Hertha Wambacher
Encyclopedia
Hertha Wambacher was an Austrian physicist. After having obtained the general certificate of education from the girls' high school run by the Association for the Extended Education of Women in 1922, she studied first chemistry, then physics at the University of Vienna
.
Wambacher's dissertation at the 2nd Physics Institute was supervised by Marietta Blau
, with whom Wambacher continued to collaborate also after her Ph. D. graduation in 1932. The cooperation of the two women referred to the photographic method
of detecting ionizing particles. For their methodical studies at the Institute for Radium Research
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
in Vienna, Blau and Wambacher received the Lieben Prize
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1937. Also in 1937, Blau and Wambacher jointly discovered "disintegration stars" in photographic plates that had been exposed to cosmic radiation at an altitude of 2300 m above sea level. These stars are the patterns of particle tracks from nuclear reactions (spallation events
) of cosmic-ray particles with nuclei of the photographic emulsion.
After Blau had to leave Austria in 1938, Hertha Wambacher continued working on the identification of particles from nuclear reactions of cosmic rays with the emulsion constituents. With this work, she obtained her university teaching certification in 1940. She taught classes at the University of Vienna. In 1945, Wambacher who – according to her own words – had belonged to the NSDAP since 1934, was removed from the University of Vienna. She was detained in Russia and is said to have returned only in 1946. She contracted cancer, but was still able to work in a research laboratory in Vienna.
Wambacher died from cancer on 25 April 1950.
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
.
Wambacher's dissertation at the 2nd Physics Institute was supervised by Marietta Blau
Marietta Blau
Marietta Blau was an Austrian physicist. After having obtained the general certificate of education from the girls' high school run by the Association for the Extended Education of Women, she studied physics and mathematics at the University of Vienna from 1914 to 1918; her Ph. D...
, with whom Wambacher continued to collaborate also after her Ph. D. graduation in 1932. The cooperation of the two women referred to the photographic method
Emulsion
An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...
of detecting ionizing particles. For their methodical studies at the Institute for Radium Research
Institute for Radium Research, Vienna
The Institute for Radium Research was an Austrian research institute associated with the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna. The Institute's researchers won multiple Nobel Prizes...
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
in Vienna, Blau and Wambacher received the Lieben Prize
Lieben Prize
The Ignaz Lieben Prize is an annual Austrian award for young scientists working in the fields of molecular biology, chemistry, or physics.The Ignaz Lieben Prize has been called the Austrian Nobel Prize. It is similar in intent but somewhat older than the Nobel Prize. The Austrian merchant Ignaz L...
of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1937. Also in 1937, Blau and Wambacher jointly discovered "disintegration stars" in photographic plates that had been exposed to cosmic radiation at an altitude of 2300 m above sea level. These stars are the patterns of particle tracks from nuclear reactions (spallation events
Spallation
In general, spallation is a process in which fragments of material are ejected from a body due to impact or stress. In the context of impact mechanics it describes ejection or vaporization of material from a target during impact by a projectile...
) of cosmic-ray particles with nuclei of the photographic emulsion.
After Blau had to leave Austria in 1938, Hertha Wambacher continued working on the identification of particles from nuclear reactions of cosmic rays with the emulsion constituents. With this work, she obtained her university teaching certification in 1940. She taught classes at the University of Vienna. In 1945, Wambacher who – according to her own words – had belonged to the NSDAP since 1934, was removed from the University of Vienna. She was detained in Russia and is said to have returned only in 1946. She contracted cancer, but was still able to work in a research laboratory in Vienna.
Wambacher died from cancer on 25 April 1950.
Literature
- Robert Rosner & Brigitte Strohmaier (eds.): Marietta Blau – Sterne der Zertrümmerung. Biographie einer Wegbereiterin der modernen Teilchenphysik. Böhlau, Vienna 2003, ISBN 3205-77088-9 (in German)
- Brigitte Strohmaier & Robert Rosner: Marietta Blau – Stars of Disintegration. Biography of a pioneer of particle physics. Ariadne, Riverside, California 2006, ISBN 978-1-57241-147-0