Charles Kittel: Difference between revisions

Charles Kittel
Charles Kittel
Born	July 18, 1916; New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 15, 2019 (aged 102); Berkeley, California, U.S.
Education	St John's College, Cambridge (BA); University of Wisconsin–Madison (PhD);
Known for	RKKY interaction; Introduction to Solid State Physics;
Spouse	Muriel A. Lister
Children	3
Awards	Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize (1957); Oersted Medal (1979);
	Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Bell Laboratories; University of California, Berkeley;
Thesis	The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model (1941)
Doctoral advisor	Gregory Breit
Doctoral students	Albert Overhauser; Morrel H. Cohen; George Feher; Elihu Abrahams; Raymond L. Orbach;

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Charles Kittel (July 18, 1916 – May 15, 2019) was an American physicist. He was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley from 1951 and was professor emeritus from 1978 until his death.^[1]

Early life and education

Charles Kittel was born in New York City in 1916. He attended the Horace Mann School for Boys, graduating in June 1934. Kittel then entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a chemistry major before switching to physics. He transferred to the St John's College, Cambridge two years later, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in 1938.^[2]^[3]

Kittel began his graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison the same year and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1941, with a thesis supervised by Gregory Breit.^[2]^[4]

Career

During World War II, he joined the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG). (He is mentioned on page 478 of RV Jones' book Most Secret War, published 1978.) He served in the United States Navy as a naval attache.

Kittel joined MIT again in 1945, this time as a research associate, remaining there until 1947. From 1947 to 1951, he worked for Bell Laboratories, New Jersey, USA, especially on ferromagnetism.^[5]

From 1951 to 1978, he worked at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught and did research in the field of theoretical solid-state physics, a part of condensed-matter physics. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1945, 1956 and 1963. Many well-known postdoctoral fellows worked with him, including James C. Phillips and Pierre-Gilles de Gennes.^[6]

Among other achievements, Kittel is credited with the theoretical discovery of the RKKY interaction (the first K standing for Kittel) and the Kittel magnon mode in ferromagnets.^[7]

Physics students worldwide study his classic text Introduction to Solid State Physics, now in its 8th edition.^[7]

Personal life

Kittel married Muriel A. Lister, at the time an English literature student, in 1938 during his time at Cambridge. The two had three kids: Peter, Ruth and Timothy. Lister, who went on to have a career as a scholarly translator, died in 2009 at the age of 93.^[2]

Kittel died on May 15, 2019, at his home in Berkeley. He was 102.^[8]^[9]

Honors and awards

Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, 1957^[10]
Berkeley Distinguished Teacher Award, 1970
Oersted Medal, American Association of Physics Teachers, 1979^[11]

Kittel was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, elected in 1957.^[2]

Works

1953: Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8th edition 2005, ISBN 0-471-41526-X
1958: Elementary Statistical Physics. New York: John Wiley & Sons. OCLC 912372820. Reprinted five times by 1967; a reproduction was published in 2004 by Dover ISBN 9780486435145
1963: Quantum Theory of Solids ISBN 0-471-49025-3, 1987 (with C. Y. Fong) ISBN 0-471-62412-8
1965: (with Walter D. Knight and Malvin A. Ruderman) Mechanics, volume 1 of Berkeley Physics Course^[12]
1969: Thermal Physics, 2nd ed. 1980 (with Herbert Kroemer) ISBN 0-7167-1088-9

