Henry N. Chapman facts for kids

Henry N. Chapman is a British scientist born in 1967. He is a very important physicist who helps us understand tiny things using powerful X-rays. He is the first director of a special science center in Germany called the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY).

Dr. Chapman is famous for his work with X-rays. He helped create a way to "see" very small objects, like molecules, using a method called coherent diffraction imaging. He also pioneered a technique called "diffraction before destruction." This method lets scientists study delicate biological samples, like Photosystem II (a key part of photosynthesis in plants), using super-fast and intense X-ray light without destroying them.

He is married to another physicist, Saša Bajt.

Henry Chapman's Journey in Science

Henry Chapman got his Ph.D. from Melbourne University in Australia. After that, he moved to the United States and worked at Stony Brook University. There, he focused on coherent diffraction imaging and X-ray crystallography at the National Synchrotron Light Source. A synchrotron is like a giant microscope that uses powerful X-rays to look at very small things.

In 1996, he joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He worked on something called extreme ultraviolet lithography, which is a way to make incredibly tiny patterns, like those used in computer chips. Later, in 2007, he moved to DESY in Germany. He became the first director of the CFEL Coherent Imaging Group, where he continues his groundbreaking work.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Henry Chapman has received many important awards for his scientific discoveries:

• 2021 Gregori Aminoff Prize
• 2020 Fellow of the Royal Society (a very old and respected science group)
• 2017 Roentgen Medal
• 2015 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
• 2010 Bjørn H. Wiik Prize
• 1993 Bragg medal

More to Explore

• Serial femtosecond crystallography
• X-ray crystallography
• Coherent diffraction imaging
• Free-electron laser