Nina Byers
Encyclopedia
Nina Byers is a theoretical physicist, Research Professor and Professor of Physics emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA.
Scientific contributions have mainly been in
particle physics
and the theory of superconductivity
. A paper written with C. N. Yang showed that flux quantization
in superconductors is direct evidence for the BCS theory
of superconductivity based on Cooper pairing of electrons.
In addition she has written papers on history of 20th century physics, see below.
Byers is known on the Internet for her development of the CWP website
Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics which details and documents original and important contributions to physics by 83 female physicists of the 20th century.
A book that details great contributions of forty 20th century female physicists was edited with Gary Williams and published in 2006.
She has been elected to many offices in The American Physical Society
(APS) and American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), most recently President of the APS Forum on History of Physics (2004–2005), APS Forum on Physics and Society (1982), and APS Councilor-at-large of the Society (1977–81).
Her academic degrees are B.A. University of California, Berkeley
, M.S. and Ph.D. University of Chicago
, M.A. University of Oxford
.
For curriculum vitae see Byers webpage at UCLA or CWP.
Scientific contributions have mainly been in
particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
and the theory of superconductivity
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
. A paper written with C. N. Yang showed that flux quantization
Flux quantization
Flux quantization is a quantum phenomenon in which the magnetic fieldis quantized in the unit of h / 2e,also known variously as flux quanta, fluxoids, vortices or fluxons.Flux quantization occurs in Type II superconductors subjected to a magnetic field...
in superconductors is direct evidence for the BCS theory
BCS theory
BCS theory — proposed by Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer in 1957 — is the first microscopic theory of superconductivity since its discovery in 1911. The theory describes superconductivity as a microscopic effect caused by a "condensation" of pairs of electrons into a boson-like state...
of superconductivity based on Cooper pairing of electrons.
In addition she has written papers on history of 20th century physics, see below.
Byers is known on the Internet for her development of the CWP website
Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics which details and documents original and important contributions to physics by 83 female physicists of the 20th century.
A book that details great contributions of forty 20th century female physicists was edited with Gary Williams and published in 2006.
She has been elected to many offices in The American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The 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...
(APS) and American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS), most recently President of the APS Forum on History of Physics (2004–2005), APS Forum on Physics and Society (1982), and APS Councilor-at-large of the Society (1977–81).
Her academic degrees are B.A. University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, M.S. and Ph.D. University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, M.A. University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
For curriculum vitae see Byers webpage at UCLA or CWP.
Some non-technical publications on history of 20th Century physics
- Nina Byers and Gary Williams (eds), Out of the Shadows: Contributions of 20th century Women to Physics, Cambridge University Press 2006.
- Nina Byers, "Einstein and Women", APS News Jun 2005.
- Nina Byers, "Physicists and the 1945 Decision to Drop The Bomb", CERN Courier Oct 2002. (e-Print ArchiveArXivThe arXiv |Chi]], χ) is an archive for electronic preprints of scientific papers in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, and quantitative finance which can be accessed online. In many fields of mathematics and physics, almost all...
: physics/0210058) - Nina Byers, Fermi and Szilard" in ed. James Cronin (ed) Fermi Remembered, U. of Chicago Press 2004 (e-Print ArchiveArXivThe arXiv |Chi]], χ) is an archive for electronic preprints of scientific papers in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, and quantitative finance which can be accessed online. In many fields of mathematics and physics, almost all...
: physics/0207094) - Nina Byers, "E. Noether's Discovery of the Deep Connection Between Symmetries and Conservation Laws" Invited talk in Symposium on the Heritage of Emmy Noether, Ramat-Gan, Israel, 2-4 Dec 1996. 'Israel Mathematical Conference Proceedings Vol. 12, 1999 (e-Print ArchiveArXivThe arXiv |Chi]], χ) is an archive for electronic preprints of scientific papers in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, computer science, quantitative biology, statistics, and quantitative finance which can be accessed online. In many fields of mathematics and physics, almost all...
: physics/9807044)