Theodor Wulf
Encyclopedia
Theodor Wulf was a German
physicist
and Jesuit priest who was one of the first experimenters to detect excess atmospheric radiation
.
Theodor Wulf became a Jesuit priest at the age of 20, before studying physics
with Walther Nernst
at the University of Göttingen. He taught physics at Valkenburg
, a Jesuit University from 1904 to 1914 and 1918-1935. He designed and built an electrometer
which could detect the presence of energetic charged particles (or electromagnetic waves). Since natural radiation sources on the ground were detected by his electrometer, he predicted that if he moved far enough away from those sources he would detect less radiation.
To test his hypothesis, in 1910 he compared the radiation at the bottom and the top of the Eiffel Tower
. As he went up the tower, he found that rather than decreasing, the level of radiation actually increased. Energy was coming from outside the Earth's atmosphere and being detected by his device; this radiation was from cosmic rays. He published a paper in Physikalische Zeitschrift detailing the results of his four days of observation on the Eiffel Tower. His results were not initially accepted.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
and Jesuit priest who was one of the first experimenters to detect excess atmospheric radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
.
Theodor Wulf became a Jesuit priest at the age of 20, before studying 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...
with Walther Nernst
Walther Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst FRS was a German physical chemist and physicist who is known for his theories behind the calculation of chemical affinity as embodied in the third law of thermodynamics, for which he won the 1920 Nobel Prize in chemistry...
at the University of Göttingen. He taught physics at Valkenburg
Valkenburg aan de Geul
Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.-History:Siege and conquest were characteristic of the history of Valkenburg. Each event is withheld, followed by subsequent restorations. This most definitely holds for the castle perched atop of a hill in the middle of the...
, a Jesuit University from 1904 to 1914 and 1918-1935. He designed and built an electrometer
Electrometer
An electrometer is an electrical instrument for measuring electric charge or electrical potential difference. There are many different types, ranging from historical hand-made mechanical instruments to high-precision electronic devices...
which could detect the presence of energetic charged particles (or electromagnetic waves). Since natural radiation sources on the ground were detected by his electrometer, he predicted that if he moved far enough away from those sources he would detect less radiation.
To test his hypothesis, in 1910 he compared the radiation at the bottom and the top of the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
. As he went up the tower, he found that rather than decreasing, the level of radiation actually increased. Energy was coming from outside the Earth's atmosphere and being detected by his device; this radiation was from cosmic rays. He published a paper in Physikalische Zeitschrift detailing the results of his four days of observation on the Eiffel Tower. His results were not initially accepted.
Publications
- Uber den Einfluss des Druckes auf die elektromotorische Kraft der Gaselektroden. Physikalische Zeitschrift Chemie
- About the radiation of high penetration capacity contained in the atmosphere. Physikalische Zeitschrift
- Einstein's relativity theory, 1921.
- Text book of physics, 1926.
- Electrostatic attempts with application of the universal electroscope, 1928.
- The oscillatory movement, 1931.
- The Thread Electrometers, 1933.
- The Components of the Body World, 1935.
See also
- Radiant energyRadiant energyRadiant energy is the energy of electromagnetic waves. The quantity of radiant energy may be calculated by integrating radiant flux with respect to time and, like all forms of energy, its SI unit is the joule. The term is used particularly when radiation is emitted by a source into the...
- List of Jesuit scientists
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
External links
- About the radiation of high penetration capacity contained in the atmosphere Physikalische Zeitschrift, 10th year, no. 5, pages 152-157
- About Observations of the Penetration {through-going} Radiation During 7 Balloon Flights
- About the absorption of gamma rays in the atmosphere