George Gamow

George Gamow (pronounced "GAM-off") (March 4, 1904 – August 19, 1968) , born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov (Георгий Антонович Гамов) was a Ukrainian born physicist and cosmologist. He worked on subjects including the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis, nucleocosmogenesis, and genetics.

Life and career

Gamow was born in Odessa, in the Russian Empire, now in Ukraine. He was educated at the Novorossiya University in Odessa (1922–23) and at the University of Leningrad (1923–1929). Gamow studied under Alexander Friedmann for some time in Leningrad, though Friedmann died in 1925. On graduation he studied quantum theory in Göttingen, where his research into the atomic nucleus provided the basis for his doctorate. He then worked at the Theoretical Physics Institute of the University of Copenhagen, from 1928 to 1931 with a break to work with Ernest Rutherford at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, he continued to study the atomic nucleus (proposing the "liquid drop" model) but also worked on stellar physics with Robert Atkinson and Fritz Houtermans.

Gamow then worked at a number of Soviet establishments before deciding to flee the increased oppression in Russia. His first two attempts to defect with his wife Lyubov Vokhminzeva were in 1932 and involved attempting to kayak across the iron curtain, first a 250 kilometer paddle over the Black Sea to Turkey and then from Murmansk to Norway. Poor weather foiled the attempts. In 1933 the two tried a less dramatic approach, Gamow managed to obtain permission for himself and his wife (who was also a physicist) to attend the Solvay Conference for physicists in Brussels. The two attended and promptly defected and in 1934 they moved to the United States. Gamow became a naturalized American in 1940. He began working at George Washington University in 1934, where he published with Edward Teller, Mario Schoenberg, and Ralph Alpher.

Gamow produced an important cosmogenesis paper with Alpher which was published as the Alpher-Bethe-Gamow theory in 1948. Gamow had added the name of Hans Bethe (who had not had any role in the paper) to make a pun on the first three letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha beta gamma. The paper outlined how the present levels of hydrogen and helium in the universe (which were and are thought to make up over 99% of all matter) could be largely explained by reactions that occurred during the "Big Bang". This lent support to the Big Bang theory, although it did not explain the presence of elements heavier than helium (this was done later by Fred Hoyle). Gamow was a strong advocate of the Big Bang theory, and in 1946 postulated on the existence and made an estimate of the strength of residual cosmic microwave background radiation. However astronomers and scientists did not make any effort to detect this radiation at that time, due to a lack of interest and the immaturity of microwave observation. Consequently, this important observation in support of the Big Bang was not made until its 1965 discovery.

After the discovery of the structure of DNA, Gamow realized that the sequence of nucleotides formed a code. He corresponded with researchers in the field about this concept.

He remained in Washington until 1954, then worked at University of California, Berkeley (1954), and University of Colorado at Boulder (1956–1968). In 1956 he was awarded the Kalinga prize by UNESCO for his work in popularizing science with his Mr. Tompkins... series of books (1939–1967), One Two Three ... Infinity, and other works.

Miscellaneous

Gamow was an imposing figure at six feet, three inches (190.5 cm) and over 225 pounds (102 kg) but was known for his impish sense of humor. He was once described as "the only scientist in America with a real sense of humor" by a United Press International reporter.
He was highly regarded in the Soviet Union before his defection, and had once been a commissioned officer in the Red Army, a fact which likely prevented the US from putting him to work on the Manhattan project during World War 2. The Americans were apparently not swayed by the arguments that Gamow was only given officer status so that he could teach science courses to soldiers and that the USSR had sentenced him to death for his defection.

Books

Mr. Tompkins in Paperback, 1965, Cambridge University Press, 1993 Canto edition with foreward by Roger Penrose, ISBN 0-521-44771-2. Originally published in two books as Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland in 1940 and Mr. Tompkins Explores the Atom in 1945, following serial publication in Discovery magazine (UK) in 1938. Creatively illustrated by the author, and complete with a scored musical composition ("The Cosmic Opera"), the book explains the principles of relativity and quantum theory in a fashion that is entertaining to young people and adults.
One, Two, Three...Infinity, 1947, Viking Press (copyright renewed by Barbara Gamow, 1974), Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-25664-2, illustrated by the author. Dedicated to his son, Igor ("who wanted to be a cowboy") The book winds from mathematics to biology, through physics, crystallography, and more.
Thirty Years That Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory, 1966, Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-24895-X. Illustrated by the author and with period photographs, Gamow describes an insider's view of the development of quantum theory. Having worked with Niels Bohr and Ernest Rutherford, he not only can expound the theory, he supplies candid photos of Edward Teller on skis, Bohr on a motorcycle, Werner Heisenberg having a swim, and Enrico Fermi playing tennis. The finale is a dramatic playscript (also illustrated) of the history of atomic physics with the scientists cast in roles after the model of Goethe's Faust.

External links

Life and career

Miscellaneous

Books

See also

External links