Katherine Ella Mounce Weimer (April 15, 1919 – April 23, 2000) was a research physicist at the

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. Its primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an energy source. It is know ...

at the

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. She is known for her scientific research in the field of plasma

magnetohydrodynamic In physics and engineering, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD; also called magneto-fluid dynamics or hydromagnetics) is a model of electrically conducting fluids that treats all interpenetrating particle species together as a single continu ...

equilibrium and contribution to stability theory of a magnetically confined plasma.

Education

Originally from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, Weimer received a scholarship to

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

and got her

B.Sc. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

in 1939. She continued her education at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, switching her area of interest from chemistry to

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

, and received her Ph.D. in physics in 1943. Her thesis was entitled "Artificial Radioactivity of Barium and Lanthanum" and was supervised by Marion Llewellyn Pool. Katherine Weimer was the first woman to receive a Ph.D in physics from

Scientific career

In 1957, Weimer joined the theory group at

. She was the first female research staff member at the laboratory and successfully developed her scientific career for 29 years at PPPL. She conducted fundamental research in the field of plasma equilibrium and

stability in the toroidal

magnetic confinement Magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) is an approach to generate thermonuclear fusion power that uses magnetic fields to confine fusion fuel in the form of a plasma. Magnetic confinement is one of two major branches of controlled fusion research, alo ...

devices, like

tokamak A tokamak (; ) is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field generated by external magnets to confine plasma (physics), plasma in the shape of an axially symmetrical torus. The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement fusi ...

s and

stellarator A stellarator confines Plasma (physics), plasma using external magnets. Scientists aim to use stellarators to generate fusion power. It is one of many types of magnetic confinement fusion devices. The name "stellarator" refers to stars because ...

s. Her work resulted in many important designs of experiments through PPPL, including devices such as the Adiabatic Toroidal Compressor (ATC),

Model C Stellarator The Model C stellarator was the first large-scale stellarator to be built, during the early stages of fusion power research. Planned since 1952, construction began in 1961 at what is today the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). The Mo ...

, and the Poloidal Divertor Experiment (PDX). In 1984, she retired from

after 29 years at PPPL.

Scientific legacy

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 ...

Division of Plasma Physics established the Katherine E. Weimer award in 2001 to "recognize and encourage outstanding achievement in plasma science research by a woman physicist in the early years of her career." The Division of Plasma Physics has historically had lower female representation compared to other divisions, and the award was established to attract and retain more female physicists in the field. The winning physicist receives $4000 and an invitation to speak at the Division of Plasma Physics annual meeting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weimer, Katherine 1919 births 2000 deaths American women scientists American women physicists American physicists Plasma physicists Scientists from New Jersey Ohio State University Graduate School alumni Purdue University alumni 20th-century American women 20th-century American people