Friedrich Beck
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Hans Beck was a German
physicist
. His research interests were focused on superconductivity
, nuclear and elementary particle physics
, relativistic quantum field theory
, and late in his life, biophysics
and theory of consciousness
.
, Germany
. He was the son of the businessman Fritz Beck and his wife Margaret Cron. Beck attended the Grammar School in Darmstadt
and after that studied physics
at University of Göttingen and Darmstadt University of Technology
. As a student of Max von Laue
, he performed research on superconductivity
. In the spring of 1950 Beck started work on his PhD thesis entitled "The electrodynamic potential in the extended phenomenological theory of superconductivity", which he defended 1952 at University of Göttingen and obtained Doctor rerum naturalium
.
in Berlin
. Followed a research visit in the U.S. from 1954 to 1956 as a Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. Then Beck went to the University of Munich where in 1958 he wrote a Habilitation thesis on nuclear reactions as a result of electromagnetic interactions. From 1958 to 1960 he worked as a lecturer both at the University of Munich and Heidelberg University.
In 1960 Beck was appointed an Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt.
In 1963 he became a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Darmstadt University of Technology
, where in the same year he took over the management of the Institute for Theoretical Nuclear Physics.
Beck held visiting professorship positions several times. From 1974 to 1975 he taught at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
, in 1976 at the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
, in 1979 at the University of Maryland, College Park
, in 1983 at the Weizmann Institute of Science
in Rehovot
, in 1987 at the University of Washington
in Seattle, in 1988 at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
in Beersheba
, and in 1991 at the University of the Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg
.
After Beck's retirement in 1995, his successor at Darmstadt University of Technology became Professor Jochen Wambach.
, a 1963 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
, during a summer school in Northern Italy organized by a German foundation for the promotion of outstanding students. In collaboration they developed a quantum mechanical
model of exocytosis
and neurotransmitter release at synapse
s in the human
cerebral cortex
. The model endorses interactionist
dualism
and postulates that human
consciousness
could affect the functioning of synapses in the brain through quantum tunneling of electron
s between the lipid bilayer
s of the synaptic vesicle
and the presynaptic membrane
. The tunneling of electrons trigger
s the process of exocytosis and thus initiates the transmission of information from the presynaptic neuron towards the postsynaptic neuron.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
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...
. His research interests were focused on 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...
, nuclear and elementary 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...
, relativistic quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
, and late in his life, biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
and theory of consciousness
Theory of mind
Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own...
.
Early life and education
Beck was born in WiesbadenWiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was the son of the businessman Fritz Beck and his wife Margaret Cron. Beck attended the Grammar School in Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
and after that studied 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 University of Göttingen and Darmstadt University of Technology
Darmstadt University of Technology
The Technische Universität Darmstadt, abbreviated TU Darmstadt, is a university in the city of Darmstadt, Germany...
. As a student of Max von Laue
Max von Laue
Max Theodor Felix von Laue was a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1914 for his discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals...
, he performed research on 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...
. In the spring of 1950 Beck started work on his PhD thesis entitled "The electrodynamic potential in the extended phenomenological theory of superconductivity", which he defended 1952 at University of Göttingen and obtained Doctor rerum naturalium
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
.
Academic career
From 1952 to 1954 Beck worked as an assistant at the Fritz Haber InstituteFritz Haber Institute of the MPG
The Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society is a science research institute located at the heart of the academic district of Dahlem, in Berlin, Germany....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Followed a research visit in the U.S. from 1954 to 1956 as a Research Associate 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...
. Then Beck went to the University of Munich where in 1958 he wrote a Habilitation thesis on nuclear reactions as a result of electromagnetic interactions. From 1958 to 1960 he worked as a lecturer both at the University of Munich and Heidelberg University.
In 1960 Beck was appointed an Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt.
In 1963 he became a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Darmstadt University of Technology
Darmstadt University of Technology
The Technische Universität Darmstadt, abbreviated TU Darmstadt, is a university in the city of Darmstadt, Germany...
, where in the same year he took over the management of the Institute for Theoretical Nuclear Physics.
Beck held visiting professorship positions several times. From 1974 to 1975 he taught at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
, in 1976 at the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
The Federal Rural University of Rio de janeiro is a centenary Brazilian university located in the city of Seropédica in the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil...
, in 1979 at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, in 1983 at the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
in Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
, in 1987 at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle, in 1988 at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
in Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
, and in 1991 at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
.
After Beck's retirement in 1995, his successor at Darmstadt University of Technology became Professor Jochen Wambach.
Collaboration with John C. Eccles
In 1991 Friedrich Beck met sir John Carew EcclesJohn Carew Eccles
John Carew Eccles, AC FRS FRACP FRSNZ FAAS was an Australian neurophysiologist who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the synapse. He shared the prize with Andrew Huxley and Alan Lloyd Hodgkin....
, a 1963 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
, during a summer school in Northern Italy organized by a German foundation for the promotion of outstanding students. In collaboration they developed a quantum mechanical
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
model of exocytosis
Exocytosis
Exocytosis , also known as 'The peni-cytosis', is the durable process by which a cell directs the contents of secretory vesicles out of the cell membrane...
and neurotransmitter release at synapse
Synapse
In the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell...
s in the human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
. The model endorses interactionist
Interactionism (philosophy of mind)
Interactionism is the theory in the philosophy of mind which holds that, matter and mind being distinct and independent, that they exert causal effects on one another. As such, it is a type of dualism...
dualism
Dualism (philosophy of mind)
In philosophy of mind, dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter, which begins with the claim that mental phenomena are, in some respects, non-physical....
and postulates that human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
could affect the functioning of synapses in the brain through quantum tunneling of electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
s between the lipid bilayer
Lipid bilayer
The lipid bilayer is a thin membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around cells. The cell membrane of almost all living organisms and many viruses are made of a lipid bilayer, as are the membranes surrounding the cell nucleus...
s of the synaptic vesicle
Synaptic vesicle
In a neuron, synaptic vesicles store various neurotransmitters that are released at the synapse. The release is regulated by a voltage-dependent calcium channel. Vesicles are essential for propagating nerve impulses between neurons and are constantly recreated by the cell...
and the presynaptic membrane
Active zone
The active zone is a term first used by Couteaux and Pecot-Dechavassinein in 1970 and is defined in the neuron as the site of neurotransmitter release. Neurons contain structures called synapses that allow for the communication from one neuron to another...
. The tunneling of electrons trigger
Trigger
-Technology:* Trigger , a mechanism that actuates the firing of firearms* Image trigger, a device used in highspeed cameras* Schmitt trigger, an electronic circuit* Trigger circuit, IBM's name for a flip-flop...
s the process of exocytosis and thus initiates the transmission of information from the presynaptic neuron towards the postsynaptic neuron.