| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
He entered the field of radio astronomy, working at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, after war service in military radarThis article is about the device. For the fictional character in M A S H see Corporal Walter (Radar) O'Reilly. antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. Radar is an acronym for ra dio d etec research. Hewish made both practical and theoretical advances in the observation and exploitation of the apparent scintillations of radio sources due to their radiation impinging upon plasmaFor the fluid portion of blood, see blood plasma; also, other uses. There is debate as to whether plasma is an individual state of matter or simply a type of gas. In physics and chemistry, plasma (also called an ionised gas is an energetic gas-phase state.
This led him to propose, and secure funding for, the construction of a large array radio telescope at Cambridge in order to conduct a high resolution radio sky survey. In the course of this project, one of his graduate students, Jocelyn Bell, first noticed the radio source which was ultimately recognised as the first pulsar.
The paper announcing the discovery had five authors, Hewish's name being listed first, Bell's second. The Nobel award to Hewish without the inclusion of Bell as a co-recipient was controversial, and was roundly condemned by Hewish's fellow astronomer Fred HoyleSir Fred Hoyle ( June 24, 1915 August 20, 2001) was a British astronomer, notable for a number of his theories that run counter to current astronomical opinion, and a writer of science fiction, including a number of books co-authored by his son Geoffrey H. Others however have noted that the prize was given to Ryle and Hewish for their work across the field of radio-astronomy as a whole, with particular mention of Ryle's work on aperture-synthesis, and Hewish's on pulsars.