Charles Kittel
Charles Kittel | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1916 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 15, 2019 (aged 102) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Known for | RKKY interaction Introduction to Solid State Physics textbook |
| Awards | Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize (1957) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bell Laboratories |
| Thesis | The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model (1941) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gregory Breit |
| Doctoral students | Raymond L. Orbach Elihu Abrahams |
| Website | physics |
Charles Kittel (July 18, 1916 – May 15, 2019) was an American physicist. He was a Professor at University of California, Berkeley from 1951 and was Professor Emeritus from 1978 until his death.[1]
Life and work
Charles Kittel was born in New York City in 1916.[2][3] He 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[4] and joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) between 1945 and 1947. During World War II, he joined the Submarine Operations Research Group (SORG). He served in the United States Navy as a naval attache. 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.
Physics students worldwide study his classic text Introduction to Solid State Physics, now in its 8th edition. He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, elected in 1957.[7]
Kittel died on May 15, 2019 at the age of 102.[8]
Awards
- Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, 1957[9]
- Berkeley Distinguished Teacher Award, 1970
- Oersted Medal, American Association of Physics Teachers, 1979[10]
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 H. Kroemer) 1980.
- Berkeley Physics Course. Mechanics. Vol. 1, with Walter Knight and Malvin A. Ruderman
- Elementary Statistical Physics. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 1958. OCLC 912372820. Reprinted five times by 1967; a reproduction was published in 2004 by Dover (ISBN 9780486435145).
References
- ^ "Charles Kittel, Array of Contemporary American Physicists". Archived from the original on 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
- ^ Charles Kittel - Illustrated Encyclopedia of Applied and Engineering Physics, p. 141
- ^ Kittel's biography.
- ^ Kittel, Charles (1941). The fine structure of nuclear energy levels on the alpha model (Ph.D.). University of Wisconsin–Madison. OCLC 948185111 – via ProQuest.
- ^ American Institute of Physics-Charles Kittel
- ^ Alphabetical list of Fellows on John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation's website.
- ^ http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/53767.html
- ^ Remembering Charles Kittel
- ^ "Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize". AIP. Archived from the original on 2012-10-16. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ Karplus, Robert (1979). "Oersted Medal". The Physics Teacher. 17 (4): 262–279. Bibcode:1979PhTea..17..262K. doi:10.1119/1.2340210.
External links
- Official website
- Freeman Dyson on work at Berkeley with Charles Kittel
- Charles Kittel (Physics History Network)
- Charles Kittel at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- 1916 births
- 2019 deaths
- 21st-century American physicists
- University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
- Alumni of the University of Cambridge
- American centenarians
- American materials scientists
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Military personnel from New York City
- Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize winners
- Quantum physicists
- Scientists from New York City
- Semiconductor physicists
- University of California, Berkeley faculty
- Fellows of the American Physical Society