Neal Hooker Williams (1870–1956) was a
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 ...
notable for the very first
spectroscopic
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Spectrosc ...
measurements at
microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequency, frequencies between 300&n ...
frequencies. He carried this out with a
magnetron
The cavity magnetron is a high-power vacuum tube used in early radar systems and subsequently in microwave oven, microwave ovens and in linear particle accelerators. A cavity magnetron generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of ...
and investigated the
spectrum
A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...
of gaseous
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...
together with his student
Claud E. Cleeton
Claud Edwin Cleeton (December 11, 1907 – April 16, 1997) was an American physicist notable for his groundbreaking work, with Neal H. Williams, on the microwave spectroscopy of ammonia. This was the groundwork that led to the eventual developme ...
. This formed the groundwork for the later inventions of the
radar
Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
and the gas
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
.
Education
He completed his PhD in 1912 at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
with a thesis entitled ''The Stability of Residual Magnetism.''
Books by Williams
*
Walter S. Huxford and Neal H. Williams, ''Determination of the Charge of Positive Thermions from Measurements of the Shot Effect,'' Minneapolis, Minn., 1929.
*
Claud E. Cleeton
Claud Edwin Cleeton (December 11, 1907 – April 16, 1997) was an American physicist notable for his groundbreaking work, with Neal H. Williams, on the microwave spectroscopy of ammonia. This was the groundwork that led to the eventual developme ...
and Neal H. Williams, ''Electromagnetic Waves of 1.1 cm Wave-Length and the Absorption Spectrum of Ammonia,'' Lancaster, Pa., Lancaster press, inc., 1934.
* Harrison M. Randall, Neal H. Williams, and Walter F. Colby, ''General College Physics,'' New York, London, Harper & brothers, 1929.
* Neal H. Williams, ''The Stability of Residual Magnetism,'' New York, 1913.
See also
*
Trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry
In chemistry, a trigonal pyramid is a molecular geometry with one atom at the apex and three atoms at the corners of a trigonal base, resembling a tetrahedron (not to be confused with the tetrahedral geometry). When all three atoms at the corne ...
*
Ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...
*
Microwave spectroscopy
Microwave spectroscopy is the spectroscopy method that employs microwaves, i.e. electromagnetic radiation at GHz frequencies, for the study of matter.
History
The ammonia molecule NH3 is shaped like a pyramid 0.38 Å in height, with an equilatera ...
*
Claud E. Cleeton
Claud Edwin Cleeton (December 11, 1907 – April 16, 1997) was an American physicist notable for his groundbreaking work, with Neal H. Williams, on the microwave spectroscopy of ammonia. This was the groundwork that led to the eventual developme ...
References
Sources
* Mario Bertolotti, ''The History of the Laser'' CRC Press, 2004, .
External links
Williams' 1936 Physical Review paperWilliams' math genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Neal H.
1870 births
1956 deaths
University of Michigan alumni
American physicists