Owen Willans Richardson
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Owen Willans Richardson  |
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 Owen Willans Richardson (right) Solvay conference, 1927
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| Born | April 26, 1879 Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England |
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| Died | February 15, 1959 (aged 79) Alton, Hampshire, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Cavendish Laboratory |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for | Thermionics |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Physics (1928) Hughes Medal (1920) |
Sir Owen Willans Richardson (April 26, 1879 - February 15, 1959) was a British physicist, professor at Princeton University from 1906 to 1913, and a Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the thermionic phenomenon and discovery of Thermionic emissions leading to Richardson's Law.
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[edit] Biography
Richardson was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England, the only son of Joshua Henry and Charlotte Maria Richardson. He was educated at Batley Grammar School, and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1900 having gained First Class Honours in Natural Science.
In 1914 Richardson became professor of physics at King's College London, where he was later made director of research. He retired in 1944.
He was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society (of which he was a Fellow) in 1920 for his work in thermionics, which is the basis for the vacuum tube.
He also researched the photoelectric effect, the gyromagnetic effect, the emission of electrons by chemical reactions, soft X-rays, and the spectrum of hydrogen.
He was knighted in 1939. He died in 1959 aged 79.
Richardson's nephew was physicist Richard Davisson whose father Clinton Davisson was also a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate.
[edit] References
- Nobel Foundation (1928). Owen Willans Richardson: The Nobel Prize in Physics 1928. Les Prix Nobel. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
[edit] Bibliography
- Richardson (1921), PROBLEMS OF PHYSICS., vol. 54 (published 1921 Sep 30), pp. 283-291, PMID:17818864, doi:10.1126/science.54.1396.283, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17818864>
- Richardson (1913), THE EMISSION OF ELECTRONS FROM TUNGSTEN AT HIGH TEMPERATURES: AN EXPERIMENTAL PROOF THAT THE ELECTRIC CURRENT IN METALS IS CARRIED BY ELECTRONS., vol. 38 (published 1913 Jul 11), pp. 57-61, PMID:17830216, doi:10.1126/science.38.967.57, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17830216>
- Richardson (1912), THE LAWS OF PHOTOELECTRIC ACTION AND THE UNITARY THEORY OF LIGHT (LICHTQUANTEN THEORIE)., vol. 36 (published 1912 Jul 12), pp. 57-58, PMID:17800821, doi:10.1126/science.36.915.57-a, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17800821>
- Richardson & Compton (1912), THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT., vol. 35 (published 1912 May 17), pp. 783-784, PMID:17792421, doi:10.1126/science.35.907.783, <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17792421>
[edit] External links
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