References

^ "Charles Kittel". Array of Contemporary American Physicists. American Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cohen, Marvin L.; Cohen, Morrel H. (2021). "Charles Kittel (1916–2019)" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^ Sleeman, Elizabeth, ed. (November 2, 2003). The International Who's Who 2004. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85-743217-6 – via Google Books.
^ Kittel, Charles (1941). The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model (Ph.D.). University of Wisconsin–Madison. ISBN 978-1-08-424277-7. OCLC 948185111 – via ProQuest.
^ "Kittel, Charles". history.aip.org.
^ Alphabetical list of Fellows Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine on John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation's website.
^ ^a ^b Cohen, Marvin L.; Cohen, Morrel H. (2019). "Charles Kittel". Physics Today. 72 (10): 73. Bibcode:2019PhT....72j..73C. doi:10.1063/PT.3.4326. OSTI 1737577. S2CID 216580309.
^ "Remembering Charles Kittel | UC Berkeley Physics". physics.berkeley.edu. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
^ Cohen, Marvin L. (2020). "In Memoriam | Charles Kittel". University of California Academic Senate. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
^ "Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize". AIP. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
^ Karplus, Robert (1979). "Oersted Medal". The Physics Teacher. 17 (4): 262–279. Bibcode:1979PhTea..17..262K. doi:10.1119/1.2340210.
^ Lewis, J. A. (May 7, 1965). "Mechanics: Berkeley Physics Course". Science. 148 (3671): 813–814. doi:10.1126/science.148.3671.813-b. JSTOR 1716383. S2CID 176834082.

External links

Charles Kittel at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
Freeman Dyson on work at Berkeley with Charles Kittel
Charles Kittel (Physics History Network)

[CKittel-1] "Charles Kittel". Array of Contemporary American Physicists. American Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2017.

[:0-2] Cohen, Marvin L.; Cohen, Morrel H. (2021). "Charles Kittel (1916–2019)" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved February 14, 2024.

[3] Sleeman, Elizabeth, ed. (November 2, 2003). The International Who's Who 2004. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-85-743217-6 – via Google Books.

[thesis-kittel-1941-4] Kittel, Charles (1941). The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model (Ph.D.). University of Wisconsin–Madison. ISBN 978-1-08-424277-7. OCLC 948185111 – via ProQuest.

[5] "Kittel, Charles". history.aip.org.

[6] Alphabetical list of Fellows Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine on John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation's website.

[obitPT-7] Cohen, Marvin L.; Cohen, Morrel H. (2019). "Charles Kittel". Physics Today. 72 (10): 73. Bibcode:2019PhT....72j..73C. doi:10.1063/PT.3.4326. OSTI 1737577. S2CID 216580309.

[8] "Remembering Charles Kittel | UC Berkeley Physics". physics.berkeley.edu. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.

[9] Cohen, Marvin L. (2020). "In Memoriam | Charles Kittel". University of California Academic Senate. Retrieved February 12, 2024.

[10] "Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize". AIP. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.

[11] Karplus, Robert (1979). "Oersted Medal". The Physics Teacher. 17 (4): 262–279. Bibcode:1979PhTea..17..262K. doi:10.1119/1.2340210.

