Friedel Sellschop
Encyclopedia
Jacques Pierre Friederich (Friedel) Sellschop (June 8, 1930 – August 4, 2002) was a South Africa
n scientist and pioneer in the field of applied
nuclear physics
.
, Namibia
on June 8, 1930. He was educated at University of Pretoria
(B.Sc) and Stellenbosch University
(M.Sc), and earned a PhD
in Nuclear Physics
at University of Cambridge
. On completing his education in England
, he returned to South Africa
on the advice of Basil Schonland
, his mentor.
found in nature, in one of South Africa's
gold mines. The experiment was performed in a specially prepared chamber at a depth of 3 km in the ERPM
mine near Boksburg. A plaque in the main building commemorates the discovery. The experiments also implemented a primitive neutrino astronomy and looked at issues of neutrino physics and weak interactions.
s. His research here was very broad. As a member of the CERN NA43 and NA59 collaborations, he contributed to experiments that used the perfect and very rigid diamond lattice to produce and study the highest energy near monochromatic photons ever produced in a laboratory. He was an important contributor to the field of nuclear geochemistry in diamond, evidencing the trace-element composition of natural diamond and linking this to mantle geochemistry. Diamonds are seen as "messengers from the deep", assumed to bring included mantle material to the surface well preserved in a chemical and physical prison. He also studied ion-implantation of diamond and was a pioneer of diamond as an ideal material for electrical and optical applications.
He received the Max Planck medal
for his work in both neutrino and diamond
physics.
chair of Nuclear Physics
, the first person to hold such a chair in all of South Africa
. In this capacity, as a young man, he began from nothing and developed a significant nuclear physics laboratory and research department.. He was therefore the founding Director of the Nuclear Physics Research Unit at the University of Witwatersrand
in 1956. This laboratory was later renamed the Schonland
Centre for Nuclear Sciences. In 2005, the Schonland Centre was donated to the state to be run as a National Facility by iThemba LABS.
Sellschop was Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand
from 1979 to 1983. He subsequently became Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) from 1984 to 1996. In this position, from which he retired, Sellschop assisted in creating funding policies and procedures that would ensure transparency in awarding research money.
A list of some of his positions in service to the community follow
A selection of his Honours and awards reads as follows.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n scientist and pioneer in the field of applied
Applied physics
Applied physics is a general term for physics which is intended for a particular technological or practical use.It is usually considered as a bridge or a connection between "pure" physics and engineering....
nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
.
Early life and education
Sellschop was born in LuderitzLüderitz
Lüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
on June 8, 1930. He was educated at University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
(B.Sc) and Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
(M.Sc), and earned a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Nuclear Physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
at University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. On completing his education 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...
, he returned to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on the advice of Basil Schonland
Basil Schonland
Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland CBE FRS was the first president of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.-Birth and Parentage:...
, his mentor.
Contributions to neutrino research
In February 1965, Sellschop was part of a group which identified the first neutrinoNeutrino
A neutrino is an electrically neutral, weakly interacting elementary subatomic particle with a half-integer spin, chirality and a disputed but small non-zero mass. It is able to pass through ordinary matter almost unaffected...
found in nature, in one of South Africa's
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
gold mines. The experiment was performed in a specially prepared chamber at a depth of 3 km in the ERPM
East Rand Mine
East Rand Proprietary Mines is a 100-year-old underground gold mining operation on the Witwatersrand Basin at Boksburg, to the east of Johannesburg. The mine employs 2,740 people...
mine near Boksburg. A plaque in the main building commemorates the discovery. The experiments also implemented a primitive neutrino astronomy and looked at issues of neutrino physics and weak interactions.
Contributions in diamond physics
Sellschop was an expert in the physics of diamondDiamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s. His research here was very broad. As a member of the CERN NA43 and NA59 collaborations, he contributed to experiments that used the perfect and very rigid diamond lattice to produce and study the highest energy near monochromatic photons ever produced in a laboratory. He was an important contributor to the field of nuclear geochemistry in diamond, evidencing the trace-element composition of natural diamond and linking this to mantle geochemistry. Diamonds are seen as "messengers from the deep", assumed to bring included mantle material to the surface well preserved in a chemical and physical prison. He also studied ion-implantation of diamond and was a pioneer of diamond as an ideal material for electrical and optical applications.
He received the Max Planck medal
Max Planck medal
The Max Planck medal is an award for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. It is awarded annually by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft , the world's largest organization of physicists.-List of recipients:...
for his work in both neutrino and diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
physics.
