Paul Langevin
Encyclopedia
Paul Langevin was a prominent French
physicist
who developed Langevin dynamics
and the Langevin equation
. He was one of the founders of the Comité de vigilance des intellectuels antifascistes
, an antifascist organization created in the wake of the 6 February 1934 far right riots
. Langevin was also president of the Human Rights League
(LDH) from 1944 to 1946 — he had just recently joined the French Communist Party
. He is entombed at the Panthéon
.
Being a public opponent against fascism in the 1930s resulted in his arrest and consequently he was held under house arrest by the Vichy government for most of the war. Paul Langevin, previously a doctoral student of Pierre Curie
and later a lover of Marie Curie
, is also famous for his two US patents with Chilowski in 1916 and 1917 regarding a systematic ultrasonic submarine
detection.
, and studied at the École de Physique et Chimie
and the École Normale Supérieure
. He then went to Cambridge University
and studied in the Cavendish Laboratory
under Sir J. J. Thomson
. Langevin returned to the Sorbonne
and obtained his Ph.D.
from Pierre Curie
in 1902. In 1904 he became professor
of physics
at the Collège de France
. In 1926 he became director of the École de Physique et Chimie, where he had been educated. He was elected, in 1934, to the Académie des sciences.
Langevin is noted for his work on paramagnetism
and diamagnetism
, and devised the modern interpretation of this phenomenon in terms of spins of electrons within atom
s. His most famous work was in the use of ultrasound
using Pierre Curie's piezoelectric effect. During World War I
, he began working on the use of these sounds to detect submarine
s through echo location. However the war was over by the time he had it operational. During his career, Paul Langevin also did much to spread the theory of relativity
in France and created what is now called the twin paradox
.
In 1910 he reportedly had an affair with the then widowed Marie Curie
; today, their respective grandson and granddaughter are married to one another: Hélène Langevin-Joliot
and Michel Langevin. He was also noted for being an outspoken opponent of Nazism
, and was removed from his post by the Vichy government
following the occupation of the country
by Nazi Germany
. He was later restored to his position in 1944. He died in Paris in 1946, two years after living to see the Liberation of Paris
. He is buried near several other prominent French scientists in the Pantheon in Paris.
His daughter, Hélène Solomon-Langevin, was arrested for Resistance activity and survived several concentration camps. She was on the same convoy of female political prisoners as Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier
and Charlotte Delbo
.
In 1916 Lord Ernest Rutherford
, working in the UK with his former McGill University PhD student Robert William Boyle
, revealed that they were developing a quartz
piezoelectric detector for submarine
detection. Langevin's successful application of the use of piezoelectricity
in the generation and detection of ultrasound
waves was followed by further development.
References to the affair with Marie Curie is found in
Giroud Francoise (Davis, Lydia trans), Marie Curie A life, Holmes and Meier, 1986, ISBN 0-8419-0977-6. and in Quinn Susan , Marie Curie A Life , Heinemann, 1995, ISBN 0 - 434 - 60503 - 4.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
who developed Langevin dynamics
Langevin dynamics
In physics, Langevin dynamics is an approach to the mathematical modeling of the dynamics of molecular systems, originally developed by the French physicist Paul Langevin...
and the Langevin equation
Langevin equation
In statistical physics, a Langevin equation is a stochastic differential equation describing the time evolution of a subset of the degrees of freedom. These degrees of freedom typically are collective variables changing only slowly in comparison to the other variables of the system...
. He was one of the founders of the Comité de vigilance des intellectuels antifascistes
Comité de vigilance des intellectuels antifascistes
The Watchfulness Committee of Antifascist Intellectuals was a French political organization created in March 1934, in the wake of the February 6, 1934 riots organized by far right leagues, which had led to the fall of the second Cartel des gauches government...
, an antifascist organization created in the wake of the 6 February 1934 far right riots
6 February 1934 crisis
The 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an anti-parliamentarist street demonstration in Paris organized by far-right leagues that culminated in a riot on the Place de la Concorde, near the seat of the French National Assembly...
. Langevin was also president of the Human Rights League
Human Rights League (France)
The Human Rights League of France, is a Human Rights NGO founded on 4 June 1898 by the republican Ludovic Trarieux to defend captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew wrongly convicted for treason - this would be known as the Dreyfus Affair...
(LDH) from 1944 to 1946 — he had just recently joined the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
. He is entombed at the Panthéon
Pantheon
-Mythology:* Pantheon , the set of gods belonging to a particular mythology* Pantheon * Pantheon, Rome, now a Catholic church, once a temple to the gods of ancient Rome* Any temple dedicated to an entire pantheon-Other buildings:...
.
Being a public opponent against fascism in the 1930s resulted in his arrest and consequently he was held under house arrest by the Vichy government for most of the war. Paul Langevin, previously a doctoral student of Pierre Curie
Pierre Curie
Pierre Curie was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity and radioactivity, and Nobel laureate. He was the son of Dr. Eugène Curie and Sophie-Claire Depouilly Curie ...
and later a lover of Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
, is also famous for his two US patents with Chilowski in 1916 and 1917 regarding a systematic ultrasonic submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
detection.
