Walther Müller (physicist)

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Walther Müller , also Walter Müller (born September 6, 1905 in Hanover , † December 4, 1979 in Walnut Creek , California ) was a German physicist .

Life

Walther Müller studied physics , chemistry and philosophy at the University of Kiel . In 1925 he became the first doctoral student of the new professor Hans Geiger , with whom he conducted research in the field of impact ionization of gases . Their best-known work is the Geiger-Müller counter tube they developed in 1928 , an indispensable tool for measuring radioactivity .

When Geiger left Kiel University in 1929 and accepted a position in Tübingen, Müller's direct collaboration with his teacher ended. Müller switched to industrial development. First he worked for Siemens-Reiniger in Rudolstadt , after a one-year contract with Julius Pintsch KG in Berlin , he took over research management at Philips in Hamburg from 1940 to 1945 .

Since after the war in Germany , the nuclear technical research was prohibited, he worked as a consultant for various companies until a call of the Ministry of Economy after 1951 Australia followed. There he founded a company for the production of Geiger-Müller counter tubes after the end of his contract. In 1958 he took a position at General Telephone & Electronics Research in Palo Alto (USA). Most recently he worked for General Motors in Santa Barbara .

Fonts (selection)

  • The role of the positive ion in self-discharge in air. In: Journal of Physics. Volume 48, number 9-10, 1928, pp. 624-646 (dissertation; doi: 10.1007 / BF01339313 ).

With Hans Geiger:

  • Electron counter tube for measuring weakest activities. In: The natural sciences. Volume 16, Volume 31, 1928, pp. 617-618 ( doi: 10.1007 / BF01494093 ).
  • The electron counter tube. In: Physikalische Zeitschrift. Volume 29, 1928, pp. 839-841.
  • The electron counter tube, its mode of operation and applicability. In: Researches and Advances. Volume 5, 1929, pp. 127-128.
  • Technical remarks on the electron counter tube. In: Physikalische Zeitschrift. Volume 30, 1929, pp. 489-493.
  • Demonstration of the electron counter tube. In: Physikalische Zeitschrift. Volume 30, 1929, p. 523.

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Müller, Walther
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Müller, Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German physicist
DATE OF BIRTH September 6, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanover
DATE OF DEATH 4th December 1979
Place of death Walnut Creek , California