Hans-Arwed Weidenmüller
Encyclopedia
Hans-Arwed Weidenmüller (born 26 July 1933 in Dresden
) is a German theoretical physicist, who works primarily in the field of nuclear physics.
and from 1956 to 1957 in Heidelberg
under J. Hans D. Jensen
, who was his doctoral thesis advisor for his thesis on stripping reaction
s (Zeitschrift für Physik Bd.150, 1958, 389), in which the nuclei used as projectiles lose nucleons to the nuclei used as targets. He was from 1963 professor for theoretical physics at the University of Heidelberg. From 1968 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
and was director there from 1972 until his 2001 retirement.
Weidenmüller is known above all for his work in the theory of nuclear reaction
s. He examined nuclear reactions in the shell model
under inclusion of continuum states and developed a microscopic statistical theory of nuclear reactions; this statistical theory (now known as transport theory) had applications to the interpretation of the particle accelerator
experiments with heavy ions as well as on highly excited compound nuclei. He also examined chaotic dynamism in atomic nuclei and nuclear reactions (as well as Bose-Einstein condensates) with the help of the method of random matrices
.
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
) is a German theoretical physicist, who works primarily in the field of nuclear physics.
Life and work
Weidenmüller studied in BonnBonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
and from 1956 to 1957 in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
under J. Hans D. Jensen
J. Hans D. Jensen
Johannes Hans Daniel Jensen was a German nuclear physicist. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project, known as the Uranium Club, in which he made contributions to the separation of uranium isotopes. After the war Jensen was a professor at the University of Heidelberg...
, who was his doctoral thesis advisor for his thesis on stripping reaction
Stripping reaction
A stripping reaction is a term used to describe two separate physical processes:*In nuclear physics a stripping reaction is a nuclear reaction in which part of the incident nucleus combines with the target nucleus, and the remainder proceeds with most of its original momentum in almost its original...
s (Zeitschrift für Physik Bd.150, 1958, 389), in which the nuclei used as projectiles lose nucleons to the nuclei used as targets. He was from 1963 professor for theoretical physics at the University of Heidelberg. From 1968 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
The Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik is aresearch institute in Heidelberg, Germany.The institute is one of the 80 institutes of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft , an independent, non-profit research organization. The Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics has been founded in 1958 under the...
and was director there from 1972 until his 2001 retirement.
Weidenmüller is known above all for his work in the theory of nuclear reaction
Nuclear reaction
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is semantically considered to be the process in which two nuclei, or else a nucleus of an atom and a subatomic particle from outside the atom, collide to produce products different from the initial particles...
s. He examined nuclear reactions in the shell model
Shell model
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, the nuclear shell model is a model of the atomic nucleus which uses the Pauli exclusion principle to describe the structure of the nucleus in terms of energy levels. The first shell model was proposed by Dmitry Ivanenko in 1932...
under inclusion of continuum states and developed a microscopic statistical theory of nuclear reactions; this statistical theory (now known as transport theory) had applications to the interpretation of the particle accelerator
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
experiments with heavy ions as well as on highly excited compound nuclei. He also examined chaotic dynamism in atomic nuclei and nuclear reactions (as well as Bose-Einstein condensates) with the help of the method of random matrices
Random matrix
In probability theory and mathematical physics, a random matrix is a matrix-valued random variable. Many important properties of physical systems can be represented mathematically as matrix problems...
.
Recognitions and prizes
Weidenmüller has an honorary doctorate from the Weizmann Institute (1991) and membership in the Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina and in the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften.- 1982 - Max Planck MedalMax Planck medalThe Max Planck medal is an award for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. It is awarded annually by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft , the world's largest organization of physicists.-List of recipients:...
- 1995 - Humboldt/South Africa Award of the University of JohannesburgUniversity of JohannesburgThe University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Technikon Witwatersrand and the Rand Afrikaans University . Prior to the merger, the Daveyton and Soweto campuses of the former Vista University had been incorporated into RAU...
Selected works
- Mang, Weidenmüller: "Shell model theory of the nucleus." Annual Review Nuclear Physics Bd.18, 1968, S. 1-26
- Weidenmüller, Claude Mahaux: „Shell model approach to nuclear reactions.“ North Holland, 1969
- Weidenmüller, Wolfgang Nörenberg: „Introduction to the theory of heavy ion collisions.“ Springer 1976, Lecture Notes in Physics
- Weidenmüller: "Transport theories of heavy ion reactions." Progress in Nuclear and Particle Physics, Bd.3, 1980, S.49
- Verbaarschot, Weidenmüller, Zirnbauer: "Grassmann Integrations and stochastic quantum physics." Physics Reports Bd.129, 1985, S.367-438
- Guhr, Müller-Groening, Weidenmüller: “Random Matrix theories in quantum physics: common concepts.” Physics Reports, Bd.299, 1998, S.189-425
- Papenbrock, Weidenmüller: “Random matrices and chaos in nuclear spectra.” Reviews of Modern Physics, Bd.79, 2007, S.997
- Weidenmüller: „Chaos in Atomkernen.“ Physik Journal März 2004
- Weidenmüller, Zhang: "Nuclear fission viewed as a diffusion process: case of very large friction." Physical Review C, Bd. 29, 1984, S.879