Fowler, William Alfred

Fowler, William Alfred
▪ 1996

      U.S. nuclear astrophysicist (b. Aug. 9, 1911, Pittsburgh, Pa.—d. March 14, 1995, Pasadena, Calif.), formulated the widely accepted theory that almost all the chemical elements in the universe, including those that make up humans, were created in stars from primordial hydrogen and helium, and with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (q.v.) won the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics for contributing to the understanding of stellar evolution. Fowler, who earned (1936) a Ph.D. in physics from the California Institute of Technology, spent his entire professional career there, becoming professor emeritus in 1982. He and colleagues Fred Hoyle, Margaret Burbidge, and Geoffrey Burbidge used particle accelerators at the university's Kellogg Radiation Laboratory to demonstrate that nuclear processes in stars could manufacture virtually all the elements. Fowler and Hoyle set forth this theory in the seminal paper "Synthesis of the Elements in Stars" (1957), and the two collaborated on the 1965 book Nucleosynthesis in Massive Stars and Supernovae. Fowler described a process in stars called nucleosynthesis, in which heavier elements are made progressively from lighter ones, beginning with hydrogen and helium in the nuclear reactions that produce a star's light and heat. The heaviest elements are created during the death of more massive stars in explosions called supernovas, which then scatter the elements far into interstellar space. Fowler also helped design proximity fuses during World War II, conducted work with Hoyle in radio astronomy, and studied quasars, pulsars, and neutrinos. He was the recipient in 1974 of the U.S. National Medal of Science.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Fowler , William Alfred — (1911–1995) American physicist Fowler was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduated in 1933 from Ohio State University, and obtained his PhD in 1936 from the California Institute of Technology. He was immediately appointed to the staff, serving …   Scientists

  • William Alfred Fowler — William Fowler Pour les articles homonymes, voir Fowler. William Alfred Willy Fowler (9 août 1911 à Pittsburgh en Pennsylvanie – 14 mars 1995 à Pasadena en Californie) est un astrophysicien américain. Il ne doit pas être confondu avec l astronome …   Wikipédia en Français

  • William Alfred Fowler — William Alfred „Willy“ Fowler (* 9. August 1911 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; † 14. März 1995 in Pasadena (Kalifornien)) war ein amerikanischer Astro Physiker. Fowler begann sein Physikstudium an der Ohio State University (Bachelor als Physik… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Alfred Fowler — William Alfred Willie Fowler (Pittsburgh, EUA 1911 Pasadena 1995) fue un físico estadounidense galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Física en 1983. Contenido 1 Biografía 2 Búsqueda científica 3 …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Alfred Fowler — Infobox Scientist box width = 300px name = Willie Fowler birth date = August 9, 1911 birth place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania death date = March 14, 1995 death place = Pasadena, California doctoral advisor = Charles Christian Lauritsen academic… …   Wikipedia

  • Fowler, William A. — ▪ American astrophysicist in full  William Alfred Fowler   born Aug. 9, 1911, Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S. died March 14, 1995, Pasadena, Calif.       American nuclear astrophysicist who, with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan),… …   Universalium

  • Fowler — William Alfred …   Scientists

  • William A. Fowler — William Alfred „Willy“ Fowler (* 9. August 1911 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; † 14. März 1995 in Pasadena (Kalifornien)) war ein amerikanischer Astro Physiker. Fowler begann sein Physikstudium an der Ohio State University. Den Doktortitel in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Physiknobelpreis 1983: Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar — William Alfred Fowler —   Chandrasekhar wurde für seine Studien zu Sternaufbau und entwicklung, Fowler für Studien zur Bildung von chemischen Elementen im Weltall ausgezeichnet.    Biografien   Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, * Lahore (heute Pakistan) 19. 10. 1910, ✝… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • William A. Fowler — William Fowler Pour les articles homonymes, voir Fowler. William Alfred Willy Fowler (9 août 1911 à Pittsburgh en Pennsylvanie – 14 mars 1995 à Pasadena en Californie) est un astrophysicien américain. Il ne doit pas être confondu avec l astronome …   Wikipédia en Français

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