[12] Lewis, J. A. (May 7, 1965). "Mechanics: Berkeley Physics Course". Science. 148 (3671): 813–814. doi:10.1126/science.148.3671.813-b. JSTOR 1716383. S2CID 176834082.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|American physicist (1916–2019)}}
-'''Charles Kittel''' (born July 18, 1916 in [[New York City|New York]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[physicist]]. He was a [[Professor]] at [[University of California, Berkeley]], from 1951 and has been Professor [[Emeritus]] since 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://physics.berkeley.edu/index.php?option=com_dept_management&act=people&Itemid=299&task=view&id=241|title=Biography|publisher=UC Berkeley|accessdate=2008-09-16}}</ref>
+{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
+{{Infobox scientist
+| name              = Charles Kittel
+| image             = LowRes 60dpi Charles Kittel.png
+| image_size        = 150px
+| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1916|7|18|mf=y}}
+| birth_place       = [[New York City, New York]], U.S.
+| death_date        = {{Death date and age|2019|5|15|1916|7|18|mf=y}}
+| death_place       = [[Berkeley, California]], U.S.
+| fields            = Physics
+| workplaces        = {{plainlist |
+*[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
+*[[Bell Laboratories]]
+*[[University of California, Berkeley]]
+}}
+| education         = {{plainlist |
+*[[St John's College, Cambridge]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
+*[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] ([[PhD]])
+}}
+| thesis_title      = The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model
+| spouse            = Muriel A. Lister
+| children          = 3
+| thesis_url        = https://search.proquest.com/docview/301841210/
+| thesis_year       = 1941
+| doctoral_advisor  = [[Gregory Breit]]
+| academic_advisors =
+| doctoral_students = {{plainlist |
+*[[Albert Overhauser]]
+*[[Morrel H. Cohen]]
+*[[George Feher]]
+*[[Elihu Abrahams]]
+*[[Raymond L. Orbach]]
+}}
+| notable_students  =
+| known_for         = {{plainlist |
+*[[RKKY interaction]]
+*''[[Introduction to Solid State Physics]]''
+}}
+| influences        =
+| influenced        =
+| awards            = {{plainlist |
+* [[Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize]] (1957)
+* [[Oersted Medal]] (1979)
+  }}
+}}
+'''Charles Kittel''' (July 18, 1916 – May 15, 2019) was an American [[physicist]]. He was a [[professor]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]] from 1951 and was professor [[emeritus]] from 1978 until his death.<ref name="CKittel">{{Cite web |title=Charles Kittel |url=http://history.aip.org/history/acap/biographies/bio.jsp?kittelc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231071107/http://history.aip.org/history/acap/biographies/bio.jsp?kittelc |archive-date=December 31, 2016 |access-date=April 18, 2017 |website=Array of Contemporary American Physicists |publisher=[[American Institute of Physics]]}}</ref>
-== Life and work ==
+==Early life and education==
+Charles Kittel was born in New York City in 1916. He attended the [[Horace Mann School]] for Boys, graduating in June 1934. Kittel then entered the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] as a chemistry major before switching to physics. He transferred to the [[St John's College, Cambridge]] two years later, where he obtained a [[Bachelor of Arts|bachelor of arts]] in 1938.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sR4Ch1dMe8IC&q=Charles+Kittel+1916+New+York&pg=PA899 |title=The International Who's Who 2004 |date=November 2, 2003 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-85-743217-6 |editor-last=Sleeman |editor-first=Elizabeth |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
-Charles Kittel studied at the [[University of Cambridge]], [[England]], where he obtained his [[Bachelor of Arts]] (BA) in 1938. He published his [[thesis]], under [[Gregory Breit]], in 1941 at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] and joined the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) between 1945 and 1947. During [[World War II]], he joined the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG). From 1947 to 1951, he worked for [[Bell Laboratories]], [[New Jersey]], USA, especially on [[ferromagnetism]].
+Kittel began his graduate studies at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] the same year and obtained his [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree in 1941, with a thesis supervised by [[Gregory Breit]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="thesis-kittel-1941">{{cite thesis |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/301841210/ |title=The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model |date=1941 |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] |type=Ph.D. |last=Kittel |first=Charles |via=[[ProQuest]] |url-access=subscription |oclc=948185111 |isbn=978-1-08-424277-7}}</ref>
