Ivar Giaever facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ivar Giæver
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Giaever in 2010
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| Born | April 5, 1929 Bergen, Norway
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| Known for | Tunneling phenomena in superconductors |
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Ivar Giaever (born April 5, 1929) is a scientist from Norway and the United States. He is famous for his work in physics. In 1973, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He shared the prize with Leo Esaki and Brian Josephson. They were honored for their discoveries about "tunnelling phenomena" in solids. Giaever's specific award was for his experiments on tunnelling in superconductors.
In 1975, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for his important work on electron tunnelling in superconductors. Today, Giaever is a professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He also leads a company called Applied Biophysics.
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Early Life and Education
Ivar Giaever was born in Norway. He studied mechanical engineering. He earned his degree in 1952 from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In 1954, he moved to Canada. He worked for General Electric there. Four years later, he moved to the United States. He joined General Electric's research center in New York in 1958. He became a U.S. citizen in 1964. While working, he also earned his Ph.D. (a high-level university degree) in 1964.
Winning the Nobel Prize
Giaever did the work that led to his Nobel Prize in 1960. He was working at General Electric. Another scientist, Leo Esaki, had found that electrons could "tunnel" through semiconductors in 1958. This means electrons can pass through a barrier even if they don't have enough energy to go over it.
Giaever then showed that this tunnelling also happened in superconductors. He did experiments with a very thin layer of oxide. This layer was placed between two pieces of metal. His tests showed that electrons could tunnel through this layer.
Giaever's experiments proved that superconductors have an "energy gap." This was a key idea from the BCS theory of superconductivity. This theory was developed in 1957. Giaever's findings also inspired another physicist, Brian Josephson. Josephson then predicted the "Josephson effect" in 1962.
Esaki and Giaever shared half of the 1973 Nobel Prize. Josephson received the other half.
Later in his career, Giaever focused on biophysics. This field combines biology and physics. In 1969, he spent a year researching biophysics at the University of Cambridge. He continued this work after returning to the U.S.
Other Awards and Honors
Besides the Nobel Prize, Ivar Giaever has received other important awards. In 1965, he won the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize. This award is given by the American Physical Society. He also received the Golden Plate Award in 1966. In 1975, he won the Zworykin Award.
In 1985, he was given an honorary degree. This means a university recognized his achievements. He is also a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Views on Climate Change
Ivar Giaever has spoken about global warming. He has said he is doubtful about some of the ideas around it. In 2011, he resigned from the American Physical Society. This was because he disagreed with their official position on global warming.
Giaever is now a science advisor for The Heartland Institute. This is a research group in the United States.
Personal Life
Ivar Giaever was married to Inger Skramstad from 1952 until her death in 2023. They had four children together. Giaever has stated that he is an atheist.
Selected Publications
- Giaever, Ivar (2016). "I Am The Smartest Man I Know": A Nobel Laureate's Difficult Journey, World Scientific. ISBN: 978-981-3109-17-9.
See also
In Spanish: Ivar Giaever para niños
