Arthur William Pryor (31 August 1928 – 6 September 2014) was an Australian physicist known for his contributions to

neutron diffraction Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material. A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of Neutron temperature, thermal or ...

and infrared laser

isotope separation Isotope separation is the process of concentrating specific isotopes of a chemical element by removing other isotopes. The use of the nuclides produced is varied. The largest variety is used in research (e.g. in chemistry where atoms of "marker" n ...

.
- A. W. Pryor, Personal memories of two advanced uranium enrichment projects at Lucas Heights in the years 1972-1980, ''The Australian & New Zealand Physicist'' 33 (3-4), 53-58 (1997). Pryor authored and co-authored a number of papers in the field of crystallography and he also co-authored, with B. T. M. Willis, the book ''Thermal Vibrations in Crystallography''.

Laser isotope separation

Pryor conducted research on laser isotope separation using infrared lasers. Earlier work in this area had brought him in contact with J. C. Ward who advocated a new approach to isotope separation based on the phase transition transformation of UF₆ known as the "Ward process". Pryor provides a unique historical account of laser isotope separation efforts in Australia during the early 1980s that included both visible and infrared laser sources (relevant to

AVLIS Atomic vapor laser isotope separation, or AVLIS, is a method by which specially tuned lasers are used to separate isotopes of uranium using selective ionization of hyperfine transitions. A similar technology, using molecules instead of atoms, is ...

and MLIS, respectively). In this regard, he refers to the reluctance of the Australian authorities to adopt laser isotope separation with the sentence... "but the cautious hand refrained". Pryor's account was independently corroborated, albeit with a time lag, by other researchers in the field.

Philosophy

Later in his career, Pryor was interested on historical and philosophical aspects of science and physics. He wrote various recordings on this subject, which were broadcast on

2SER 2SER is a not-for-profit radio station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, broadcasting on the frequency 107.3 FM. It is operated by Sydney Educational Broadcasting Ltd, and co-funded by two Universities, University of Technology Sydney and Ma ...

FM radio in the 1980-1983 period.

Career

Pryor was educated at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

and completed his doctoral studies at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

. He spent most of his career at Lucas Heights, as a scientist in the former

Australian Atomic Energy Commission The Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) was a statutory body of the Australian Government devoted to nuclear science, engineering and research. It was established in 1952, replacing the Atomic Energy Policy Committee. In 1981, parts of th ...

, and was a faculty visiting fellow at

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a Public university, public research university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the Sydney metropolitan area. ...

where he lectured on atomic physics. Pryor was a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics and received the 1964

David Syme Research Prize The David Syme Research Prize is an annual award administered by the University of Melbourne for the best original research work in biology, physics, chemistry or geology, produced in Australia during the preceding two years. Particular preference ...

from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. He died at the age of 86, on 6 September 2014.
- ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 6 September 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pryor, AW 1928 births Australian physicists Fellows of the Australian Institute of Physics Crystallographers Laser researchers Optical physicists Australian broadcasters Academic staff of Macquarie University University of Queensland alumni 2014 deaths Alumni of King's College, Newcastle