John Aitken (physicist)

John Aitken (born September 18, 1839 in Falkirk , † November 14, 1919 ibid) was a British physicist and meteorologist .

After studying engineering at the University of Glasgow , he worked, financially independently, in his private research laboratory in Falkirk, Stirlingshire ( Scotland ), where he made many classic discoveries, especially in the field of meteorology.

He was the first to describe the role of solid particles (suspended matter particles of colloidal size) as condensation nuclei in the formation of atmospheric precipitation and classified them according to size and chemical structure (Aitken nuclei = aerosol particles <0.1 µm Ø). He also examined the conditions for the formation of dew . Further fundamental research was devoted to the effect of wave damping by thin oil films on moving water surfaces and the determination of the surface tension of liquids. For his research he developed the Aitken cloud chamber named after him. In 1875 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .

literature

• A biography and assessment of Aitken's work is provided by CG Knott in: John Aitken: Collected Scientific Papers. Edited for The Royal Society of Edinburgh with Introductory Memoir by Cargill Gilston Knott. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1923.

• A description of the research on wave damping can be found in: CH Giles, SD Forrester: Wave Damping: The Scottish Contribution - Studies in the Early History of Surface Chemistry. Part 2. In: Chemistry and Industry. Jan. 17, 1970, ISSN  0009-3068 , pp. 80-87.