Peter Debye Early Life Scientific Contributions Prior To The

Peter "Pie" Debye was born in Maastricht and after attending local schools in Maastricht went to the University of Aachen, Germany, only 30 km from Maastricht, in 1901. He studied mathematics and classical physics, and in 1905 received a degree in electrical engineering. In 1907Events January events January 6 Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo). January 14 An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than a 1,000 January 23 Charles Curtis he published his first paper, a mathematically elegant solution of a problem involving eddy currentAn Eddy Current is a phenomenon caused by a moving magnetic field intersecting a conductor. The moving magnetic field causes a flow of electrons or current in the conductor that creates an opposing magnetic field, an electro- magnet(see Lenz's law. The sts. At Aachen he studied under the theoretical physicist Arnold SommerfeldArnold Johannes Sommerfeld ( December 5, 1868 April 26, 1951) was a German physicist who introduced the fine-structure constant in 1919. Arnold Sommerfeld was born in Konigsberg, where he also studied mathematics. After receiving doctorate in 1891 he chan, who later claimed that his most important discovery was Peter Debye.

In 1906Events January 8 Landslide in Haverstraw, New York kills 20 January 31 Earthquake in Ecuador (8. 6 in Richter scale) February 11 Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos''. February 15 Representatives of the Labour Representation Committee in t, Sommerfeld received an appointment at MunichMunich ( German: Munchen ) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. Behind Berlin and Hamburg, Munich is Germany's third largest city with a population of about 1. 261 million ( as of 2003). It is located on the river Isar. History The se, and took Debye with him as his assistant. He got his Ph. D.Doctor of Philosophy Ph. an abbreviation for the Latin Philosophiae Doctor , or in non-Anglo-Saxon (e. German and Scandinavian) usage Doctor philosophi Dr. was originally a degree granted by a university to a learned individual who had achieved the approv with a dissertation on radiation pressureElectromagnetic radiation exerts a pressure upon any surface exposed to it. If absorbed, it is the energy flux density divided by the speed of light. If the radiation is reflected the radiation pressure is doubled. For example, the radiation of the Sun at in 19081908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 1 A ball signifying New Year's Day drops in New York City's Times Square for the first time January 8 A train collision occurs in the Park Avenue T. In 1910 he derived the Planck radiation formula using a method which Max Planck agreed was simpler than his own method.

In 1913 he married Mathilde Alberer. They had a son and a daughter; their son (Peter P. Debye) became a physicist and collaborated with Debye in some of his researches.

2 Scientific contributions prior to the Nobel Prize

His first major scientific contribution was the application of the concept of dipole moment to the charge distribution in asymmetric molecules in 1912, developing equations relating dipole moments to temperature, dielectric constant, etc. In consequence, molecular dipole moments are measured in debyes, a unit named in his honor.
Also in 1912, he extended Albert Einstein's theory of specific heat to lower temperatures by including contributions from low-frequency phonons. See Debye model.
in 1913, he extended Niels Bohr's theory of atomic structure, introducing elliptical orbits, a concept also introduced by Arnold Sommerfeld.
In 1914- 1915, he calculated the effect of temperature on X-ray diffraction patterns of crystalline solids with Paul Scherrer.
In 1923, with his assistant Erich Hückel, he developed an improvement of Svante Arrhenius' theory of electrical conductivity in electrolytic solutions. Although an improvement was made to the Debye-Hückel equation in 1926 by Lars Onsager, the theory is still regarded as a major forward step in our understanding of electrolytic solutions.
Also in 1923, he developed a theory to explain the Compton effect, the shifting of the frequency of X-rays when they interact with electrons.

3 His Nobel Prize

In 1936, Debye was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (entry at nobelprize.org "for his contributions to the study of molecular structure," primarily referring to his work on dipole moments and X-ray diffraction.

4 Later life

In 1938 the Nazi government began to insist that Debye give up his Dutch citizenship and become a German citizen. Debye did not want to do so, and since he had been offered a chance to give a series of lectures at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, traveled to the United States of America. He ended up staying at Cornell, became a professor (and, for 10 years, chairman of the chemistry department, and member of Alpha Chi Sigma) there, and in 1946 became an American citizen. Unlike the European phase of his life, where Debye moved from city to city every few years, in the United States he remained at Cornell for the whole remainder of his career. He retired in 1952, but continued research until his death.

Much of his work at Cornell concerned the use of light-scattering techniques (derived from his X-ray scattering work of years earlier) to determine the size and molecular weight of polymer molecules. This started as a result of his work during World War II on synthetic rubber , but was extended to proteins and other macromolecules.

In April 1966 he suffered a heart attack, and in November of that year a second, which proved fatal.

5 Miscellaneous

In plasma physics, the phenomenon known as Debye shielding , where a plasma shields out an electro-static field, is named after him.

Debye, Peter Joseph William Debye, Peter Joseph William Debye, Peter Debye, Peter Debye, Peter Debye, Peter

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1 Early life