Alfred O. C. Nier
Encyclopedia
Alfred Otto Carl Nier was an American
physicist
who pioneered the development of mass spectrometry
and used it in innovative ways to establish some major scientific results.
and science
, coupled with an aptitude for craft and mechanical work. Nier's German
immigrant parents had little education or financial resources but their determination for his development meant that he was able to attend the nearby University of Minnesota
. Though he graduated in electrical engineering
in 1931, the lack of engineering jobs during the Great Depression
encouraged him to take up graduate study in physics
. Nier's graduate research started his involvement in mass spectrometry.
. His work there led to the 1938 publication of measurements of the relative abundance of the isotope
s of uranium
, measurements that were used by Fritz Houtermans
and Arthur Holmes
in the 1940s to estimate the age of the Earth
.
, he and a few students, including Edward Ney, prepared a pure sample of uranium-235
using an early mass spectrograph designed by Nier, for John R. Dunning
's team at Columbia University
. On the day of its receipt (it was sent by US Postal Mail), Dunning's team was able to demonstrate that U-235 was the isotope
responsible for nuclear fission
, rather than the more abundant uranium-238
. Confirmation of this suspected fact was a critical step in the development of the atomic bomb.
From 1943 to 1945, Nier worked with Kellex Corporation in New York
on the design and development of efficient and effective mass spectrographs for use in the Manhattan Project
to build the atomic bomb in World War II
. During the war most of the spectrographs used for monitoring uranium separations were designed by Nier.
, the upper atmosphere
, space science
and noble gas
es. Nier designed the miniature mass spectrometers used by the Viking Landers to sample the atmosphere of Mars.
in a motor accident.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who pioneered the development of mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and...
and used it in innovative ways to establish some major scientific results.
Early career
Born St. Paul, Minnesota, Nier showed an early ability in mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, coupled with an aptitude for craft and mechanical work. Nier's German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrant parents had little education or financial resources but their determination for his development meant that he was able to attend the nearby University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. Though he graduated in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
in 1931, the lack of engineering jobs during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
encouraged him to take up graduate study in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. Nier's graduate research started his involvement in mass spectrometry.
Harvard
In 1936, his spectroscopic skills won him a fellowship and substantial grant at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. His work there led to the 1938 publication of measurements of the relative abundance of the isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
s of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, measurements that were used by Fritz Houtermans
Fritz Houtermans
Friedrich Georg "Fritz" Houtermans was a Dutch-Austrian-German atomic and nuclear physicist born in Zoppot near Danzig, West Prussia...
and Arthur Holmes
Arthur Holmes
Arthur Holmes was a British geologist. As a child he lived in Low Fell, Gateshead and attended the Gateshead Higher Grade School .-Age of the earth:...
in the 1940s to estimate the age of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
The Manhattan Project
Nier returned to Minnesota in 1938 to be near his ageing parents. In 1940, on the request of Enrico FermiEnrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
, he and a few students, including Edward Ney, prepared a pure sample of uranium-235
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
using an early mass spectrograph designed by Nier, for John R. Dunning
John R. Dunning
John Ray Dunning was an American physicist who played key roles in the development of the atomic bomb. He specialized in neutron physics and did pioneering work in gaseous diffusion for isotope separation...
's team at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. On the day of its receipt (it was sent by US Postal Mail), Dunning's team was able to demonstrate that U-235 was the isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
responsible for nuclear fission
Nuclear fission
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts , often producing free neutrons and photons , and releasing a tremendous amount of energy...
, rather than the more abundant uranium-238
Uranium-238
Uranium-238 is the most common isotope of uranium found in nature. It is not fissile, but is a fertile material: it can capture a slow neutron and after two beta decays become fissile plutonium-239...
. Confirmation of this suspected fact was a critical step in the development of the atomic bomb.
From 1943 to 1945, Nier worked with Kellex Corporation in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on the design and development of efficient and effective mass spectrographs for use in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
to build the atomic bomb in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the war most of the spectrographs used for monitoring uranium separations were designed by Nier.
Later work
After the war, he returned to Minnesota where he worked on geochronologyGeochronology
Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments, within a certain degree of uncertainty inherent to the method used. A variety of dating methods are used by geologists to achieve this, and schemes of classification and terminology have been proposed...
, the upper atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
, space science
Space science
The term space science may mean:* The study of issues specifically related to space travel and space exploration, including space medicine.* Science performed in outer space ....
and noble gas
Noble gas
The noble gases are a group of chemical elements with very similar properties: under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases, with very low chemical reactivity...
es. Nier designed the miniature mass spectrometers used by the Viking Landers to sample the atmosphere of Mars.
Death
Active to the end of his life, he died on May 16, 1994, two weeks after being paralysedParalysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
in a motor accident.
Honors
- The Nier PrizeNier PrizeThe Nier Prize is named after Alfred O. C. Nier and is awarded annually by the Meteoritical Society and recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by young scientists....
is awarded annually by the Meteoritical SocietyMeteoritical SocietyThe Meteoritical Society is a non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1933 to promote research and education in planetary science with emphasis on studies of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the origin and history of the solar system.The...
and recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by young scientists. - The Martian crater Nier is named for him;
- Member, National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
; - Foreign scientific member, Max Planck SocietyMax Planck SocietyThe Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
.