Arthur R. von Hippel

Infobox_Scientist
name = Arthur R. von Hippel


image_width =
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birth_date = birth date|1898|11|19|mf=y
birth_place = Rostock, Germany
death_date = death date and age|2003|12|31|1898|11|19|mf=y
death_place =
residence = Germany, Turkey, Denmark, U.S.
citizenship = American
nationality = German
ethnicity =
field = Physicist
work_institution = Niels Bohr Institute, MIT
alma_mater = University of Göttingen
doctoral_advisor = James Franck
doctoral_students =
known_for = Codeveloping radar during World War Discovering the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of barium titanate
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author_abbreviation_zoo =
prizes = President's Certificate of Merit
religion =
footnotes = His uncle, Eugen von Hippel described the ophthalmic hemangiomata that are part of von Hippel-Lindau disease, which bears his name. His son, Eric von Hippel, is an MIT economist.

Arthur Robert von Hippel (November 19, 1898 – December 31, 2003) [cite news|last = Rose|first = Derek|title = Arthur R. von Hippel|publisher = The Tech|date = January 4, 2004|url = http://www-tech.mit.edu/V123/N63/63vonHippel.63n.html|accessdate = 2008-05-10] was a German American materials scientist and physicist. Von Hippel was a pioneer in the study of dielectrics, ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials, and semiconductors and was a codeveloper of radar during World War II.

Early life

Von Hippel was born in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, on November 19, 1898. He graduated in physics from the University of Göttingen, where he was taught by many eminent figures of mathematics and physics of the time, including David Hilbert, Richard Courant, Peter Debye, Robert Pohl, Max Born, Gustav Hertz, and Nobel Prize winner James Franck (who was his thesis supervisor). Von Hippel received his Ph.D. in physics in 1924, and in 1927 married Franck's daughter, Dagmar.

Career and achievements

In 1933, with the ascension of Nazis to power in Germany, von Hippel decided to move to another country, mainly because his wife was Jewish, but due also to his political stance against the new regime. Fortunately in 1934 he was able to secure a position with the University at Istanbul, Turkey, then spent a year in Denmark, working at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. In 1936, accepting an invitation by Karl Compton, von Hippel moved again, this time to the U.S., and became an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1940 he founded the Laboratory for Insulation Research, which soon became one of the most important research and education centers in this area in the world.

Together with MIT's Radiation Lab, von Hippel and his collaborators helped to develop radar technology during the war. He was awarded the President's Certificate of Merit in 1948 by U.S. President Harry Truman. He became famous also for his discovery of ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of barium titanate (BaTiO₃).

He was the author of the pioneering book "Molecular Science and Molecular Engineering" (1959). The term molecular engineering was coined by him in the 1950s, and he suggested the feasibility of constructing nanomolecular devices. The premier award of the Materials Research Society is named in his honor.

References

Later life

He died at 105 years of age, in 2003. His son, Eric von Hippel, is an MIT economist. His uncle, Eugen von Hippel, described the ophthalmic hemangiomata that are part of von Hippel-Lindau disease, which bears his name.

External links

* [http://vonhippel.mrs.org/ Arthur von Hippel Memorial Web Site]

Persondata
NAME= Von Hippel, Arthur R.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Hippel, Arthur R. von
SHORT DESCRIPTION= German physicist
DATE OF BIRTH= November 19, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH= Rostock, Germany
DATE OF DEATH= December 31, 2003
PLACE OF DEATH=