Dirk ter Haar
Encyclopedia
Dirk ter Haar was an Anglo-Dutch physicist.
Dirk ter Haar (Dr, B.Sc., M.Sc., MA, D.Sc., FRSE
) studied physics at Leiden University
, was research fellow of Niels Bohr
in Copenhagen
, and received his Ph.D. in Leiden from Hendrik Kramers for a dissertation on the origin of the solar system. In 1949 he became professor of physics at the University of St. Andrews and in 1950 he emigrated to England
, where he later became a British citizen. He became a Fellow of Magdalen College
and reader in theoretical physics at the University of Oxford
.
Many prominent scientists studied under ter Haar, including Anthony Leggett, winner of the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 2003.
He wrote numerous books on physics, such as Elements of Statistical Mechanics. In addition, he wrote a book on Kramers and was an editor for Physics Letters
(later Physics Letters A). In 1984 the book Essays in Theoretical Physics in honour of Dirk ter Haar was published in honour of his work in statistical physics and quantum mechanics.
In 1949 Dirk ter Haar married Christine Janet Lound and together they had two sons and a daughter.
Dirk ter Haar (Dr, B.Sc., M.Sc., MA, D.Sc., FRSE
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
) studied physics at Leiden University
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...
, was research fellow of Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, and received his Ph.D. in Leiden from Hendrik Kramers for a dissertation on the origin of the solar system. In 1949 he became professor of physics at the University of St. Andrews and in 1950 he emigrated to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he later became a British citizen. He became a Fellow of Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
and reader in theoretical physics at the 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...
.
Many prominent scientists studied under ter Haar, including Anthony Leggett, winner of the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Physics in 2003.
He wrote numerous books on physics, such as Elements of Statistical Mechanics. In addition, he wrote a book on Kramers and was an editor for Physics Letters
Physics Letters
Physics Letters was a scientific journal published from 1962 to 1966, when it split in two series now published by Elsevier:*Physics Letters A: condensed matter physics, theoretical physics, nonlinear science, statistical physics, mathematical and computational physics, general and...
(later Physics Letters A). In 1984 the book Essays in Theoretical Physics in honour of Dirk ter Haar was published in honour of his work in statistical physics and quantum mechanics.
In 1949 Dirk ter Haar married Christine Janet Lound and together they had two sons and a daughter.
Works
- D. ter Haar, Elements of Statistical Mechanics. London: Constable (1954). 2ed (1966) New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston; 3ed (1995) Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann
- D. ter Haar and H. Wergeland, Elements of Thermodynamics, Addison-Wesley, 1960
- D. ter Haar, Elements of Hamiltonian Mechanics, Pergamon Press, Oxford.
- D. ter Haar, The Old Quantum Theory, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1967.
- D. ter Haar, Lectures on Selected Topics in Statistical Mechanics, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1977.
- D. ter Haar, Master of Modern Physics. The Scientific Contributions of H. A. Kramers, Princeton University Press, 1998.