Roy Walter Gould (April 25, 1927 – February 19, 2022) was an American electrical engineer and physicist who specialized in

plasma physics Plasma () is a state of matter characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including th ...

. In 1959, he (together with

Alvin Trivelpiece Alvin William Trivelpiece (March 15, 1931 – August 7, 2022) was an American physicist whose varied career included positions as director of the Office of Energy Research of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), executive officer of the American As ...

) was the first to describe electrostatic waves that were propagating at the boundary of a magnetized plasma column, now commonly known as Trivelpiece–Gould modes. Gould was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

in 1971 for pioneering contributions to microwave electronics and plasma physics and distinguished service in higher education.

Early life and career

Gould was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on April 25, 1927. He studied at

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private university, private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small g ...

(bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1949), at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

(master's degree in electrical engineering in 1950) and received his doctorate in physics from Caltech in 1956 (on microwave and radio noise from the sun). In 1951–52, he was a research engineer for rocket control at the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...

of Caltech and from 1953 to 1955 at

Hughes Aircraft The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace company, aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of the Hughes Tool Company. The company produced the Hughes ...

, where he researched electron tubes. In 1955, he became an associate professor and 1960 professor of electrical engineering at Caltech. In 1974, he changed to the faculty of physics as professor of applied physics, and from 1980 he was Simon Ramo Professor. Since 1996 he was professor emeritus. From 1979 to 1985, he was chairman of the division of engineering and applied science at Caltech. From 1970 to 1972, he was director of fusion research at the Atomic Energy Commission.

Personal life

Gould died on February 19, 2022, at the age of 94.

Honors and awards

In 1966, he became 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 ...

. He has been a member of the

since 1971 and 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 ...

since 1974. In 1994, he received the

James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics The James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics is an annual American Physical Society (APS) award that is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of the Plasma Physics. It was established in 1975 by Maxwell Technologies, I ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Roy W. 1927 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American physicists American plasma physicists California Institute of Technology faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Colton, California Scientists from Los Angeles