Clarence Zener
Clarence Melvin Zener (December 1, 1905 – July 15, 1993) was the American physicist who first described the electrical property exploited by the Zener diode, which Bell Labs then named after him. Zener was a theoretical physicist with a background in mathematics who conducted research in a wide range of subjects including: superconductivity, metallurgy, ferromagnetism, elasticity (physics), fracture mechanics, diffusion and, using geometric programming, he conceived a design for an electrical energy plant that utilizes oceanic temperature gradients.
Zener was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and earned his PhD in physics under Edwin Kemble at Harvard in 1929. His thesis was entitled Quantum Mechanics of the Formation of Certain Types of Diatomic Molecules. Zener held the following posts/appointments:[1] he taught at Washington University in St. Louis (1935-1937), the City College of New York (1937-1940), and Washington State University (1940-1942) before working at the Watertown Arsenal during World War II. After the war, he taught at University of Chicago (1945–1951), worked at Westinghouse (1951–1965) then taught at Texas A&M University (1966–1968), and finally at Carnegie Mellon University (1968–1993). In 1957 he received the Bingham Medal for his work in rheology. He received the John Price Wetherill Medal from The Franklin Institute in 1959. A notable doctoral student of Zener's was John B. Goodenough and Arthur S. Nowick held a postdoctoral appointment under Zener.
Zener was known both for his dislike of experimental work and for preferring to work on practical problems within the arena of applied physics, in which he was very insightful. Although he had a reputation of being very successful in these endeavors, he apparently considered himself as being less qualified to work on purely theoretical physics problems. In recognition of this, he once commented that after dining with physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer: "when it came to fundamental physics, it was clear there was no point in competing with a person like that."[2]
Eponyms
- Zener diode
- Zener pinning
- Zener–Hollomon parameter
- Landau–Zener formula
- [Zener] Double-exchange mechanism
- Zener ratio, an elastic anisotropy factor for cubic crystals
References
- ^ Seitz, F. "On the Occasion of the 80th Birthday Celebration for Clarence Zener: Saturday, November 12, 1985" J. Appl. Physics. 1986, Vol. 60, pp. 1865-1867.
- ^ Maguire, M. "Web Extra: Clarence Zener, A Rare, Strange Genius" Carnegie-Mellon Magazine, Winter, 1985, pp. 18-19 http://link.cs.cmu.edu/article.php?a=458
External links
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