Life
Langevin was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and studied at the École de Physique et Chimie
École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris
The école supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la ville de Paris or ESPCI ParisTech is a chemistry and physics engineering college run by the city of Paris, France and a member of ParisTech...
and the École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
. He then went to Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and studied in the Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
under Sir J. J. Thomson
J. J. Thomson
Sir Joseph John "J. J." Thomson, OM, FRS was a British physicist and Nobel laureate. He is credited for the discovery of the electron and of isotopes, and the invention of the mass spectrometer...
. Langevin returned to the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and obtained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Pierre Curie
Pierre Curie
Pierre Curie was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity and radioactivity, and Nobel laureate. He was the son of Dr. Eugène Curie and Sophie-Claire Depouilly Curie ...
in 1902. In 1904 he became professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
. In 1926 he became director of the École de Physique et Chimie, where he had been educated. He was elected, in 1934, to the Académie des sciences.
Paramagnetism
Paramagnetism is a form of magnetism whereby the paramagnetic material is only attracted when in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. In contrast with this, diamagnetic materials are repulsive when placed in a magnetic field...
and diamagnetism
Diamagnetism
Diamagnetism is the property of an object which causes it to create a magnetic field in opposition to an externally applied magnetic field, thus causing a repulsive effect. Specifically, an external magnetic field alters the orbital velocity of electrons around their nuclei, thus changing the...
, and devised the modern interpretation of this phenomenon in terms of spins of electrons within atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
s. His most famous work was in the use of ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
using Pierre Curie's piezoelectric effect. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he began working on the use of these sounds to detect submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s through echo location. However the war was over by the time he had it operational. During his career, Paul Langevin also did much to spread the theory of relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
in France and created what is now called the twin paradox
Twin paradox
In physics, the twin paradox is a thought experiment in special relativity, in which a twin makes a journey into space in a high-speed rocket and returns home to find he has aged less than his identical twin who stayed on Earth...
.
In 1910 he reportedly had an affair with the then widowed Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
; today, their respective grandson and granddaughter are married to one another: Hélène Langevin-Joliot
Hélène Langevin-Joliot
Hélène Langevin-Joliot is a French nuclear physicist. She was educated at the Institut de physique nucléaire at Orsay, a laboratory which was set up by her parents Irène Joliot-Curie and Frédéric Joliot-Curie. She is a member of the French government's advisory committee...
and Michel Langevin. He was also noted for being an outspoken opponent of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, and was removed from his post by the Vichy government
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
following the occupation of the country
German occupation of France in World War II
The Military Administration in France was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II. It remained in existence from May 1940 to December 1944. As a result of the defeat of France and its Allies in the Battle of France, the French cabinet sought a cessation...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He was later restored to his position in 1944. He died in Paris in 1946, two years after living to see the Liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
. He is buried near several other prominent French scientists in the Pantheon in Paris.
His daughter, Hélène Solomon-Langevin, was arrested for Resistance activity and survived several concentration camps. She was on the same convoy of female political prisoners as Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier
Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier
Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier, , whose real name was Marie-Claude Vogel, was a member of the French Resistance.-Photographer:...
and Charlotte Delbo
Charlotte Delbo
Charlotte Delbo, , was a French writer chiefly known for her haunting memoirs of her time as a prisoner in Auschwitz, where she was sent for her activities as a member of the French resistance.-Early life:...
.
Submarine Detection
in 1916 and 1917 Paul Langevin and Chilowski filed two US patents disclosing the first ultrasonic submarine detector using an electrostatic method (singing condenser) for one patent and thin quartz crystals for the other. The amount of time taken by the signal to travel to the enemy submarine and echo back to the ship on which the device was mounted was used to calculate the distance under water.In 1916 Lord Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM, FRS was a New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics...
, working in the UK with his former McGill University PhD student Robert William Boyle
Robert William Boyle
Robert William Boyle was a Newfoundlander physicist and one the of most important early pioneers in the development of sonar....
, revealed that they were developing a quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
piezoelectric detector for submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
detection. Langevin's successful application of the use of piezoelectricity
Piezoelectricity
Piezoelectricity is the charge which accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure...
in the generation and detection of ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
waves was followed by further development.
See also
- Born coordinatesBorn coordinatesIn relativistic physics, the Born coordinate chart is a coordinate chart for Minkowski spacetime, the flat spacetime of special relativity. It is often used to analyze the physical experience of observers who ride on a ring or disk rigidly rotating at relativistic speeds...
, for the Langevin observers who ride a rigidly rotating disk in an infamous thought experiment in relativistic physics.
Sources
- Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, Doubleday & Co., Inc., 19721972 in literatureThe year 1972 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Fiction:*Richard Adams - Watership Down*Jorge Amado - Teresa Batista Cansada da Guerra *Martin Amis - The Rachel Papers...
, ISBN 0-385-17771-2.
References to the affair with Marie Curie is found in
Giroud Francoise (Davis, Lydia trans), Marie Curie A life, Holmes and Meier, 1986, ISBN 0-8419-0977-6. and in Quinn Susan , Marie Curie A Life , Heinemann, 1995, ISBN 0 - 434 - 60503 - 4.