Hans Motz facts for kids

Hans Motz (born October 1, 1909, died August 6, 1987) was a brilliant scientist. He is famous for his important work at Stanford University. His ideas helped create special machines called undulators. These machines led to other cool inventions like the wiggler and the free-electron laser.

Hans Motz was born in Vienna, which is in Austria. He passed away in Oxford, England. He was survived by his wife, Lotte Motz, and his daughter, Anna Motz.

Who Was Hans Motz?

Hans Motz was a scientist who made big contributions to physics. He helped develop technology that uses beams of light. These technologies are used in many areas today, from medicine to manufacturing.

Early Life and Studies

Hans Motz was born in 1909. He grew up in Vienna, Austria. Later in his life, he moved to England.

In 1942, he gave a talk at the Socratic Club in Oxford. The topic was about whether a "mechanistic" view of the universe made scientific sense. This shows his interest in deep scientific questions.

Working at Oxford University

In 1958, Hans Motz became a Donald Pollock Reader. This was in the Department of Engineering at Oxford University. He was also part of St Catherine's Society, Oxford. This society became St Catherine's College, Oxford in 1962. At that time, he became a Fellow of the college.

By 1977, he became the only Full Professor in the Department of Engineering. This was a big achievement. It showed how important his work and teaching were.

Amazing Inventions: Undulators and Lasers

Hans Motz is best known for his work on undulators. An undulator is a special device that helps create powerful beams of light. These beams are used in many scientific experiments.

His work on undulators led to the invention of the wiggler. It also helped develop the free-electron laser. Free-electron lasers are very powerful. They can be tuned to different colors of light. This makes them useful for many different scientific studies and technologies.

Sharing Knowledge Through Books

Hans Motz also wrote several books. One of his books was called The Physics of Laser Fusion. This book explained how lasers could be used to create energy. He also wrote a book about microwave theory.

He also worked with Paolo Luchini. Together, they wrote a book called Undulators and Free-electron Lasers. These books helped share his important scientific knowledge with others.

Making Science Open to Everyone

In the early 1960s, Hans Motz received a special grant. It was from the Rand Corporation. His task was to see if he could rediscover secret nuclear physics information. He used a computer at Oxford University for this.

The idea was that if this information became public, it could help the US nuclear power industry grow faster. Using Oxford University's Feranti Mercury computer, he was able to figure out most of the basic information. This information was then made public. It was later taught in university programs about nuclear engineering. This helped make important scientific knowledge available to more people.