George Edward Bacon MA ScD (Cantab.)

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

(London) FInstP (born

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, England, 5 December 1917 – 18 March 2011) was a British

nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

, specializing in

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 ...

Biography

The son of George H. Bacon and Lilian A. Bacon, of Derby, he was educated at

Derby School Derby School was a school in Derby in the English Midlands from 1160 to 1989. It had an almost continuous history of education of over eight centuries. For most of that time it was a grammar school for boys. The school became co-educational a ...

and

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mo ...

(Scholar). In 1945, he married Enid Trigg (who died in 2003), and they had a son and a daughter."Bacon, Prof. George Edward (5 Dec. 1917–18 March 2011)"
ukwhoswho.com, accessed 15 November 2023
"Bacon, Prof. George Edward"
in ''Who's Who 2007'', credoreference.com, accessed 23 August 2007

Career

Bacon built the first

neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The Discovery of the neutron, neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nucle ...

diffractometer A diffractometer is a measuring instrument for analyzing the structure of a material from the scattering pattern produced when a beam of radiation or particles (such as X-rays or neutrons) interacts with it. Principle A typical diffractometer c ...

in the UK at the

Atomic Energy Research Establishment The Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), also known as Harwell Laboratory, was the main Headquarters, centre for nuclear power, atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from 1946 to the 1990s. It was created, owned ...

, Harwell, and then made the first experiments outside the United States in neutron diffraction, a means of studying the basic structures and dynamics of materials. He wrote scientific papers, textbooks and review articles on the use of neutron scattering. His work included a study of the neutron intensities diffracted by crystals, which led to studies of the basic structure of molecules and of magnetism. His book ''Neutron Diffraction'' was a standard text, beginning with the first edition in 1955. *1939–1946: Scientific Officer, Telecommunications Research Establishment of the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

*1946–1963: Deputy Chief Scientific Officer,

, Harwell *1963–1981: Professor of Physics at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

*1969–1971: Dean of the Faculty of Pure Science, University of Sheffield *1981–2011:

Emeritus professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

of the University of Sheffield

Honours

*1988:

Leverhulme The Leverhulme Trust () is a large national grant-making organisation in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1925 under the will of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), with the instruction that its resources should be used to cover ...

Emeritus Fellow *1999:

Guthrie Medal and Prize The Michael Faraday Medal and Prize is a gold medal awarded annually by the Institute of Physics in experimental physics. The award is made "for outstanding and sustained contributions to experimental physics." The medal is accompanied by a pri ...

and Fellow of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

*1998: Honorary degree of

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

Major publications

*''Neutron Diffraction'' (1955) *''Applications of Neutron Diffraction in Chemistry'' (1963) *''X-ray and Neutron Diffraction'' (1966) *''Neutron Physics'' (1969) *''Neutron Scattering in Chemistry'' (1977) *''The Architecture of Solids'' (1981) *''Fifty Years of Neutron Diffraction'' (1987) *Many scientific publications on X-ray and neutron crystallographic studies in ''Proceedings of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

'', etc.

References

External links

British Crystallographic Association: 50 Years of Neutron Scattering
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, George Edward 1917 births Academics of the University of Sheffield 2011 deaths Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Scientists from Derby British nuclear physicists English physicists People educated at Derby School Fellows of the Institute of Physics