvén approximation and the Alfvén velocity are named after him, and the asteroid (1778) Alfvén also got his name in honor of his contributions to astrophysics.

plant

Alfvén investigated from 1939 the formation of polar lights and magnetic storms, as well as the influence of magnetic fields in the formation of the solar system. He played a central role in the research of plasma physics, charged particle beams, interplanetary physics, magnetospheric physics and the field of magnetohydrodynamics, which he had a major influence on .

He was also known as an opponent of the big bang theory: Alfvén already supported the later confirmed theory in 1963 that the universe contained a large, fiber-like structure ( filaments ), which for him clearly spoke against a big bang. He thought the idea of ​​a plasma universe was the most plausible, but it failed to prevail.

Although Alfvén received numerous awards in the course of his life, his ideas were ignored or rejected by the professional world for a long time. Alfvén was often forced to publish his scientific papers in insignificant journals; In particular, the criticism of the respected British astronomer and geophysicist Sydney Chapman of his theories on magnetospheric physics made it difficult for Alfvén to get support for his work. Even today, only a few physicists know how many areas of physics were shaped by his work and what findings are due to his research.

Awards

Alfvén was awarded in 1970 the physics - Nobel Prize "for his fundamental achievements and discoveries in magneto hydrodynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics". He also received the following other awards:

The Hannes Alfvén Prize for Plasma Physics of the European Physical Society is named in his honor.

bibliography

In addition to his scientific publications, Alfvén also wrote popular science books, some of them together with his wife:

  • Saga of the Big Computer. A look back from the future. Limes-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1970, DNB 454557930 .
  • M 70. Humanity in the seventies. 174 pages, Suhrkamp-Taschenbuch, Frankfurt 1972, ISBN 3-518-36534-7 .
    • First in Swedish: Hannes and Kerstin Alfvén: M-70 . Albert-Bonniers-Förlag, Stockholm 1969.
  • Atoms, humans and the universe. The long chain of complications. Suhrkamp, ​​Ffm. 1984, ISBN 3-518-36639-4 .
  • Cosmology and antimatter. About the creation of the universe. 2nd Edition. Umschau-Verlag, Ffm. 1984, ISBN 3-524-00264-1 .

Web links

Commons : Hannes Alfvén  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter A. (PDF; 945 kB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved April 8, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Member History: Hannes Olof G. Alfvén. American Philosophical Society, accessed April 8, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Alfvén, Hannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alfvén, Hannes Olof Gösta (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish physicist
DATE OF BIRTH May 30, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Norrkoping
DATE OF DEATH April 2, 1995
Place of death Djursholm