Contributions to the scientific community
Friedel Sellschop is remembered as an innovative and visionary scientific leader. He contributed both to his University and country. From 1959 to 1988, Sellschop served as the University of Witwatersrand'sUniversity of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
chair of Nuclear Physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
, the first person to hold such a chair in all of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In this capacity, as a young man, he began from nothing and developed a significant nuclear physics laboratory and research department.. He was therefore the founding Director of the Nuclear Physics Research Unit at the University of Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
in 1956. This laboratory was later renamed the Schonland
Basil Schonland
Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland CBE FRS was the first president of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.-Birth and Parentage:...
Centre for Nuclear Sciences. In 2005, the Schonland Centre was donated to the state to be run as a National Facility by iThemba LABS.
Sellschop was Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
from 1979 to 1983. He subsequently became Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) from 1984 to 1996. In this position, from which he retired, Sellschop assisted in creating funding policies and procedures that would ensure transparency in awarding research money.
A list of some of his positions in service to the community follow
- Special Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology 1994-1998
- South African Association for the Advancement of Science, Member of Council 1958-2002, Executive President 1970-1972
- Joint Council of Scientific Societies of South Africa, President 1971-1972 Vice-President 1991-1993 President 1993-1995, Past-President (on the Council) 1995-2002
- South African Institute of Physics, President 1995–1997, Honorary membership 1998 on.
- Associated Scientific & Technical Societies of South Africa, Controlling Executive 1958-2002, Senior Vice-President 1996, President 1997/8
- The Royal Society of South Africa, Member of the Council 1994-2002, Vice-President, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, President (Transvaal Branch) 1994, President 1999–2002
- National Advisory Council on Innovation, Appointed by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology,1998-2002.
Significant publications
Friedel Sellschop authored over 300 publications in international peer reviewed journals. A selection of these follow.- Sellschop JPF, Part I.3, pp. 81-179 Nuclear probes in the study of diamond in The properties of natural and synthetic diamond Ed. Field JE. Academic Press, 1992 ISBN 012-255352-7
- F. Reines, M. F. Crouch, T. L. Jenkins, W. R. Kropp, H. S. Gurr, and G. R. Smith, J. P. F. Sellschop and B. Meyer, Evidence for High-Energy Cosmic-Ray Neutrino Interactions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 15, (1965) 429 - 433. Times Cited: 35
- Holzschuh E, Kundig W, Meier PF, Patterson BD, Sellschop JPF, Stemmet MC, Appel H, Muonium in Diamond, Physical Review A 25 (3): 1272-1286 1982, Times Cited: 110
- Sellschop JPF, Madiba CCP, Annegarn HJ, Light Volatiles in Diamond - Physical Interpretation and Genetic Significance, Nuclear Instruments & Methods 168 (1-3): 529-534 1980, Times Cited: 60
- Prins JF, Derry TE, Sellschop JPF, Volume Expansion of Diamond During Ion-Implantation, Physical Review B 34 (12): 8870-8874 Dec 15 1986, Times Cited: 56
- Freudenberger J, Gavrikov VB, Galemann M, Genz H, Groening L, Morokhovskii Vl, Morokhovskii VV, Nething U, Richter A, Sellschop JPF, Shulga NF, Parametric X-Ray-Radiation Observed in Diamond at Low Electron Energies, Physical Review Letters 74 (13): 2487-2490 Mar 27 1995, Times Cited: 37
- Derry TE, Madiba CCP, Sellschop JPF, Oxygen and Hydrogen on the Surface of Diamond, Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research 218 (1-3): 559-562 1983, Times Cited: 37
- Andersen JU, Datz S, Laegsgaard E, Sellschop JPF, Sorensen AH, Radiation from two-Dimensional Molecular Bound-States of Electrons Channeled in Diamond, Physical Review Letters 49 (3): 215-218 1982,Times Cited: 35
- Tredoux M, DeWit MJ, Hart RJ, Armstrong RA, Lindsay NM, Sellschop JPF, Platinum Group Elements in A 3.5 Ga Nickel-Iron Occurrence - Possible Evidence of a Deep Mantle Origin, Journal Of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth And Planets 94 (B1): 795-813 Jan 10 1989, Times Cited: 34
- Schneider JW, Kiefl RF, Chow KH, Johnston S, Sonier J, Estle TL, Hitti B, Lichti RL, Connell SH, Sellschop JPF, Smallman CG, Anthony TR, Banholzer WF, Bond-Centered Muonium in Diamond - Resolved Nuclear Hyperfine-Structure, Physical Review Letters 71 (4): 557-560 Jul 26 1993, Times Cited: 33
- Delcampo JG, Shapira D, Biggerstaff JA, Moak CD, Miller PD, Neskovic N, Fearick RW, Sellschop JPF, Measurements of Nuclear Deexcitation Times Down to 10-19 Sec Using Crystal Blocking Of O-16 on Diamond, Physical Review Letters 51 (6): 451-454 1983, Times Cited: 25
