Hans Bethe, German-American Physicist

Hans Albrecht Bethe (July 2, 1906 - March 6, 2005) was a German-American nuclear physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. He also made important contributions to quantum electrodynamics, nuclear physics, solid-state physics and astrophysics. During World War II, he was head of the Theoretical Division at the Los Alamos laboratory which developed the first atomic bombs where he played a key role in calculating the critical mass of the weapons, and did theoretical work on the implosion method used in both the Trinity test and the Fat Man weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. For most of his career, Bethe was a professor at Cornell University. Bethe also played an important role in the development of the larger hydrogen bomb. He later campaigned with Albert Einstein in the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists against nuclear testing and the nuclear arms race. He influenced the White House to sign the ban of atmospheric nuclear tests in 1963 and the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, SALT I. His scientific research never ceased and he was publishing papers well into his nineties. a career that lasted nearly 70 years. He died from congestive heart failure in 2005 at the age of 98

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Albrecht Atomic Bethe German American German Born German-american German-born Laureate Nobelist Recipient Theoretical

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