-From 1951 to 1978, he worked at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], where he taught and did research in the field of theoretical [[solid-state physics]], a part of [[condensed-matter physics]]. He was awarded three times with [[Guggenheim Fellowship]]s: in 1945, 1956 and 1963. Many well known postdoctoral fellows worked with him, including [[James Charles Phillips|James C. Phillips]] and [[Pierre-Gilles de Gennes]].<ref>[http://www.gf.org/kfellow.html Alphabetical list of Fellows] on John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation's website.</ref>
+==Career==
-Physics students worldwide study his classic text ''Introduction to Solid State Physics'', now in its 8th edition.
+During [[World War II]], he joined the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG). (He is mentioned on page 478 of RV Jones' book Most Secret War, published 1978.)  He served in the [[United States Navy]] as a naval attache.
+Kittel joined MIT again in 1945, this time as a research associate, remaining there until 1947. From 1947 to 1951, he worked for [[Bell Laboratories]], [[New Jersey]], USA, especially on [[ferromagnetism]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.aip.org/phn/11505002.html|title=Kittel, Charles|website=history.aip.org}}</ref>
-== Awards ==
-*[[Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize]], 1957<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aip.org/history/acap/institutions/buckley.jsp |title=Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize |publisher=AIP |accessdate=16 December 2012}}</ref>
+From 1951 to 1978, he worked at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], where he taught and did research in the field of theoretical [[solid-state physics]], a part of [[condensed-matter physics]]. He was awarded a [[Guggenheim Fellowship]] in 1945, 1956 and 1963. Many well-known postdoctoral fellows worked with him, including [[James Charles Phillips|James C. Phillips]] and [[Pierre-Gilles de Gennes]].<ref>[http://www.gf.org/kfellow.html Alphabetical list of Fellows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807041348/http://www.gf.org/kfellow.html |date=August 7, 2007 }} on John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation's website.</ref>
+Among other achievements, Kittel is credited with the theoretical discovery of the [[RKKY interaction]] (the first K standing for Kittel) and the [[Kittel magnon mode]] in ferromagnets.<ref name=obitPT>{{cite journal|doi=10.1063/PT.3.4326|title=Charles Kittel|year=2019|last1=Cohen|first1=Marvin L.|author-link=Marvin L. Cohen|last2=Cohen|first2=Morrel H.|author2-link=Morrel H. Cohen|journal=Physics Today|volume=72|issue=10|page=73|bibcode=2019PhT....72j..73C|osti=1737577 |s2cid=216580309|doi-access=free}}</ref>
+Physics students worldwide study his classic text ''[[Introduction to Solid State Physics (Kittel book)|Introduction to Solid State Physics]]'', now in its 8th edition.<ref name=obitPT />
+==Personal life==
+Kittel married Muriel A. Lister, at the time an English literature student, in 1938 during his time at Cambridge. The two had three kids: Peter, Ruth and Timothy. Lister, who went on to have a career as a scholarly translator, died in 2009 at the age of 93.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Marvin L. |author-link=Marvin L. Cohen |last2=Cohen |first2=Morrel H. |author-link2=Morrel H. Cohen |date=2021 |title=Charles Kittel (1916–2019) |url=http://nationalacademyofsciences.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/kittel-charles.pdf |access-date=14 February 2024 |website= |publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]]}}</ref>
+Kittel died on May 15, 2019, at his home in Berkeley. He was 102.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://physics.berkeley.edu/news-events/news/20190516/remembering-charles-kittel|title=Remembering Charles Kittel &#124; UC Berkeley Physics|website=physics.berkeley.edu|access-date=May 17, 2019|archive-date=May 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517172644/https://physics.berkeley.edu/news-events/news/20190516/remembering-charles-kittel|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Marvin L. |author-link=Marvin L. Cohen |date=2020 |title=In Memoriam {{!}} Charles Kittel |url=https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/in-memoriam/files/charles-kittel.html |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=University of California Academic Senate}}</ref>
+==Honors and awards==
