Wander Johannes de Haas
Encyclopedia
Wander Johannes de Haas was a Dutch physicist and mathematician. He is best known for the Shubnikov–de Haas effect, the de Haas–van Alphen effect and the Einstein–de Haas effect.
, a small town near Leiden. He was the son of Albertus de Haas, principal of the Teacher's College in Middelburg
, and Maria Efting. On 22 December 1910 he married Geertruida Luberta Lorentz
, the eldest daughter of Hendrik Lorentz
. They had two daughters and two sons.
, de Haas started paralegal
studies in 1895. After completion of two of three parts of the examinations and having worked in a lawyer's office for some time, he decided to change career and become a physicist
instead. After passing the qualifications exams for admission to University, he started to study physics
at the University of Leiden in 1900 under Heike Kamerlingh Onnes
and Johannes Petrus Kuenen
. He earned his doctorate in 1912, under Kamerlingh Onnes, with a thesis entitled: Measurements on the Compressibility of Hydrogen.
, the history of science museum in Leiden.
Personal life
Wander de Haas was born in LisseLisse
Lisse is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 16.11 km² of which 0.41 km² is water. Its population is 21864...
, a small town near Leiden. He was the son of Albertus de Haas, principal of the Teacher's College in Middelburg
Middelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
, and Maria Efting. On 22 December 1910 he married Geertruida Luberta Lorentz
Geertruida de Haas-Lorentz
Geertruida Luberta de Haas-Lorentz was a female Dutch physicist and the first to perform fluctuational analysis of electrons as Brownian particles. Consequently she is considered to be the first female in electrical noise theory. She was the eldest daughter of the physicist H. A. Lorentz and...
, the eldest daughter of Hendrik Lorentz
Hendrik Lorentz
Hendrik Antoon Lorentz was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pieter Zeeman for the discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect...
. They had two daughters and two sons.
Education
After attending high school in MiddelburgMiddelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
, de Haas started paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
studies in 1895. After completion of two of three parts of the examinations and having worked in a lawyer's office for some time, he decided to change career and become a physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
instead. After passing the qualifications exams for admission to University, he started to study physics
Physics
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 in 1900 under Heike Kamerlingh Onnes
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was a Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate. He pioneered refrigeration techniques, and he explored how materials behaved when cooled to nearly absolute zero. He was the first to liquify helium...
and Johannes Petrus Kuenen
Johannes Petrus Kuenen
Johannes Petrus Kuenen was a Dutch physicist.-Biography:Kuenen was the son of the professor of theology Abraham Kuenen and his wife Wiepkje Muurling. His son Philip Henry Kuenen was professor of geology. From 1884 to 1889 he studied at the University of Leiden, where he graduated in 1892...
. He earned his doctorate in 1912, under Kamerlingh Onnes, with a thesis entitled: Measurements on the Compressibility of Hydrogen.
Career
An example of the equipment (an electromagnet of c.1930) used for his low-temperature research can be seen in the Boerhaave MuseumBoerhaave Museum
Museum Boerhaave is a museum of the history of science and medicine, based in Leiden, the Netherlands. The museum hosts a collection of historical scientific instruments from all disciplines, but mainly from medicine, physics, and astronomy.-Introduction:...
, the history of science museum in Leiden.
See also
- Shubnikov–de Haas effect
- de Haas–van Alphen effect
- Einstein–de Haas effect
External links
- de Hass' math genealogy
- Albert van Helden, Biography, Wander Johannes de Haas 1878–1960 (Digital Library of Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences http://www.digitallibrary.nl/index.cfm). Originally published in: K. van Berkel, A. van Helden and L. Palm, ed., A History of Science in The Netherlands, Survey, Themes and Reference, pp. 454–456 (Leiden, Brill, 1999).
- Wander Johannes de Haas, 1878–1960 @ Instituut-Lorentz for theoretical physics
- J. van den Handel, Haas, Wander Johannes de (1878–1960), in Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland.