Arnold Flammersfeld
Encyclopedia
Arnold Rudolf Karl Flammersfeld (February 10, 1913 – January 5, 2001) was a German
nuclear physicist who worked on the German nuclear energy project during World War II
. From 1954, he was a professor of physics at the University of Göttingen.
); he was a student of Lise Meitner
and he received his doctorate in 1938.
), in Berlin-Dahlem
. From 1939 to 1941, he was a staff scientist at Walther Bothe’s
Institut für Physik at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institut für medizinische Forschung (KWImF, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research, reorganized and renamed in 1948 the Max-Planck Institut für medizinische Forschung
), in Heidelberg
. Bothe and his staff conducted the main effort under the German nuclear energy project
to measure various nuclear constants, such as the energy of fission neutrons, the energy distribution of fission fragments, the ratio of neutrons liberated to neutrons absorbed in uranium, and neutron cross sections
. While at the KWImF, he worked with Bothe on these matters and published classified reports (see below, the Internal Reports section). From 1941, he was employed at the KWIC.
In 1947, Flammersfeld completed his Habilitation
at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and then from 1948 a Privatdozent
there. He also worked on installing the electrostatic generator at Tailfingen. From 1949, he was a Privatdozent at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. From 1954 he was an ordinarius professor at the Georg-August University of Göttingen.
(Research Reports in Nuclear Physics), an internal publication of the German Uranverein
. The reports were classified Top Secret, they had very limited distribution, and the authors were not allowed to keep copies. The reports were confiscated under the Allied Operation Alsos
and sent to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
for evaluation. In 1971, the reports were declassified and returned to Germany. The reports are available at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center and the American Institute of Physics
.
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...
nuclear physicist who worked on the German nuclear energy project during 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...
. From 1954, he was a professor of physics at the University of Göttingen.
Education
From 1931 to 1937, Flammersfeld studied physics at the Friedrich-Wilhelms University (in 1949 renamed Humboldt University of BerlinHumboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
); he was a student of Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner FRS was an Austrian-born, later Swedish, physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Meitner was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission, an achievement for which her colleague Otto Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize...
and he received his doctorate in 1938.
Career
From 1937, Flammersfeld was a Mitarbeiter (staff assistant) to Meitner at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institut für Chemie (KWIC, after World War II reorganized and renamed the Max Planck Institute for ChemistryMax Planck Institute for Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is a scientific research institute under the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.Basic research in chemistry and related subjects is carried out at the four departments of the institute. The departments are independently led by their Directors.-The departments:The...
), in Berlin-Dahlem
Dahlem (Berlin)
Dahlem is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in southwestern Berlin. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a part of the former borough of Zehlendorf. Dahlem is one of the most affluent parts of the city and home to the main campus of the Free University of Berlin with the...
. From 1939 to 1941, he was a staff scientist at Walther Bothe’s
Walther Bothe
Walther Wilhelm Georg Bothe was a German nuclear physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Max Born....
Institut für Physik at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institut für medizinische Forschung (KWImF, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research, reorganized and renamed in 1948 the Max-Planck Institut für medizinische Forschung
Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
The Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, is a facility of the Max Planck Society for basic medical research. Since its foundation, six Nobel Prize laureates worked at the Institute: Otto Fritz Meyerhof , Richard Kuhn , Walther Bothe , André Michel Lwoff , Rudolf...
), in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. Bothe and his staff conducted the main effort under the German nuclear energy project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
to measure various nuclear constants, such as the energy of fission neutrons, the energy distribution of fission fragments, the ratio of neutrons liberated to neutrons absorbed in uranium, and neutron cross sections
Neutron cross-section
In nuclear and particle physics, the concept of a neutron cross section is used to express the likelihood of interaction between an incident neutron and a target nucleus. In conjunction with the neutron flux, it enables the calculation of the reaction rate, for example to derive the thermal power...
. While at the KWImF, he worked with Bothe on these matters and published classified reports (see below, the Internal Reports section). From 1941, he was employed at the KWIC.
In 1947, Flammersfeld completed his Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and then from 1948 a Privatdozent
Privatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
there. He also worked on installing the electrostatic generator at Tailfingen. From 1949, he was a Privatdozent at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. From 1954 he was an ordinarius professor at the Georg-August University of Göttingen.
