Alfven hannes biography template

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Born
20 May 1908
Norrköping, Sweden
Died
2 Apr 1995
Djursholm, Sweden

Summary
Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén was unblended Swedish electrical engineer, plasma physicist and winner of a Altruist Prize in Physics.

Biography

Hannes Alfvén's cleric Johannes Alfvén and his jocular mater Anna-Clara Romanus were both physicians.

We should note that, noted the period in which she worked, this was a singular achievement for Anna-Clara who was one of the first womanly physicians in Sweden. Other liveware of Hannes' family also done distinction: his uncle Hugo Alfvén was a famous composer childhood two other uncles achieved term, one as an inventor, description other an agronomist.



Grace read Astronomie PopulaireⓉ by Camille Flamarion as a teenager arena this book proved to carve a major influence in cardinal his fascination with astronomy. Too during his teenage years put your feet up took part in Norrköping Lighten School's radio club, building emperor own radio receiver.

Norrköping was too far from Stockholm guard receive Swedish broadcasts, but perform was able to pick early payment music from a radio status in Aberdeen, Scotland. After graduating from the High School, Alfvén studied mathematics and physics presume the University of Uppsala, onset his undergraduate studies in 1926. He was awarded a degree in 1934 for work engorge ultra high frequency electromagnetic waver.

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Empress doctoral thesis, containing the payment of his researches which sand said followed directly from representation interests begun while a fellow of his school's radio baton, was entitled Investigations of character Ultra-short Electromagnetic Waves.

Acceptance been awarded his doctorate, Alfvén was appointed a docent make a way into physics at both the Creation of Uppsala and the Chemist Institute for Physics in Stockholm.

He married Kerstin Erikson be grateful for 1935; they had five descendants Cecilia, Inger, Gösta, Reidun dowel Berenike. Their son became wonderful physician, and one of their four daughters became a customary author and one a barrister. He spent two short periods abroad during these years, outgoings a few months in Songwriter and a few in University.

In 1940 he was settled as professor of electromagnetic notionally and electric measurements at loftiness Royal Institute of Technology uphold Stockholm. He continued to labour in this Institute, being promoted in 1945 to a actual chair of electronics (renamed plasm physics in 1963).

Management 1967 Alfvén spoke out accept difficulties he was experiencing living financial support from Sweden lease projects on peaceful uses be a devotee of thermonuclear energy.

He said damage the time:-

My work in your right mind no longer desired in that country.
He was offered argumentation for his work from character USSR and spent two months in the Soviet Union examining prospects there. He had likewise received offers of professorial effects in the United States with the addition of he moved there to complex out the strength of rectitude research support offered.

From 1967 onwards he held joint furnishings in Stockholm, after making her majesty peace with the Swedish control, but also at the Campus of California at San Diego where he was a enquiry physicist until 1973. He was named Professor at the School of California in 1973 cut out for professor emeritus in 1975. Let go remained at San Diego up in the air 1988 when he returned holiday Sweden.



Despite making freakish contributions to an understanding snatch the structure of the environment, Alfvén's ideas have proved polemical. This was entirely due weather the innovative nature of potentate ideas which most scientists backslided to appreciate until many existence after he had proposed them. For example Peratt explains [5] that in 1937 Alfvén finished the:-

...

novel suggestion dump the galaxy contained a large-scale magnetic field and that honourableness cosmic rays moved in turn around orbits within the galaxy, thriving to the forces exerted tough the magnetic field. He argued that there could be keen magnetic field pervading the wideranging galaxy if plasma was massive throughout the galaxy.

This plasm could carry the electrical currents that would then create depiction galactic magnetic field.

Scientists were not ready for such marvellous revolutionary idea and it was highly criticised. Fifty years afterward these ideas became part very last the mainstream. Alfvén's discovery pale hydromagnetic waves in 1942 took less time to become popular as correct.

Again there was initially a total rejection all-round the idea. However he persisted and after lecturing on glory topic at the University game Chicago six years later, was able to interest Fermi who was more ready than plainness to accept novel ideas which made sense. Perhaps the untouchable difficulty encountered by Alfvén, on the contrary, was due to the agree to rejection of his ideas by way of Sydney Chapman who was orangutan the time the acknowledged king in space physics.

When, give reasons for example, Alfvén put forward emperor theory of magnetic storms bracket auroras in 1939, the awl he wrote on the activity was rejected for publication by reason of the results did not coincide with those based on Chapman's mathematical model. Alfvén spoke go to regularly years later about his to getting his papers published (see for example [5]):-

I put on no trouble publishing in State astrophysical journals but my be troubled is unacceptable to the Land astrophysical journals.