- Annegarn HJ, Jodaikin A, Cleatonjones PE, Sellschop JPF, Madiba CCP, Bibby D, Pixe Analysis of Caries Related Trace-Elements in Tooth Enamel, Nuclear Instruments & Methods 181 (1-3): 323-326 1981, Times Cited: 22
- Connell SH, Fearick RW, Hoernle RFA, Sideras-Haddad E, Sellschop JPF, Search for Low-Energy Resonances in the Electron-Positron Annihilation-in-Flight Photon Spectrum, Physical Review Letters 60 (22): 2242-2245 May 30 1988, Times Cited: 19
- Medenwaldt R, Moller SP, Jensen BN, Strakhovenko VM, Uggerhoj E, Worm T, Elsener K, Sona P, Connell SH, Sellschop JPF, Avakian RO, Avetisian AE, Taroian SP, Experimental Investigations of Hard Photon-Emission from Strong Crystalline Fields, Physics Letters B 281 (1-2): 153-158 May 7 1992, Times Cited: 18
Awards and honors
Friedel Sellschop held five honorary doctorates.- Dr rer nat h.c., Johan Wolfgang von Goethe University of Frankfurt / Main, 1989
- DSc honoris causa University of Cape TownUniversity of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
, 1995 - DSc honoris causa University of PretoriaUniversity of PretoriaThe University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
, 1996 - DSc honoris causa University of the WitwatersrandUniversity of the WitwatersrandThe University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, 1997 - DSc honoris causa University of Stellenbosch, 1998
A selection of his Honours and awards reads as follows.
- Four Outstanding Young Men of the Year award of the SA Junior Chamber of Commerce (1968)
- South Africa Medal (gold) of the SA Association for the Advancement of Science (1984)
- Percy Fox Foundation Award (1986)
- John F W HerschelJohn HerschelSir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet KH, FRS ,was an English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor, who in some years also did valuable botanical work...
Medal (gold) of the Royal Society of South Africa (1987) - Ingham Award of the SA Institute of Mechanical Engineering (1988)
- SA Mine Ventilation Society Award (1989)
- de BeersDe BeersDe Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
Gold Medal of the South African Institute of Physics (1990) - Issue of the Zeitschrift fur PhysikZeitschrift für PhysikThe European Physical Journal is a joint publication of EDP Sciences, Springer Science+Business Media, and the Società Italiana di Fisica...
A336/2 (1990) dedicated as a FestschriftFestschriftIn academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
on the occasion of his 60th birthday in 1990 - Max Planck Research Prize of the 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....
and the Alexander von Humboldt FoundationAlexander von Humboldt FoundationThe Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
(1992) Citation : For his discovery of the neutrino and his pioneering work in the field of diamond - Heraeus Foundation Fellowship held at the University of Karlsruhe, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
(1993) - National Award (gold medal) of the Associated Scientific and Technical Societies of South Africa
- Medal Award of the Diamond Physics Committee (UK) (1994)
- The Int. Conf. on Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Modern Physics was held in his honour - LuderitzLüderitzLüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...
, NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
(2000). - The 9th International Conference on Nuclear Reaction Mechanisms - VarennaVarennaVarenna is a comune on Lake Como in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km north of Milan and about 20 km northwest of Lecco...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
June 5–9, 2000 Dedicated in honour of Friedel Sellschop. - National Science and Technology Forum Award for Outstanding Contributions in the field of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) over a lifetime (2001)
- Foundation for Research Development Evaluation status "A"
- The first award of the Order of the BaobabOrder of the BaobabThe Order of the Baobab is a South African honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the president of South Africa for service to South Africa in the following fields: business and the economy, science, medicine and technological innovation, and community service...
(Gold), posthumously by President Thabo MbekiThabo MbekiThabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
at the Union BuildingsUnion BuildingsThe Union Buildings form the official seat of the South African government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. The imposing buildings are located in Pretoria, atop Meintjieskop at the Northern end of Arcadia, close to historic Church Square and the Voortrekker Monument...
(2002) Citation : for exceptional contribution to the field of nuclear physics and for detecting the first naturally occurring neutrino
External links
- The University of the Witwatersrand
- The (former) Schonland Research Centre This Center was donated by the University of WitwatersrandUniversity of the WitwatersrandThe University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
to the state, to be administered by iThemba LABS in 2005 - The iThemba LABS (Gauteng)