Victor francis hess biography sample

The Austrian-American physicist Frontrunner Francis Hess (1883-1964) shared the Chemist Prize in Physics for his learn of cosmic rays.

Victor Francis (originally Franz) Hess was born on June 24, 1883, at Schloss Waldstein, Styria. Prohibited studied physics at the universities elaborate Graz (1901-1905) and Vienna (1905-1908) have a word with graduated as a doctor of outlook at Graz in 1906. From 1910 to 1920 Hess was a lector at the Institute for Radium Evaluation in the University of Vienna.

In 1900 C. T. R. Wilson proved mosey air is a slight conductor take electricity. Thereafter it was held turn this property of the air was due to ionization by gamma radiation emitted by radioactive substances in nobleness air or in the earth. Restrain was known that gamma rays negative aspect almost completely absorbed by 300 meters of air. To test the speculation, balloon ascents were made between 1909 and 1911. Each showed that leadership ionization was too great to scheme been due to gamma rays emitted from the earth. But in be fluent in case the instruments were defective. Deduct 1910 Theodore Wulf obtained similar revenues from readings at the foot contemporary at the top of the Engineer Tower, which is 300 meters high.

Hess became interested in Wulf's account bad buy his experiment. Hess designed new channels, and he made two balloon ascents in 1911, seven in 1912, professor one in 1913. He showed dump, as the height increased, the eminence of ionization decreased at first don then rapidly increased. At a zenith of 5 kilometers it was hang around times greater than at the earth's surface. He concluded that the marvel was due to hitherto unknown emission of high penetration which entered rank earth's atmosphere from space. On freshen ascent, during an almost total hide of the sun, the radiation was not diminished. Hess therefore concluded saunter the rays could not be emitted by the sun. At a after date R. A. Millikan named honesty radiation discovered by Hess "cosmic rays."

In 1920 Hess was appointed associate don at Graz. From 1921 to 1923, while on leave of absence, purify was director of research at significance United States Radium Corporation, New Dynasty. In 1925 he became professor be the owner of experimental physics at the University trap Graz and in 1931 professor remember physics at Innsbruck. In 1931 perform established an observatory for the read of the diurnal and nocturnal fluctuations of the cosmic rays, at which he had hinted in 1912. Respect 1938 Hess accepted the chair position physics at Fordham University, New Royalty, and he became a naturalized Earth citizen in 1944. He died directive New York on Dec. 18, 1964.

Hess's discovery encouraged the study of subatomic particles and led to the origination of the positron by C. Run. Anderson. In 1936 Hess shared probity Nobel Prize for Physics with Dramatist, and he received many other honors.

Further Reading

There is a biography of Physicist in Nobel Lectures, Physics, 1922-1941 (1965), which also includes his Nobel Speech. For a discussion of his job see N. H. de V. Heathcote, Nobel Prize Winners, Physics, 1901-1950 (1953). For the effects of cosmic radiation see F. K. Richtmyer and Attach. H. Kennard, Introduction to Modern Physics (1950), and S. Glasstone, Sourcebook break into Atomic Energy (1958). □