Samuel Abraham Goudsmit
Encyclopedia
Samuel Abraham Goudsmit was a Dutch-American physicist famous for jointly proposing the concept of electron spin
with George Eugene Uhlenbeck
in 1925.
at the University of Leiden
under Paul Ehrenfest
, where he obtained his PhD in 1927. After receiving his PhD, Goudsmit served as a Professor at the University of Michigan
between 1927 and 1946. In 1930 he co-authored a text with Linus Pauling
titled The Structure of Line Spectra. During World War II he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
.
He was also the scientific head of the Alsos
mission and successfully reached the German group of nuclear physicists around Werner Heisenberg
and Otto Hahn
at Hechingen (then French zone) in advance of the French physicist Yves Rocard
. Alsos was part of the Manhattan Project
, which was designed to assess the progress of the Nazi atomic bomb project
. In the book Alsos published in 1947, Goudsmit concludes that the Germans did not get close to creating a weapon, which he attributed to the inability of science to function under a totalitarian state (the development of atomic weapons by at least two other totalitarian states has been seen to contradict that conclusion, although later atomic weapons were developed with the knowledge of their possibility, sometimes with stolen technology). His other conclusion, that the German scientists simply did not understand how to make an atomic bomb, has been disputed by later historians (see Heisenberg
), but his assessment of the lack of progress in the German program — if not his conclusions as to why it was that way — has generally held up over time. After the war he was briefly a professor at Northwestern University
and from 1948-1970 was a senior scientist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory
, chairing the Physics Department 1952-1960. He meanwhile became well known as the Editor-in-chief of the leading physics journal Physical Review
, published by the American Physical Society
. On his retirement as editor in 1974, Goudsmit moved to the faculty of the University of Nevada in Reno, where he remained until his death four years later.
He also made some scholarly contributions to Egyptology
published in Expedition, Summer 1972, pp. 13–16 ; American Journal of Archaeology 78, 1974 p. 78; and Journal of Near Eastern Studies 40, 1981 pp. 43–46. The Samuel A. Goudsmit Collection of Egyptian Antiquities resides at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Spin (physics)
In quantum mechanics and particle physics, spin is a fundamental characteristic property of elementary particles, composite particles , and atomic nuclei.It is worth noting that the intrinsic property of subatomic particles called spin and discussed in this article, is related in some small ways,...
with George Eugene Uhlenbeck
George Eugene Uhlenbeck
George Eugene Uhlenbeck was a Dutch-American theoretical physicist.-Background and education:George Uhlenbeck was the son of Eugenius and Anne Beeger Uhlenbeck...
in 1925.
Biography
Goudsmit studied physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Leiden
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
under Paul Ehrenfest
Paul Ehrenfest
Paul Ehrenfest was an Austrian and Dutch physicist, who made major contributions to the field of statistical mechanics and its relations with quantum mechanics, including the theory of phase transition and the Ehrenfest theorem.- Biography :Paul Ehrenfest was born and grew up in Vienna in a Jewish...
, where he obtained his PhD in 1927. After receiving his PhD, Goudsmit served as a Professor at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
between 1927 and 1946. In 1930 he co-authored a text with Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
titled The Structure of Line Spectra. During World War II he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
.
He was also the scientific head of the Alsos
Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II by the Allies , branched off from the Manhattan Project, to investigate the German nuclear energy project, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and...
mission and successfully reached the German group of nuclear physicists around Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
and Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
at Hechingen (then French zone) in advance of the French physicist Yves Rocard
Yves Rocard
Yves-André Rocard was a French physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb for France.After obtaining a double doctorate in mathematics and physics he was awarded the professorship in electronic physics at the École normale supérieure in Paris.As a member of a Resistance group during the Second...
. Alsos was part of 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...
, which was designed to assess the progress of the Nazi atomic bomb project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
. In the book Alsos published in 1947, Goudsmit concludes that the Germans did not get close to creating a weapon, which he attributed to the inability of science to function under a totalitarian state (the development of atomic weapons by at least two other totalitarian states has been seen to contradict that conclusion, although later atomic weapons were developed with the knowledge of their possibility, sometimes with stolen technology). His other conclusion, that the German scientists simply did not understand how to make an atomic bomb, has been disputed by later historians (see Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
), but his assessment of the lack of progress in the German program — if not his conclusions as to why it was that way — has generally held up over time. After the war he was briefly a professor at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and from 1948-1970 was a senior scientist at the 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...
, chairing the Physics Department 1952-1960. He meanwhile became well known as the Editor-in-chief of the leading physics journal Physical Review
Physical Review
Physical Review is an American scientific journal founded in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society. The journal is in its third series, and is split in several...
, published by 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...
. On his retirement as editor in 1974, Goudsmit moved to the faculty of the University of Nevada in Reno, where he remained until his death four years later.
He also made some scholarly contributions to Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
published in Expedition, Summer 1972, pp. 13–16 ; American Journal of Archaeology 78, 1974 p. 78; and Journal of Near Eastern Studies 40, 1981 pp. 43–46. The Samuel A. Goudsmit Collection of Egyptian Antiquities resides at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Works
- Alsos (1947), by Samuel A. Goudsmit
- Time (1966), by Samuel A. Goudsmit and Robert ClaiborneRobert ClaiborneRobert Watson Claiborne, Jr. American folk singer, labor organizer and writer.-Overview:Robert Claiborne, grandson of John Herbert Claiborne, was a folk singer and union organizer in the 1940s and 1950s. He travelled and performed with such luminaries as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and...
; Series: Time-Life Science Library
External links
- Annotated Bibliography for Samuel Abraham Goudsmit from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
- Goudsmit on the discovery of electron spin
- A collection of digitized materials related to Goudsmit's and Linus PaulingLinus PaulingLinus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century...
's structural chemistry research.