Back والتر إلساسر Arabic والتر الساسر ARZ والتر امالساسر AZB Walter Maurice Elsasser Catalan Walter Elsasser German Walter Elsasser Estonian Walter M. Elsasser Basque والتر ام. الساسر Persian Walter M. Elsasser French Walter Elsasser Italian
Walter Maurice Elsasser | |
|---|---|
 Elsasser in 1989. | |
| Born | 20 March 1904 |
| Died | 14 October 1991 (aged 87) |
| Known for | Dynamo theory Complex system biology |
| Awards | National Medal of Science (1987) William Bowie Medal (1959) Arthur L. Day Medal (1979) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics Theoretical biology |
| Doctoral advisor | Max Born |
Walter Maurice Elsasser (March 20, 1904 – October 14, 1991) was a German-born American physicist, a developer of the presently accepted dynamo theory as an explanation of the Earth's magnetism. He proposed that this magnetic field resulted from electric currents induced in the fluid outer core of the Earth. He revealed the history of the Earth's magnetic field by the study of the magnetic orientation of minerals in rocks.[1] He is also noted for his unpublished proposal of the wave-like diffraction of electron particles by a crystal. The subsequent Davisson–Germer experiment showing this effect led to a Nobel Prize in physics.[2]
The Olin Hall at the Johns Hopkins University has a Walter Elsasser Memorial in the lobby.
- ^ March 20 - Today in Science History - Scientists born on March 20th, died, and events
- ^ Ewald, P. P. (November 27, 1937). "Electron Diffraction in Crystals". Nature. 140 (3552): 928. doi:10.1038/140928c0.