Victor Weisskopf

Victor Weisskopf
Victor Frederick Weisskopf in the 1940s.
Born	(1908-09-19)September 19, 1908 Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died	Newton, Massachusetts, United States
Residence	Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, United States
Nationality	Austria, United States
Fields	Physicist
Institutions	University of Leipzig University of Berlin ETH Zurich Niels Bohr Institute University of Rochester Manhattan Project MIT CERN
Alma mater	University of Göttingen
Doctoral advisor	Max Born
Doctoral students	Kerson Huang J. David Jackson Murray Gell-Mann Kurt Gottfried Lawrence Biedenharn
Notable awards	Max Planck Medal (1956) Oersted Medal (1976) National Medal of Science (1980) Wolf Prize (1981) Enrico Fermi Award (1988) Public Welfare Medal (1991)

Victor Frederick "Viki" Weisskopf (September 19, 1908 – April 22, 2002) was an Austrian-born American theoretical physicist. He did postdoctoral work with Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Wolfgang Pauli and Niels Bohr. During World War II he was Group Leader of the Theoretical Division of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, and later campaigned against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Biography

Weisskopf was born in Vienna to Jewish parents and earned his doctorate in physics at the University of Göttingen in Germany in 1931. His brilliance in physics led to work with the great physicists exploring the atom, especially Niels Bohr, who mentored Weisskopf at his institute in Copenhagen. By the late 1930s, he realized that, as a Jew, he needed to get out of Europe. Bohr helped him find a position in the U.S.

In the 1930s and 1940s, 'Viki', as everyone called him, made major contributions to the development of quantum theory, especially in the area of Quantum Electrodynamics. One of his few regrets was that his insecurity about his mathematical abilities may have cost him a Nobel prize when he did not publish results (which turned out to be correct) about what is now known as the Lamb shift.

From 1937 to 1943 he was a Professor of Physics at the University of Rochester.

After World War II, Weisskopf joined the physics faculty at MIT, ultimately becoming head of the department. At MIT, he encouraged students to ask questions, and, even in undergraduate physics courses, taught his students to think like physicists, not just to learn physics. He was a memorable teacher.

Weisskopf was a co-founder and board member of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He served as director-general of CERN from 1961 to 1966.

Weisskopf was awarded the Max Planck medal in 1956 and the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca in 1972, the National Medal of Science (1980), the Wolf Prize (1981) and the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences (1991).

Weisskopf was a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was president of the American Physical Society (1960–61) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1976–1979).

He was appointed by Pope Paul VI to the 70-member Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1975, and in 1981 he led a team of four scientists sent by Pope John Paul II to talk to President Ronald Reagan about the need to prohibit the use of nuclear weapons.

In joint statement Preserving and Cherishing the Earth with other noted scientists including Carl Sagan it concluded that: The historical record makes clear that religious teaching, example, and leadership are powerfully able to influence personal conduct and commitment...Thus, there is a vital role for religion and science.

He married Ellen Tvede. He was survived at death by his second wife Duscha.

Decorations and awards

• 1956: Max Planck Medal
• 1972: Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
• 1976: Oersted Medal
• 1978: Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences
• 1980: National Medal of Science
• 1981: Wolf Prize
• 1982: Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
• 1983: J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Prize
• 1984: Albert Einstein Medal
• 1990: Ludwig Wittgenstein Prize of the Austrian Science Fund
• 1991: Public Welfare Medal (United States National Academy of Sciences)
• 2000: Grand Gold Medal with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria

Quotes

Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; knowledge without compassion is inhuman.

Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution.

The computer understands the answer but I don't think you understand the answer.

In class one day, speaking to junior physics majors (Spring, 1957): "There is no such thing as a stupid question."

Publications

• [1]

Bibliography

• V. Stefan (Editor). PHYSICS and SOCIETY. Essays in Honor of Victor Frederick Weisskopf by the International Community of Physicists. ISBN 1-56396-386-8

External links

• National Academy of Sciences biography
• Annotated bibliography for Victor Weisskopf from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
• "A Scientist's Odyssey": A Conversation with Victor Weisskopf, April 7, 1988, transcript and RealMedia webcast
• Victor Weisskopf, a Manhattan Project Physicist, Dies at 93 (New York Times obituary)
• Oral history interview transcript with Victor Fredrick Weisskopf 10 July 1965, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
• Scientific publications of Victor Weisskopf on INSPIRE-HEP

Preceded by John Adams (Acting Director-General)

CERN Director General 1961 – 1965

Succeeded by Bernard Gregory