Harold Furth
Encyclopedia
Harold P. Furth was an Austria
n-American physicist
.
Furth emigrated to the United States
in 1941. He graduated from Harvard University
with a Bachelor's degree in 1951 and received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1960. Furth worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
for several years before going to Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(PPPL) where he would spend the rest of his career working in plasma physics and nuclear fusion
. He was also a professor of astrophysics
at Princeton University
.
In the late 1960s Furth contributed some important theoretical work on resistive magnetohydrodynamics
instabilities in a slightly resistive plasma.
In 1981 Furth became the director at PPPL and led the laboratory until 1990 during record setting magnetic fusion energy experiments on the largest tokamak
in the country, the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
(TFTR).
He was awarded the Delmer S. Fahrney Medal in 1992.
Furth was a member of the National Academy of Sciences
and died of a heart ailment.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-American 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...
.
Furth emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1941. He graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with a Bachelor's degree in 1951 and received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1960. Furth worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
for several years before going to Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science located on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Its primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an...
(PPPL) where he would spend the rest of his career working in plasma physics and nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
. He was also a professor of astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
In the late 1960s Furth contributed some important theoretical work on resistive magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetohydrodynamics is an academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water or electrolytes...
instabilities in a slightly resistive plasma.
In 1981 Furth became the director at PPPL and led the laboratory until 1990 during record setting magnetic fusion energy experiments on the largest tokamak
Tokamak
A tokamak is a device using a magnetic field to confine a plasma in the shape of a torus . Achieving a stable plasma equilibrium requires magnetic field lines that move around the torus in a helical shape...
in the country, the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor
The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor was an experimental tokamak built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory circa 1980. Following on from the PDX and PLT devices, it was hoped that TFTR would finally achieve fusion energy break-even. Unfortunately, the TFTR never achieved this goal...
(TFTR).
He was awarded the Delmer S. Fahrney Medal in 1992.
Furth was a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and died of a heart ailment.