Ernest Courant
Encyclopedia
Ernest Courant has been called the "father of modern particle accelerators"http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/bulletin/2007/bb051807.pdf. A fundamental contributor to the field, he has also been mentor to several generations of students. In this kind of generative academic influence, he can be compared to his father,the mathematician Richard Courant
.
Currently, Ernest Courant is a member the National Academy of Sciences
, and remains active as a distinguished scientist emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory
. He has played a part in the work of Brookhaven for sixty years.
, Germany
in 1920, to Richard Courant
and Nerina Runge Courant, a year after their marriage.
He has written that he "came by science naturally". His mother's father, Carl Runge, is credited with the Runge-Kutta method for numerical solutions of differential equations. A maternal great-grandfather (Runge's father-in-law ) was Emil DuBois-Reymond, a pioneer in electrophysiology
. Affinity for science
and mathematics
extended further than his biological family. Ernest Courant's childhood neighbors included the mathematician David Hilbert
(his father's thesis director,in whose honor Ernest received the middle name of David) and the physicists Max Born
and James Franck
. Further, his father's students and colleagues became friends of the family, and frequented their home.
Ernest's early interests centered on chemistry
. "I had a lab at home full of test tubes, Bunsen burners, and chemicals. Once there was a small fire (easily put out), but I got a sense of how things were put together."
Adolf Hitler
came to power in 1933, and the neighborhood and its intellectual society were disrupted—along with the mathematics department at the University. Ernest's father had been born to a Jewish family of small businessmen, and he was now identified as a Jew, and an undesirable, by the new regime. Expelled from his position at the University of Göttingen, Richard Courant took a temporary teaching position in England
, and the family abandoned Göttingen in favor of Cambridge
for a few months. Forewarned by a Nazi acquaintance that the anti-Semitic storm would not settle—but intensify,the family made plans to emigrate permanently. They returned only briefly to Germany before embarking to New York City
, where his father had secured a post at New York University
—and immigration visas to the USA.
Fluent in English from both early lessons and the recent period enrolled at the Perse School in Cambridge, Ernest was accepted at the Fieldston School of the School for Ethical Culture, with scholarship, thanks to intervention by family friend (and Fieldston alumnus), J. Robert Oppenheimer.
, and earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Rochester
in 1943.
Courant has worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory
from 1948 to the present, first as an associate scientist in the Proton Synchrotron Division. He received tenure in 1955, and was promoted to senior scientist in 1960. In addition, he taught as an Adjunct Professor at SUNY Stony Brook from 1966 to 1986.
His most notable discovery is his 1952 work with M Stanley Livingston and Hartland Snyder
on the Strong Focusing Principle, a critical step in the development of modern particle accelerators.
Vol. 18: 435-464 (Volume publication date December 1968)]
(doi:10.1146/annurev.ns.18.120168.002251) http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.ns.18.120168.002251
Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science
Vol. 53: 1-37 (Volume publication date December 2003)
(doi:10.1146/annurev.nucl.53.041002.110450) http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.nucl.53.041002.110450
Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 10, 014001 (2007)
[Issue 1 – January 2007] Abstract contains link for full-text PDF http://prst-ab.aps.org/abstract/PRSTAB/v10/i1/e014001
Richard Courant
Richard Courant was a German American mathematician.- Life :Courant was born in Lublinitz in the German Empire's Prussian Province of Silesia. During his youth, his parents had to move quite often, to Glatz, Breslau, and in 1905 to Berlin. He stayed in Breslau and entered the university there...
.
Currently, Ernest Courant is a member the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The 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...
, and remains active as a distinguished scientist emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
. He has played a part in the work of Brookhaven for sixty years.
Early life
The first of their four children, he was born in GöttingenGöttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany
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...
in 1920, to Richard Courant
Richard Courant
Richard Courant was a German American mathematician.- Life :Courant was born in Lublinitz in the German Empire's Prussian Province of Silesia. During his youth, his parents had to move quite often, to Glatz, Breslau, and in 1905 to Berlin. He stayed in Breslau and entered the university there...
and Nerina Runge Courant, a year after their marriage.
