Weber, Joseph

Weber, Joseph
▪ 2001

      American physicist (b. May 17, 1919, Paterson, N.J.—d. Sept. 30, 2000, Pittsburgh, Pa.), pioneered research that led to the development of lasers and the detection of gravitational waves. Weber was the first to articulate the possibility of molecules, in an energetic state, amplifying coherent light—the basic principle behind the operation of a laser. He gave the first known public address on lasers in 1952. Those who built the first lasers, however, were credited with the discovery and were awarded a 1964 Nobel Prize. The son of Eastern European immigrants, Weber originally spoke Yiddish but lost his ability to speak after being hit by a bus at the age of five. Upon regaining his speech, he had adopted his speech therapist's middle-American accent, leading Weber's family to nickname him “Yankee.” He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1940 and served in the navy, surviving a 1942 Japanese attack that sank the aircraft carrier Lexington in the Coral Sea. He left the navy in 1948 to serve as a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Maryland at College Park, where he remained until his retirement in 1989. In 1951 he earned his doctorate from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., and two years later wrote his first scientific paper, on microwaves. His work led to the development of the maser (microwave amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation) and later of the laser. Weber went on to try to uncover a way to detect gravitational waves, which Albert Einstein described in his theory of relativity. The waves, said to result from disturbances in the cosmos, could alter the size of space and matter. He built a device that consisted of aluminum bars, weighing more than a ton, insulated against vibration and equipped with special sensors. Though he claimed that his device detected gravitational waves, creating a stir in the scientific community in the late 1960s, Weber was never able to provide conclusive proof of his findings. His early work in the field, however, has been credited as a direct catalyst for all subsequent efforts to detect the waves, including the creation of a $300 million observatory.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Weber , Joseph — (1919–) American physicist Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Weber graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1940 and served in the Navy until 1948, when he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, College Park. He completed his doctorate at… …   Scientists

  • Joseph von Weber — (* 23. September 1753 in Rain; † 14. Februar 1831 in Augsburg) war ein deutscher Naturwissenschaftler und katholischer Geistlicher. Weber hatte 1776 die Priesterweihe empfangen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph Weber (Erzbischof) — Joseph Weber (* 12. Juni 1846 in Fürstenthal, Bukowina; † 24. März 1918) war ein ukrainisch katholischer Erzbischof. Mit 49 Jahren wurde Weber mit Wirkung vom 2. Dezember 1895 zum Titularbischof von Temnus und zum Weihbischof in Lemberg berufen.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph l'insoumis — est un téléfilm français réalisé par Caroline Glorion et diffusé le 18 octobre 2011 sur France 3. Sommaire 1 Synopsis 2 Fiche technique 3 Distribution 4 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joseph Brodmann — Hammerflügel aus dem Besitz von Carl Maria von Weber, Joseph Brodmann, Wien um 1810 (Musikinstrumenten Museum Berlin) Joseph Brodmann (* um 1763, nach manchen Quellen 1771 in Deuna, Eichsfeld, Preußen; † 13. Mai 1848 in Wien) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph Brodmann — Piano forte de la succession de Carl Maria von Weber, Joseph Brodmann, Vienne vers 1810 au (Musikinstrumenten Museum) Joseph Brodmann (né c. 1763, d après certaines sources en 1771 à Deuna, Eichsfeld, Prusse; mort le …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joseph Weber — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Weber. Joseph Weber (né le 17 mai 1919 à Paterson et mort le 30 septembre 2000 à Pittsburgh) est un physicien américain, célèbre en particulier pour avoir fabriqué le premier détecteur d ondes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Weber (Familienname) — Weber ist ein Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Der Familienname Weber ist abgeleitet von dem Beruf des Webers. In Deutschland belegt der Name Weber Platz 5 der häufigsten Familiennamen. Varianten Textor (latinisiert) von Waeber Weeber Wefer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • WEBER (C. M. von) — C’est à Weber qu’appartient le mérite d’avoir achevé de donner à l’opéra allemand une existence, une crédibilité et une esthétique propres et de lui avoir permis de tenir tête à l’invasion italienne. Nullement limitée à l’Allemagne, l’influence… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Joseph E. Drexel — (* 6. Juni 1896 in München; † 13. April 1976 in Nürnberg) war der Gründer der Nürnberger Nachrichten. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben und Wirken 1.1 Herkunft und Ausbildung 1.2 Wehrdiens …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”