Arthur Compton
Physicist, Academic
1892 – 1962
Who was Arthur Compton?
Arthur Holly Compton was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his discovery of the Compton effect. He is also known for his leadership of the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory. He served as Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953.
In 1919, Compton was awarded one of the first two National Research Council Fellowships that allowed students to study abroad. He chose to go to Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory in England, where he studied the scattering and absorption of gamma rays. Further research along these lines led to the discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation. It was a sensational discovery at the time, for the wave nature of light had been well-demonstrated, but the idea that light could have a dual nature was not easily accepted.
During World War II, Compton was a key figure in the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear weapons. His reports were important in launching the project.
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- Born
- Sep 10, 1892
Wooster - Also known as
- Arthur Holly Compton
- Dr. Arthur H. Compton
- Arthur H. Compton
- Parents
- Siblings
- Religion
- Presbyterianism
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- The College of Wooster
- PhD, Princeton University
Physics
(1914 - 1916) - University of Cambridge
- Employment
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Lived in
- Ohio
- Missouri
(1945 - )
- Died
- Mar 15, 1962
Berkeley
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Arthur Compton." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/arthur_compton>.
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