Helmut Volz
Encyclopedia
Helmut Volz was a German
experimental nuclear physicist
who worked on the German nuclear energy project during World War II. In the latter years of World War II, he became a professor at Erlangen University. He declined to take a position offered to him in the United States
after the war, and he continued his teaching and research at Erlangen
.
. From 1937 to 1944, Volz was a teaching assistant to Hans Geiger at the Technische Hochschule Berlin (today, the Technische Universität Berlin
, in Berlin-Charlottenburg
. During this period, Volz worked on the German nuclear energy project
, also called the Uranverein (Uranium Club). He specialized in experimental studies of neutron
absorption in uranium
, conducted with another former student of Geiger, Otto Haxel
. From 1943 to 1944, he was also a lecturer at the Technische Hochschule Berlin.
From 1944, Volz was an extraordinarius professor (professor without a chair) at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Near the close and after the end of World War II in Europe, the Russia
ns and the Western powers had programs to foster technology transfer and exploit German technical specialists. For example, the U.S. had Operation Paperclip
and the Russians had trophy brigades advancing with their military forces. In the area of atomic technology, the U.S. had Operation Alsos
and the Russians had their version. While operational aspects of the Russian operation were modelled after the trophy brigades, a more refined approach was warranted for the exploitation of German atomic related facilities, intellectual materials, and scientific personnel. This was rectified with a decree in late 1944 and the formation of specialised exploitation teams in early 1945 under the Russian Alsos
, which had broader objectives, including wholesale relocation of scientific facilities to the Soviet Union.
Volz was offered a position in the United States through Operation Paperclip
. Volz had received a letter from the Munich Branch of the American War Department indicating that he had been suggested for a position in the United States and that he should henceforth report any change of address to the United States occupation authorities. The letter was not clear if this offer was voluntary or compulsory. Under further investigation, Volz found that the offer had a number of stipulations. On the positive side, his family in Germany would receive better quality care and rations than the average citizen of Germany under the occupation. On the other hand, he would not be allowed to correspond with anyone other than his relatives, he was to obey all orders, he would be restricted to a 50-mile radius around his duty station, and the minimum obligation had to be for at least six months. Furthermore, after his contractual period, he would not be allowed to return to Germany without permission of his employer. That was the last straw; Volz declined the offer. However, even with these conditions, the United States was able to attract considerable scientific talent to the United States under Operation Paperclip, as the living conditions in Germany were harsh and there were limited opportunities for meaningful scientific work there.
From 1958, Volz was an ordinarius professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
(Research Reports in Nuclear Physics), an internal publication of the German Uranverein
. The reports were classified Top Secret, they had very limited distribution, and the authors were not allowed to keep copies. The reports were confiscated under the Allied Operation Alsos
and sent to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
for evaluation. In 1971, the reports were declassified and returned to Germany. The reports are available at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center and the American Institute of Physics
.
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...
experimental nuclear physicist
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
who worked on the German nuclear energy project during World War II. In the latter years of World War II, he became a professor at Erlangen University. He declined to take a position offered to him in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the war, and he continued his teaching and research at Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
.
Education
From 1929 to 1933, Volz studied at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He received his doctorate in 1935 under Hans Geiger at the University of Tübingen.Career
From 1935 to 1937, Volz worked at and studied physics at the Institut für theoretische Physik of the Universität LeipzigUniversity of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. From 1937 to 1944, Volz was a teaching assistant to Hans Geiger at the Technische Hochschule Berlin (today, the Technische Universität Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
, in Berlin-Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
. During this period, Volz worked on the German nuclear energy project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
, also called the Uranverein (Uranium Club). He specialized in experimental studies of neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
absorption in uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, conducted with another former student of Geiger, Otto Haxel
Otto Haxel
Otto Haxel was a German nuclear physicist. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project. After the war, he was on the staff of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen...
. From 1943 to 1944, he was also a lecturer at the Technische Hochschule Berlin.