+*[[Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize]], 1957<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aip.org/history/acap/institutions/buckley.jsp |title=Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize |publisher=AIP |access-date=December 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016082259/http://www.aip.org/history/acap/institutions/buckley.jsp# |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 *Berkeley Distinguished Teacher Award, 1970
-*[[Oersted Medal]], American Association of Physics Teachers, 1972<ref>{{cite journal|last=Karplus|first=Robert|title=Oersted Medal|journal=The Physics Teacher|year=1979|volume=17|issue=4|pages=262|doi=10.1119/1.2340210|bibcode = 1979PhTea..17..262K }}</ref>
+*[[Oersted Medal]], American Association of Physics Teachers, 1979<ref>{{cite journal|last=Karplus|first=Robert|title=Oersted Medal|journal=The Physics Teacher|year=1979|volume=17|issue=4|pages=262–279|doi=10.1119/1.2340210|bibcode = 1979PhTea..17..262K }}</ref>
+Kittel was a member of the [[National Academy of Sciences|U.S. National Academy of Sciences]], elected in 1957.<ref name=":0" />
-== Works ==
-*''Introduction to Solid State Physics'', 1st ed. 1953 - 8th ed. 2005, ISBN 0-471-41526-X
-*''Quantum Theory of Solids'', 1963, ISBN 0-471-49025-3 and (with C. Y. Fong) 1987, ISBN 0-471-62412-8
-*''Thermal Physics'', 2nd ed. 1980, ISBN 0-7167-1088-9, and (with [[Herbert Kroemer|H. Kroemer]]) 1980.
-*''[[Berkeley Physics Course]]. Mechanics. Vol. 1'', with Walter Knight and Malvin A. Ruderman
-== References ==
+==Works==
+* 1953: ''[[Introduction to Solid State Physics]]'', 8th edition 2005, {{ISBN|0-471-41526-X}}
-<references />
+* 1958: {{cite book |title=Elementary Statistical Physics |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |location=New York |oclc=912372820}} Reprinted five times by 1967; a reproduction was published in 2004 by Dover {{ISBN |9780486435145}}
+* 1963: ''Quantum Theory of Solids'' {{ISBN|0-471-49025-3}}, 1987 (with C. Y. Fong) {{ISBN|0-471-62412-8}}
+* 1965: (with [[Walter D. Knight]] and [[Malvin Ruderman|Malvin A. Ruderman]]) ''Mechanics'', volume 1 of [[Berkeley Physics Course]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lewis|first=J. A.|title=Mechanics: Berkeley Physics Course|journal=Science|date=May 7, 1965|volume=148|issue=3671|pages=813&ndash;814|jstor=1716383|doi=10.1126/science.148.3671.813-b |s2cid=176834082 }}</ref>
+* 1969: ''Thermal Physics'', 2nd ed. 1980 (with [[Herbert Kroemer]]) {{ISBN|0-7167-1088-9}}
-== External links ==
+==See also==
+*[[Antiferroelectricity]]
-*[http://www.webofstories.com/play/4407 Freeman Dyson on work at Berkeley with Charles Kittel]
+*[[Ferromagnetic resonance]]
-*[http://www.aip.org/history/acap/biographies/bio.jsp?kittelc Charles Kittel] (Array of Contemporary American Physicists)
+*[[Single domain (magnetic)]]
+==References==
+{{reflist|30em}}
+==External links==
 *{{MathGenealogy|id=125155}}
+*[http://www.webofstories.com/play/4407 Freeman Dyson on work at Berkeley with Charles Kittel]
+*[https://history.aip.org/phn/11505002.html Charles Kittel] (Physics History Network)
-{{Authority control|VIAF=32057689}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata
-|NAME=Kittel, Charles
-|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
-|SHORT DESCRIPTION=American [[Physicist]]
-|DATE OF BIRTH=July 18, 1916
-|PLACE OF BIRTH=New York City, USA
-|DATE OF DEATH=
-|PLACE OF DEATH=
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kittel, Charles}}
 [[Category:1916 births]]
-[[Category:American physicists]]
+[[Category:2019 deaths]]
+[[Category:21st-century American physicists]]
 [[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni]]
-[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty]]
+[[Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge]]
-[[Category:University of California, Berkeley faculty]]
+[[Category:American men centenarians]]
-[[Category:Semiconductor physicists]]
-[[Category:Quantum physicists]]
 [[Category:American materials scientists]]
-[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty]]
-[[Category:Guggenheim Fellows]]
-[[Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge]]
 [[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]
+[[Category:Military personnel from New York City]]
 [[Category:Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize winners]]
+[[Category:American quantum physicists]]
+[[Category:Scientists from New York City]]
+[[Category:Semiconductor physicists]]
+[[Category:University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty]]
+[[Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society]]
+[[Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom]]

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