Louis Byrne Slichter (May 19, 1896 – March 25, 1978) was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and properties of Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. Geophysicists conduct investigations acros ...

who directed the Institute of Geophysics at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

.New York Times:Louis B. Slichter, 81, of U.C.L.A.; Headed Institute of Geophysics;widely honored pioneer in the earth sciences;March 28, 1978
/ref>National Academies Press:Biographical Memoirs V.85 (2004), LOUIS BYRNE SLICHTER; BY LEON KNOPOFF AND CHARLES P. SLICHTER
/ref>Array of Contemporary American Physicists:Louis Slichter
/ref>UCLA:Louis Byrne Slichter, Geophysics and Planetary Physics: Los Angeles;Professor of Geophysics, Emeritus;Director of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Emeritus
/ref>
/ref> Slichter was notable for, among other things, earth tides research, submarine detection, development of three-component short-period seismographs, studies of the earth temperature distribution, and the invention of a number of important geophysical devices. Slichter Foreland peninsula in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after him. The Institute of Geophysics building in UCLA where he used to work as a director of the Institute has been named Slichter Hall. He was a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

and the chair of the Academy's Geophysics Section. He was also a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, 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 ...

, and a fellow of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, Atmospheric science, atmospheric, Oceanography, ocean, Hydrology, hydrologic, Astronomy, space, and Planetary science, planetary scientists and enthusiasts that ...

. The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

called Slichter a "widely honored pioneer in the earth sciences". The

called him "one of the foremost geophysicists of the twentieth century, an outstanding leader, scholar, and teacher".

called him "the world leader in the analysis of the solid

earth tide Earth tide (also known as solid-Earth tide, crustal tide, body tide, bodily tide or land tide) is the displacement of the solid earth's surface caused by the gravity of the Moon and Sun. Its main component has meter-level amplitude at periods of a ...

s".

Family

Louis Slichter was the son of the mathematician Charles S. Slichter, brother of economist

Sumner Slichter Sumner Huber Slichter (January 8, 1892 – September 27, 1959) was an American economist and the first Lamont University Professor at Harvard University. An expert on unions and economic forecasting, he was well known to the public through his po ...

, and uncle of physicist Charles P. Slichter. His sister-in-law was the biochemist Mary Van Rensselaer Buell.

Chronology

* May 19, 1896 born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

* 1917: BA,

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

* 1920: AM, University of Wisconsin–Madison * 1922: PhD in physics, University of Wisconsin–Madison * 1932–1945:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, Professor of Geophysics * 1944: elected to the

* 1945–1947: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Professor of Geophysics * 1946 Presidential Certificate of Merit (1946) * 1946

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

Fellowship * 1947 Director of the Institute of Geophysics, Professor of Geophysics,

* 1959 an honorary life membership in the

Society of Exploration Geophysicists The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) is a learned society dedicated to promoting the science and education of exploration geophysics in particular and geophysics in general. The Society fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophy ...

* 1960 the Jackling Award of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers * 1960 the chair of Geophysics Section at the

* 1963-1978 Professor Emeritus, UCLA * 1966 Dedication of Slichter Hall at UCLA * 1967 Honorary D.Sc., University of Wisconsin * 1966 the

William Bowie Medal The William Bowie Medal is awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union for "outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research". The award is the highest honor given by the AGU and is named in honor ...

of the

* 1969 Honorary LL.D., UCLA * March 25, 1978 dies Los Angeles Medical Center at UCLA

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Slichter, Louis B. 1896 births 1978 deaths American geophysicists University of California, Los Angeles faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Scientists from Madison, Wisconsin Fellows of the American Geophysical Union