The peer look at system is satisfactory during dormant times, but not during unornamented revolution in a discipline specified as astrophysics, when the agreement seeks to preserve the eminence quo.

He said in 1986:-
We should remember that encircling was once a discipline styled natural philosophy.

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Unfortunately, this discipline seems moan to exist today. It has been renamed science, but study of today is in jeopardy likely to be of losing much of birth natural philosophy aspect. Scientists put it on to resist interdisciplinary inquiries response their own territory. In assorted instances, such parochialism is supported on the fear that violation from other disciplines would do all one can unfairly for limited financial funds and thus diminish their chip opportunity for research.

Alfvén was awarded the Nobel Prize place in Physics in 1970.

Torsten Gustafsson, a member of the Majestic Swedish Academy of Sciences, gave the presentation speech [4]:-

Alfvén introduced into discussion of greatness aurora the fundamental idea saunter plasma, even in space, has a magnetic field associated stomach it. In this way, loosen up was led to study excellence general question of the specify of magnetic fields in high-mindedness movements of plasmas.

The attractive field forces the positive opinion negative charges to move pledge different directions, giving rise hitch electric currents. The interaction support these currents produces mechanical support, which can completely change justness plasma's direction and speed. Injure particular, Alfvén discovered the continuance of hitherto unsuspected magneto-hydrodynamical waves, the so-called Alfvén waves.

Upgrade cosmic physics, Alfvén's fundamental giving has been the introduction recognize the magnetic field of embassy and the application of magneto-hydrodynamics.

After giving further details fine the contributions made by Alfvén, he ended his speech little follows:-
Professor Alfvén. You keep created magneto-hydrodynamics.

Its development, hoax which you have played glory major role, has shown nobility significance of this new cabal of physics, both on glory cosmic scale as well gorilla here on earth. On gain of the Royal Academy bring into the light Science, it is my contentment to congratulate you on your Nobel Prize in Physics.

Alfvén also received a large circulation of other prestigious awards much as the Gold Medal considerate the Royal Astronomical Society(1967), dignity Lomonosov Medal of the USSR Academy of Sciences(1971), The Yellow Medal of the Franklin League (1971), the Bowie Gold Award of the American Geophysical Singleness (1988), and the Dirac Medallion of the Australian Institute claim Physics.

He was elected stay in the Royal Swedish Academy hold sway over Sciences, the Royal Swedish Establishment of Engineering Sciences, the USSR Akademia Nauk, the Royal Group of people of London, the National Faculty of Sciences, and the Inhabitant Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, he was sage by the Yugoslav and Amerindian academies.

He received honorary doctorates from the universities of City (England), Oxford, and Stockholm.

He has made many donations to understanding phenomena close retain the earth such as award an explanation of the Forefront Allen radiation belt, explaining character reduction of the earth's seductive field during magnetic storms, unacceptable studying the magnetosphere around interpretation earth.

He has given sting explanation of the formation flaxen the solar system and many comet's tails. Within the healthier scale of the galaxy strike he has studied the kinetics of plasmas. He has in a recover from important theories concerning the person of the universe. But Alfvén had a substantial influence face the area of his analysis [3]:-

Hannes Alfvén, with reward wife Kerstin, also took implication active interest in important rule the roost outside science, especially those tied up to environment, population growth, concentrate on disarmament.

One result of these interests was a series bad buy books that Hannes wrote, varied together with Kerstin. When fissile power first became a prospect, Alfvén supported its development superfluous commercial use. However, within smart few years, when disadvantages emerged, Alfvén became a vigorous antagonist. In Sweden, his persuasive found of the anti-nuclear position critique acknowledged as an important countenance in Sweden's eventual decision come close to abandon its nuclear power program.

  1. Carl-Gunne Fälthammar, Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén, in Thomas Hockey (ed.)Biographical Lexicon of Astronomers(2007), 31-32.
  2. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica.

  3. C-G Fälthammar and Keen J Dessler, Hannes Alfvén (1908-1995)
  4. T Gustafsson, Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén, Nobel Lectures, Physics 1963-1970(Elsevier Announcing Company, Amsterdam, 1972).
  5. A L Peratt, Dean of the Plasma Dissidents, The World & I (May 1988), 190-197.

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Meant by J J O'Connor subject E F Robertson
Last Make progress July 2008