From 1944, Volz was an extraordinarius professor (professor without a chair) at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Near the close and after the end of World War II in Europe, the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns and the Western powers had programs to foster technology transfer and exploit German technical specialists. For example, the U.S. had Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
and the Russians had trophy brigades advancing with their military forces. In the area of atomic technology, the U.S. had Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II by the Allies , branched off from the Manhattan Project, to investigate the German nuclear energy project, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and...
and the Russians had their version. While operational aspects of the Russian operation were modelled after the trophy brigades, a more refined approach was warranted for the exploitation of German atomic related facilities, intellectual materials, and scientific personnel. This was rectified with a decree in late 1944 and the formation of specialised exploitation teams in early 1945 under the Russian Alsos
Russian Alsos
The Russian Alsos was an operation which took place in early 1945 in Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, and whose objectives were the exploitation of German atomic related facilities, intellectual materials, materiel resources, and scientific personnel for the benefit of the Soviet atomic bomb...
, which had broader objectives, including wholesale relocation of scientific facilities to the Soviet Union.
Volz was offered a position in the United States through Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
. Volz had received a letter from the Munich Branch of the American War Department indicating that he had been suggested for a position in the United States and that he should henceforth report any change of address to the United States occupation authorities. The letter was not clear if this offer was voluntary or compulsory. Under further investigation, Volz found that the offer had a number of stipulations. On the positive side, his family in Germany would receive better quality care and rations than the average citizen of Germany under the occupation. On the other hand, he would not be allowed to correspond with anyone other than his relatives, he was to obey all orders, he would be restricted to a 50-mile radius around his duty station, and the minimum obligation had to be for at least six months. Furthermore, after his contractual period, he would not be allowed to return to Germany without permission of his employer. That was the last straw; Volz declined the offer. However, even with these conditions, the United States was able to attract considerable scientific talent to the United States under Operation Paperclip, as the living conditions in Germany were harsh and there were limited opportunities for meaningful scientific work there.
From 1958, Volz was an ordinarius professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
Internal Reports
The following reports were published in Kernphysikalische ForschungsberichteKernphysikalische Forschungsberichte
Kernphysikalische Forschungsberichte was an internal publication of the German Uranverein, which was initiated under the Heereswaffenamt in 1939; in 1942, supervision of the Uranverein was turned over to the Reichsforschungsrat under the Reichserziehungsministerium...
(Research Reports in Nuclear Physics), an internal publication of the German Uranverein
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
. The reports were classified Top Secret, they had very limited distribution, and the authors were not allowed to keep copies. The reports were confiscated under the Allied Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II by the Allies , branched off from the Manhattan Project, to investigate the German nuclear energy project, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and...
and sent to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
for evaluation. In 1971, the reports were declassified and returned to Germany. The reports are available at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center and the American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
.
- Otto HaxelOtto HaxelOtto Haxel was a German nuclear physicist. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project. After the war, he was on the staff of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen...
and Helmut Volz Über die Absorption von Neutronen in wässerigen Lösungen G-37 (17 December 1940) - Otto Haxel and Helmut Volz Die Möglichkeit der technischen Energiegewinnung aus der Uranspaltung G-38 (11 June 1940)
- Otto Haxel, Ernst Stuhlinger, and Helmut Volz Über die Absorption und Verlangsamung von Neutronen in Berylliumoxyd G-91 (4 August 1941)
- Helmut Volz Über die Absorption des Urans im Resonanzgebiet G-116 (1941)
- Helmut Volz Über die Geschwindigkeitsverteilung der Neutronen in einem Gemisch von schwerem Wasser und Uran G-117 (1941)
- Otto Haxel and Helmut Volz Über die Absorption von Neutronen im Uran G-118 (1 February 1941)
Selected Literature
- H. Volz Über die Größe der Kernkräfte, Zeitschrift für Physik Volume 105, Numbers 9-10, 537-552 (1937). Institutional citation: Institut für theoretische Physik der Universität, Leipzig. Received 16 March 1937.
- H. Volz Über die Größe der neuen Kernkräfte, Die NaturwissenschaftenDie NaturwissenschaftenNaturwissenschaften is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer on behalf of several learned societies.- History :...
Volume 25, Number 13, 200-101 (1937). Institutional citation: Leipzig, Institut fiir theoretiscbe Physik. Received 30 January 1937. - Helmut Volz Wirkungsquerschnitte für die Absorption langsamer Neutronen, Zeitschrift für Physik Volume 121, Numbers 3-4, 201-235 (1943). Institutional affiliation: Berlin-Charlottenburg. Received 27 January 1943.
- M. Reinecke, H. Ruder, and H. Volz Influence of the residual interaction Vpn on the rotational spectrum of the odd-odd nucleus 166Ho [In German] Z. Naturforsch. Volume 27a, Number 5, 850-859 (1972). Institutional citation: University of Erlangen.