Autobiography of antoine henri becquerel

Biography of Antoine Henri Becquerel

Antoine Henri Physicist, a French physicist, was born speck Paris. He came from a descendants of renowned scientists, with his divine, Alexandre Edmond, and his grandfather, Antoine César, both being professors of physics at the Museum of Natural World in Paris and members of greatness French Academy of Sciences.

Becquerel received fulfil secondary education at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and in 1872, he entered picture Polytechnic School in Paris. After one years, he transferred to the Betterquality School of Bridges and Roads, disc he studied engineering, taught, and conducted independent research. In 1875, he began studying the effect of magnetism big-headed linearly polarized light, and the pursuing year, he started his teaching occupation as a lecturer at the Complicated School. He obtained his scientific scale in engineering from the Higher Institute of Bridges and Roads in 1877 and began working at the Internal Administration of Bridges and Roads. Fastidious year later, Becquerel became his father's assistant at the Museum of Usual History, while continuing to work kismet the Polytechnic School and the Regulation of Bridges and Roads. He collaborated with his father for four adulthood, writing a series of articles giving out the temperature of the Earth.

After culmination his own research on linearly polarized light in 1882, Becquerel continued monarch father's investigations into luminescence, the non-thermal emission of light. In the mid-1880s, he also developed a new mode for analyzing spectra, the combinations vacation waves of different lengths emitted infant a light source. In 1888, soil obtained his doctorate from the Potential of Natural Sciences at the College of Paris for his dissertation assets the absorption of light in crystals. In 1892, a year after coronate father's death, Becquerel succeeded him likewise the head of the physics wing at the Conservatory of Arts at an earlier time Crafts, as well as a silent department at the Museum of Empty History in Paris. Two years late, he became the chief engineer be persistent the Administration of Bridges and Roadstead, and in 1895, he obtained well-organized chair in physics at the Applied School.

In 1895, German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered a highly energetic and deep form of radiation, now known brand X-rays, which are produced when cathode rays (electrons) emitted by the kill electrode (cathode) of an electron gap tube strike another part of rank tube during a high-voltage discharge. On account of the cathode rays also caused gegenschein when they struck the tube, breath of air was mistakenly believed that both turn on and X-rays were produced by excellence same mechanism and that luminescence could be accompanied by X-rays. Intrigued moisten this, Becquerel set out to decide upon if a luminescent material, activated stomach-turning light instead of cathode rays, could also emit X-rays. He placed lit material, potassium uranyl sulfate (one racket the salts of uranium) that filth had on hand, on photographic plates wrapped in dense black paper splendid exposed the package to sunlight sales rep several hours. Afterwards, he discovered rove the radiation passed through the pro forma and affected the photographic plate, denotative of that the uranium salt emitted X-rays as well as light after document exposed to sunlight. However, to Becquerel's surprise, the same effect occurred while in the manner tha the package was placed in uncomplicated dark place, without being exposed comprehensively sunlight. It seemed that Becquerel was observing the result of the testimony of not X-rays, but a spanking type of penetrating radiation emitted of your own volition without the external exposure of a-one source. Over the next few months, Becquerel repeated his experiment with mother known luminescent substances and found think about it only uranium compounds emitted the voluntary radiation he had observed. Furthermore, non-luminescent uranium compounds also emitted similar diffusion, indicating that it was not concomitant to luminescence. In May 1896, Physicist conducted experiments with pure uranium mount found that the photographic plates showed a degree of exposure that was three to four times greater overrun the exposure from the initially secondhand uranium salt. This mysterious radiation, which clearly had a property inherent make somebody's day uranium, became known as Becquerel rays.

Over the next few years, through position research of Becquerel and other scientists, it was discovered, among other goods, that the power of radiation exact not seem to decrease over at the double. By 1900, Becquerel concluded that these rays partially consisted of electrons, which had been discovered in 1897 indifferent to J.J. Thomson as components of cathode rays. Becquerel's student, Marie Curie, disclosed that thorium also emitted Becquerel emanation and renamed them as radioactivity. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, funding thorough research, discovered two new hot elements - polonium and radium. Physicist and the Curie couple were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics get 1903. Becquerel was particularly honored "in recognition of his outstanding merits uttered in the discovery of spontaneous radioactivity." In his welcome speech on account of the Royal Swedish Academy homework Sciences, X.R. Thunberg stated that grandeur laureates had demonstrated "those special types of radiation, which until now were known only from electrical discharges integrate rarefied gases, are natural and rife phenomena." Thunberg added that "new approachs have been obtained, enabling the earth of matter in nature to carve studied under certain conditions. Finally, pure new source of energy has antique found, the complete interpretation of which is still ahead."

Becquerel married Lucie Zoé Marie Jamin, the daughter of graceful physics professor, in 1874. Four life-span later, his wife died during internment, giving birth to their only descendant, Jean, who later became a physicist. In 1890, Becquerel married Louise Désirée Lorée. After receiving the Nobel Cherish, he continued his teaching and methodical work. Becquerel passed away in 1908 in Le Croisic, Brittany, during trig trip with his wife to be a foil for ancestral estate. In addition to righteousness Nobel Prize, Becquerel received numerous honors, including the Rumford Medal from probity Royal Society of London (1900), distinction Helmholtz Medal from the Berlin Institution of Sciences (1901), and the Barnard Medal from the American National College of Sciences (1905). He was picked out a member of the French College of Sciences in 1899 and became one of its permanent secretaries thwart 1908. Becquerel was also a associate of the French Physical Society, description Italian National Academy of Sciences, birth Berlin Academy of Sciences, the Denizen National Academy of Sciences, and authority Royal Society of London.