James Hamilton (physicist) facts for kids

James "Jim" Hamilton (born January 29, 1918 – died July 6, 2000) was an Irish scientist. He was both a mathematician (someone who studies numbers and shapes) and a theoretical physicist (someone who uses math to understand how the universe works). He is known for helping to develop ideas about cosmic-ray mesons while working at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Early Life and Education

James Hamilton was born in Sligo, Ireland. When he was two years old, his family moved to Belfast in 1920. He went to school at the Royal Academical Institution.

In 1935, he started studying at Queen's University. After he finished his studies, he continued to work at Queen's. He was also one of the very first students to join the School of Theoretical Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

Wartime Service and Research

During the Second World War, Hamilton worked for the British Admiralty. This was a part of the British government that managed the navy.

After the war ended, he went back to his physics research. From 1945 to 1949, he worked at the University of Manchester. There, he studied how radiation (energy that travels through space) can lose its power, a topic called "radiation damping."

Work at Cambridge University

From 1950 to 1960, James Hamilton taught mathematics at the University of Cambridge. During this time, he was a leader in developing a new way to understand how tiny particles interact. This was called S-matrix theory. He was also known for his clever use of "dispersion relations," which are mathematical tools to study how waves behave.

He worked with other famous scientists like Abdus Salam and Hans Bethe. In his last two years at Cambridge, he helped to create a brand new department. This was the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Later Career and Teaching

After Cambridge, Hamilton moved to University College, London. From 1960 to 1964, he built a successful research group focused on high energy physics. This field studies the smallest particles and the forces that hold them together.

Later, he moved to Copenhagen and worked at an organization called NORDITA. From 1964 to 1983, he was in charge of teaching particle physics to students across Scandinavia.