Heinz Artur Raether (14 October 1909 — 31 December 1986) was a German physicist. He is best known for his theoretical and experimental contributions to the study of

surface plasmon Surface plasmons (SPs) are coherent delocalized electron oscillations that exist at the interface between any two materials where the real part of the dielectric function changes sign across the interface (e.g. a metal-dielectric interface, such ...

s, as well as for Kretschmann-Raether configuration, a commonly-used experimental setup for the excitation of

surface plasmon resonance Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a phenomenon that occurs where electrons in a thin metal sheet become excited by light that is directed to the sheet with a particular angle of incidence (optics), angle of incidence, and then travel parallel to ...

s. From 1944 to 1946 he was a professor of physics at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...

at the Physikalisches Institut. Here he dealt with electron physics,

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing i ...

, electron interference and gas discharges. In 1951, he took over the management of the Institute for Applied Physics at the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...

. After the development of the

transistor A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch electrical signals and electric power, power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semicondu ...

, he focused on solid state physics. His work during this period concerned the structure and growth of crystals. Later he became interested in the collective behavior of the electrons of a crystal, the solid-state electron plasma. In gas discharge physics, he devoted himself to the ignition process, especially the formation of the spark channel, the initial phase of electrical breakdown. In 1963 he was elected a full member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences.Holger Krahnke: ''Die Mitglieder der Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen 1751–2001'' (= ''Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, Philologisch-Historische Klasse.'' Folge 3, Bd. 246 = ''Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen, Mathematisch-Physikalische Klasse.'' Folge 3, Bd. 50). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, , S. 194. In 1979 he was elected a member of the

Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (), in short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded on 1 January 1652, based on academic models in Italy, it was originally named the ''Academi ...

Selected publications

;Articles * * * * * * * * * ;Books * * *

References

1909 births 1986 deaths Condensed matter physicists Electrical breakdown German optical physicists People associated with electricity Scientists from Nuremberg German plasma physicists Plasmonics Academic staff of the University of Hamburg Academic staff of the University of Jena 20th-century German physicists Nanophysicists {{Germany-physicist-stub

Selected publications

See also

References