Polykarp Kusch

@Scientists, Timeline and Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Polykarp Kusch was a German-American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955 American German University Of Illinois Scientists Physicists Aquarius Celebrities Polykarp Kusch was a German-American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955 for his landmark measurement of the magnetic moment of an electron. He worked under Isidor Isaac Rabi in carrying out various experiments on the magnetic resonance of molecular beams. He proved that magnetic moment of an electron was greater than its theoretical value by measuring it accurately with the help of magnetic resonance methodology. His measurement of the electron’s magnetic moment in a hydrogen atom was used to correct some of the anomalies in earlier findings. His discovery had a great impact on the study of Quantum Electrodynamics or QED as all of the theories existing till then had to be revised after considering the findings made by him. He shared the Nobel Prize with Willis E. Lamb who had also done the same deductions independently. He was a mechanical genius and designed and built his own apparatus for carrying out the experiments. Designing his own apparatus to the last screw gave him immense pleasure and to him it looked like getting the answers to his questions as the apparatus took its shape. His findings helped develop MRI technology later. His association with ‘Columbia University’ was for more than 30 years during which he worked with other institutions as well.

Personal Details

Birthday: January 26, 1911 Died on: March 20, 1993 Nationality: German, American Famous: University Of Illinois, Scientists, Physicists Spouses: Betty Pezzoni, Edith Starr McRoberts Universities: University Of Illinois University of Illinois Case Western Reserve University Notable Alumnis: University Of Illinois Information Detail Birthday January 26, 1911 Died on March 20, 1993 Nationality German, American Famous University Of Illinois, Scientists, Physicists Spouses Betty Pezzoni, Edith Starr McRoberts Universities University Of Illinois University of Illinois Case Western Reserve University Notable Alumnis University Of Illinois Birth Place Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire Born Country Germany Gender Male Father John Mathias Kusch Mother Henrietta Van Der Haas Sun Sign Aquarius Born in Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire Famous as Physicist Died at Age 82

Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire

Polykarp Kusch born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Edith Starr McRoberts on August 12, 1935 and had three daughters from the marriage. Unsplash Personal Life

After the death of Edith in 1959, he married Betty Pezzoni in 1960 and had two daughters with her. Unsplash Personal Life

Polykarp Kusch died in Dallas, Texas, USA on March 20, 1993 after having a succession of strokes over a period. Unsplash Personal Life

Polykarp Kusch was born in Blankenburg, Germany on January 26, 1911. His father was a Lutheran clergyman named John Mathias Kusch and his mother was Henrietta Van Der Haas who wrote juvenile novels and was moderately successful at it. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His family immigrated to America when he was only one year old. He received his US citizenship in 1922. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He graduated from the ‘East Technical High School’ in Cleveland, Ohio in 1926. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He worked at the Cleveland Public Library to earn his tuition fees to study at the ‘Case’s School of Applied Science’. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He found physics to be more interesting than chemistry and did his BS in Physics from the ‘Case Institute of Technology’ in Cleveland, currently known as the ‘Case Western Reserve University’, and received his bachelor’s degree in 1931. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Polykarp Kusch joined the ‘Columbia University’ in 1937 and taught physics at the university up to 1941. Unsplash Career

With the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the ‘Radiation Laboratory’ of the ‘National Defense Research Committee’ and worked on high–frequency oscillators for use in radars. Unsplash Career

Kusch joined the ‘War Research’ group at the ‘Columbia University’ in 1942 and carried out various experiments till 1944. During the Second World War he worked at the Bell Laboratories of Westinghouse Electric as a research Engineer from 1944 to 1946 and carried out research work on vacuum microwave generators and vacuum tubes. Unsplash Career

He taught physics at the ‘Columbia University’ from 1946 to 1949. Unsplash Career

In 1947 he demonstrated that magnetic properties of an electron were not the same as given in the existing theories. Unsplash Career

The book ‘Magnetic Moment of the Electron’ written by Polykarp Kusch was published in 1956. Unsplash Major Works

His paper ‘Style and styles in Research’ was published in 1966. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	January 26, 1911
Died on	March 20, 1993
Nationality	German, American
Famous	University Of Illinois, Scientists, Physicists
Spouses	Betty Pezzoni, Edith Starr McRoberts
Universities	University Of Illinois University of Illinois Case Western Reserve University
Notable Alumnis	University Of Illinois
Birth Place	Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire
Born Country	Germany
Gender	Male
Father	John Mathias Kusch
Mother	Henrietta Van Der Haas
Sun Sign	Aquarius
Born in	Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire
Famous as	Physicist
Died at Age	82

Polykarp Kusch

German

Jan 26, 1911

Biography

Personal Details

Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire