Stuart Thomas Butler (4 July 1926 – 15 May 1982) was an Australian

nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

who served as Director of the

Australian Atomic Energy Commission The Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) was a statutory body of the Australian government. It was established in 1952, replacing the Atomic Energy Policy Committee. In 1981 parts of the Commission were split off to become part of CSIRO, ...

from 1977 until 1982, and was noted for his contributions to theoretical physics including stripping reactions, energy loss of particles in plasma and

atmospheric tide Atmospheric tides are global-scale periodic oscillations of the atmosphere. In many ways they are analogous to ocean tides. Atmospheric tides can be excited by: *The regular day–night cycle in the Sun's heating of the atmosphere (insolation) * ...

s induced by absorption of solar radiation in the

ozone layer The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in rel ...

. Butler was born in Naracoorte in South Australia; he was the eldest of three sons born to his Welsh school teacher father and Australian mother. He attended Murray Bridge and Gumeracha primary schools and Birdwood High School where he showed aptitude in mathematics, science, English and music. When he completed high school he considered studying piano at the Conservatorium of Music, but he received a scholarship to do his undergraduate studies at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on ...

, here he was greatly influenced by physicist Kerr Grant and mathematician

Hans Schwerdtfeger Hans Wilhelm Eduard Schwerdtfeger (9 December 1902 – 26 June 1990) was a German-Canadian-Australian mathematician who worked in Galois theory, matrix theory, theory of groups and their geometries, and complex analysis. "In 1962 he publish ...

.Watson-Munro, CN. 1983
Stuart Thomas Butler 1926–1982
''Historical Records of Australian Science'' 5:82–88 He completed his BSc in mathematics and physics in 1945, received first-class honours in 1946 and his MSc in 1947. Butler was awarded a scholarship by the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

to work in theoretical physics in the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

. He arrived in Birmingham in 1949 and completed his PhD studies in 1951. At Birmingham he formed a close relationship with his thesis advisor, the famous physicist

Rudolf Peierls Sir Rudolf Ernst Peierls, (; ; 5 June 1907 – 19 September 1995) was a German-born British physicist who played a major role in Tube Alloys, Britain's nuclear weapon programme, as well as the subsequent Manhattan Project, the combined Allied ...

. (See pages 35–37.) While at Birmingham, Butler began his work on nuclear stripping reactions, he is recognized as the pioneer of this field and was awarded the

Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics The Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics is an annual prize awarded by the American Physical Society's Division of Nuclear Physics. Established in 1964, and currently consisting of $10,000 and a certificate, the Bonner Prize was founded in memor ...

for his work in this area. After completing his PhD Butler took a research position at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

, then returned to Australia in 1953 to a research fellowship at the Australian National University and in 1954 took a position at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

where he went on to head the Faculty of Science from 1970 to 1973. During his time at the University of Sydney, Butler continued his research on stripping reactions, and also studies energy loss of particles in a plasma,

superconductivity Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in certain materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic flux fields are expelled from the material. Any material exhibiting these properties is a superconductor. Unlik ...

and

s induced by absorption of solar radiation in the

; for these contributions he was awarded the

Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal The Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal is awarded at most every two years by the Australian Academy of Science to a mathematician or physicist for his or her outstanding research accomplishments.

from the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal So ...

and a DSc from the Australian National University. In 1977 Butler was appointed Director of the

Research Establishment in Lucas Heights. He was still engaged in this position when he died in 1982.

Selected publications

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Stuart Butler 1926 births 1982 deaths 20th-century Australian physicists Australian nuclear physicists Institute for Advanced Study visiting scholars Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Alumni of the University of Birmingham