He has written that he "came by science naturally". His mother's father, Carl Runge, is credited with the Runge-Kutta method for numerical solutions of differential equations. A maternal great-grandfather (Runge's father-in-law ) was Emil DuBois-Reymond, a pioneer in electrophysiology
Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology is the study of the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart...
. Affinity for science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and mathematics
Mathematics
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...
extended further than his biological family. Ernest Courant's childhood neighbors included the mathematician David Hilbert
David Hilbert
David Hilbert was a German mathematician. He is recognized as one of the most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many areas, including invariant theory and the axiomatization of...
(his father's thesis director,in whose honor Ernest received the middle name of David) and the physicists Max Born
Max Born
Max Born was a German-born physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a number of notable physicists in the 1920s and 30s...
and James Franck
James Franck
James Franck was a German Jewish physicist and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Franck was born to Jacob Franck and Rebecca Nachum Drucker. Franck completed his Ph.D...
. Further, his father's students and colleagues became friends of the family, and frequented their home.
Ernest's early interests centered on chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. "I had a lab at home full of test tubes, Bunsen burners, and chemicals. Once there was a small fire (easily put out), but I got a sense of how things were put together."
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power in 1933, and the neighborhood and its intellectual society were disrupted—along with the mathematics department at the University. Ernest's father had been born to a Jewish family of small businessmen, and he was now identified as a Jew, and an undesirable, by the new regime. Expelled from his position at the University of Göttingen, Richard Courant took a temporary teaching position in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the family abandoned Göttingen in favor of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
for a few months. Forewarned by a Nazi acquaintance that the anti-Semitic storm would not settle—but intensify,the family made plans to emigrate permanently. They returned only briefly to Germany before embarking to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where his father had secured a post at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
—and immigration visas to the USA.
Fluent in English from both early lessons and the recent period enrolled at the Perse School in Cambridge, Ernest was accepted at the Fieldston School of the School for Ethical Culture, with scholarship, thanks to intervention by family friend (and Fieldston alumnus), J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Career
Courant graduated from the Fieldston School in 1936, received a physics degree from Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, and earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in 1943.
Courant has worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
from 1948 to the present, first as an associate scientist in the Proton Synchrotron Division. He received tenure in 1955, and was promoted to senior scientist in 1960. In addition, he taught as an Adjunct Professor at SUNY Stony Brook from 1966 to 1986.
His most notable discovery is his 1952 work with M Stanley Livingston and Hartland Snyder
Hartland Snyder
Hartland Sweet Snyder was a physicist who along with Robert Oppenheimer calculated the gravitational collapse of a pressure-free homogenous fluid sphere, and found that it could not communicate with the rest of the universe....
on the Strong Focusing Principle, a critical step in the development of modern particle accelerators.
Honors
- 2007 University of Rochester distinguished scholar award (http://spider.pas.rochester.edu:8080/wwwPAS/PASforms/news/newsReader$0000961)
- 1987 First Annual Robert R. WilsonRobert R. WilsonRobert Rathbun Wilson was an American physicist who was a group leader of the Manhattan Project, a sculptor, and an architect of Fermi National Laboratory , where he was also the director from 1967–1978....
Prize of the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20... - 1986 Enrico Fermi AwardEnrico Fermi AwardThe Enrico Fermi Award is an award honoring scientists of international stature for their lifetime achievement in the development, use, or production of energy. It is administered by the U.S. government's Department of Energy...
from the Department of Energy, USA - Boris Pregal Prize of the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
Further reading
Annual Review of Nuclear ScienceVol. 18: 435-464 (Volume publication date December 1968)]
(doi:10.1146/annurev.ns.18.120168.002251) http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.ns.18.120168.002251
Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science
Vol. 53: 1-37 (Volume publication date December 2003)
(doi:10.1146/annurev.nucl.53.041002.110450) http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.nucl.53.041002.110450
Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 10, 014001 (2007)
[Issue 1 – January 2007] Abstract contains link for full-text PDF http://prst-ab.aps.org/abstract/PRSTAB/v10/i1/e014001