James Sayers (physicist)
Encyclopedia
Professor James Sayers was an important Northern Irish physicist, who played a crucial role in developing centimetric radar - now used in microwave oven
s.
He attended Ballymena Academy
. He went to the University of Belfast, then St John's College, Cambridge
gaining a PhD
.
on centrimetric radar, producing the cavity magnetron
. He worked with John Randall
and Harry Boot
.
From 1943-5 he was part of a group of British scientists that worked on the Manhattan Project
.
He received the John Price Wetherill Medal for discoveries in Physical Science in 1958.
From 1946-72 he was Professor of Electron Physics at the University of Birmingham
.
in Worcestershire
.
He died on 13 March 1993 aged 80.
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
s.
Early life
He was born on a farm at Corkey in County Antrim. He built a water wheel to provide the farm with electricity.He attended Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy
Ballymena Academy is a mixed grammar school located in the market town of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was founded in the early nineteenth century as a small provincial school for children in the town and surrounding agricultural hinterland.-Admissions:The school currently has...
. He went to the University of Belfast, then St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
gaining a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
.
Career
From 1939-43 he conducted research for the Admiralty at the University of BirminghamUniversity of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
on centrimetric radar, producing the cavity magnetron
Cavity magnetron
The cavity magnetron is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of electrons with a magnetic field. The 'resonant' cavity magnetron variant of the earlier magnetron tube was invented by John Randall and Harry Boot in 1940 at the University of...
. He worked with John Randall
John Randall (physicist)
Sir John Turton Randall, FRS, FRSE, was a British physicist and biophysicist, credited with radical improvement of the cavity magnetron, an essential component of centimetric wavelength radar, which was one of the keys to the Allied victory in the Second World War. It is also the key component of...
and Harry Boot
Harry Boot
Henry Albert Howard "Harry" Boot was an English physicist who with Sir John Randall and James Sayers developed the cavity magnetron, which was one of the keys to the Allied victory in the Second World War.-Biography:...
.
From 1943-5 he was part of a group of British scientists that worked on 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...
.
He received the John Price Wetherill Medal for discoveries in Physical Science in 1958.
From 1946-72 he was Professor of Electron Physics at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
.
Personal life
He married Diana Montgomery in 1943. They had two sons and one daughter. He lived at AlvechurchAlvechurch
Alvechurch is a large village and civil parish of Bromsgrove district, in the northeast of the county of Worcestershire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Arrow, the nearest city is Birmingham, 17 km / 11 miles to the north, with the closest towns being Redditch, 8 km / 5 miles...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
He died on 13 March 1993 aged 80.