Internal Reports
The following reports were published in Kernphysikalische ForschungsberichteKernphysikalische Forschungsberichte
Kernphysikalische Forschungsberichte was an internal publication of the German Uranverein, which was initiated under the Heereswaffenamt in 1939; in 1942, supervision of the Uranverein was turned over to the Reichsforschungsrat under the Reichserziehungsministerium...
(Research Reports in Nuclear Physics), an internal publication of the German Uranverein
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
. The reports were classified Top Secret, they had very limited distribution, and the authors were not allowed to keep copies. The reports were confiscated under the Allied Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II by the Allies , branched off from the Manhattan Project, to investigate the German nuclear energy project, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and...
and sent to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
for evaluation. In 1971, the reports were declassified and returned to Germany. The reports are available at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center and the American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
.
- Arnold Flammersfeld, Peter JensenPeter Herbert JensenPeter Herbert Jensen was a German experimental nuclear physicist. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project, known as the Uranverein...
, Wolfgang GentnerWolfgang GentnerWolfgang Gentner was a German experimental nuclear physicist.Gentner received his doctorate in 1930 from the University of Frankfurt. From 1932 to 1935 he had a fellowship which allowed him to do postdoctoral research and study at Curie's Radium Institute at the University of Paris...
Die Energietönung der Uranspaltung G-25 (21 May 1940)
- Arnold Flammersfeld, Peter Jensen, Wolfgang Gentner Die Aufteilungsverhältnisse und Energietönung bei der Uranspaltung G-26 (24 September 1940)
- Walther Bothe and Arnold Flammersfeld Die Wirkungsquerschnitte von 38 für thermische Neutronen aus Diffusionsmessungen G-67 (20 January 1941)
- Walther Bothe and Arnold Flammersfeld Resonanzeinfang an einer Uranberfläche G-68 (8 March 1940)
- Walther Bothe and Arnold Flammersfeld Messungen an einem Gemisch von 38-Oxyd und –Wasser; der Vermehrungsfakto K unde der Resonanzeinfang w. G-69 (26 May 1941)
- Walther Bothe and Arnold Flammersfeld Die Neutronenvermehrung bei schnellen und langsamen Neutronen in 38 und die Diffusionslänge in 38 Metall und Wasser G-70 (11 July 1941)
- Walther Bothe and Arnold Flammersfeld Versuche mit einer Schichtenanordnung von Wasser und Präp 38 G-74 (28 April 1941)
Selected Literature
- Arnold Flammersfeld Isomere zu stabilen Kernen bei Rhodium und Silber, Zeitschrift für Naturforschung Band 1, Heft 1, 3-10 (1946)
Books
- Josef MattauchJosef MattauchJosef Mattauch was a German physicist known for his work in the investigation of the isotopic abundances by mass spectrometry. He developed the Mattauch isobar rule in 1934.-Mattauch-Herzog geometry mass spectrometer:...
and Arnold Flammersfeld Isotopenbericht : tabellarische Übersicht der Eigenschaften der Atomkerne, soweit bis Ende 1948 bekannt (Naturforschung, 1949)
- Arnold Flammersfeld Probleme der heutigen Atomphysik (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962)
- Karl BechertKarl BechertKarl Richard Bechert was a German theoretical physicist and political leader. As a scientist, his contributions were in atomic physics.-Scientific career:...
, Christian GerthsenChristian GerthsenChristian Gerthsen was a Danish-German physicist who made contributions to atomic and nuclear physics, as well as writing numerous textbooks.-Education:...
, and Arnold Flammersfeld Atomphysik. III. Theorie des Atombaus 1. Teil (De Gruyter, Berlin, 1963)
- Karl Bechert, Christian Gerthsen, and Arnold Flammersfeld Atomphysik. Bd. IV. Theorie des Atombaus 2. Teil (De Gruyter, Berlin, 1963)
- Friedrich Beck, Arnold Flammersfeld, Otto R Frisch, Armin Hermann, Eugene O Wigner and Karl E Zimen Gedachtnisausstellung Zum 100. Geburtstag von Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn, Max von Laue, Lisa Meitner (Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften, 1979)