Gregory Hugh Wannier (1911–1983) was a Swiss physicist. He developed a complete set of
orthogonal functions known as the
Wannier function
The Wannier functions are a complete set of orthogonal functions used in solid-state physics. They were introduced by Gregory Wannier in 1937. Wannier functions are the localized molecular orbitals of crystalline systems.
The Wannier functions f ...
s which became tools of the trade for
solid-state theorists. He also had made contributions to
ferromagnetic
Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials (such as iron) that results in a significant, observable magnetic permeability, and in many cases, a significant magnetic coercivity, allowing the material to form a permanent magnet. Ferromagne ...
theory via the
Ising model
The Ising model (or Lenz–Ising model), named after the physicists Ernst Ising and Wilhelm Lenz, is a mathematical models in physics, mathematical model of ferromagnetism in statistical mechanics. The model consists of discrete variables that r ...
. The
Kramers–Wannier duality The Kramers–Wannier duality is a symmetry in statistical physics. It relates the free energy of a two-dimensional square-lattice Ising model at a low temperature to that of another Ising model at a high temperature. It was discovered by Hendr ...
yields the exact location of the
critical point for the Ising model on the square lattice.
Biography
Wannier received his physics PhD under
Ernst Stueckelberg
Ernst Carl Gerlach Stueckelberg (baptised as Johann Melchior Ernst Karl Gerlach Stückelberg, full name after 1911: Baron Ernst Carl Gerlach Stueckelberg von Breidenbach zu Breidenstein und Melsbach; 1 February 1905 – 4 September 1984) was a S ...
at the
University of Basel
The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...
in 1935. He worked with Professor
Eugene P. Wigner as a post-doc exchange student at Princeton in the academic year 1936/1937 and later taught at several American universities before a stint in industry from 1946 to 1960. After working at
Socony-Vacuum Laboratories, he joined
Bell Laboratories
Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the company operates several lab ...
in 1949. There he was in the ''Physical Electronics'' Group with colleagues such as
William B. Shockley
William Bradford Shockley ( ; February 13, 1910 – August 12, 1989) was an American solid-state physicist, electrical engineer, and inventor. He was the manager of a research group at Bell Labs that included John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brat ...
,
Conyers Herring
William Conyers Herring (November 15, 1914 – July 23, 2009) was an American physicist. He was a professor of applied physics at Stanford University and the Wolf Prize in Physics recipient in 1984/5.
Academic career
Conyers Herring complete ...
,
John Bardeen
John Bardeen (; May 23, 1908 – January 30, 1991) was an American solid-state physicist. He is the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Houser Brattain for their inventio ...
,
Charles Kittel
Charles Kittel (July 18, 1916 – May 15, 2019) was an American physicist. He was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley from 1951 and was professor emeritus from 1978 until his death. He is known for co-introducing the Ruderman†...
, and
Philip W. Anderson.
He returned to academia in 1961 at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
, where he retired as professor emeritus in 1977. He published a series of important papers on the properties of
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
s, working with graduate students and visiting professors. Additionally, he published widely read textbooks on solid-state theory and statistical mechanics.
He was regarded by many in the department as its most eminent member until his death on October 21, 1983. He was a fellow of the
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...
.
Books
*Elements of solid state theory, Cambridge University Press 1959. Elements of solid state chemistry (Wannier, Gregory H.)
*Statistical Physics, Wiley 1966;
reprint Dover 1987, 2010
See also
*
Hofstadter's butterfly
In condensed matter physics, Hofstadter's butterfly is a graph of the spectral properties of non-interacting two-dimensional electrons in a perpendicular magnetic field in a Crystal structure, lattice. The fractal, self-similarity, self-similar na ...
References
External links
''Wannier, Gregory H.'' The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, 1995
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wannier, Gregory
1911 births
1983 deaths
Scientists at Bell Labs
Swiss physicists
University of Basel alumni
University of Oregon faculty
Fellows of the American Physical Society