Joe Vinen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Vinen
FRS HonFInstP
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|---|---|
| Born |
William Frank Vinen
15 February 1930 |
| Died | 8 June 2022 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | Clare College, Cambridge |
| Awards | Holweck Prize (1978) Rumford Medal (1980) Guthrie Medal and Prize (2005) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge University of Birmingham |
| Thesis | The hydrodynamics of liquid helium II (1957) |
| Doctoral advisor | Donald Osborne David Shoenberg |
William Frank Vinen, often known as Joe Vinen, was a brilliant British scientist. He was a physicist who studied things at very, very cold temperatures. This field is called low temperature physics. He was born on February 15, 1930, and passed away on June 8, 2022.
Contents
Joe Vinen's Journey in Science
Joe Vinen started his education at Watford Grammar School. After that, he went to Clare College, Cambridge, a famous university. There, he earned his PhD in 1956. A PhD is a high-level university degree.
Early Research at Cambridge
From 1955 to 1958, Vinen worked as a Research Fellow at Clare College. This meant he was doing important scientific studies. Later, he became a Fellow at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
Leading Physics at Birmingham
In 1962, Joe Vinen became a Professor of Physics at Birmingham University. This was a big step in his career. In 1973, he was given the special title of Poynting Chair. He also led the Physics Department from 1973 to 1981. He retired from the university in 1997.
Awards and Special Honours
Joe Vinen received many important awards for his amazing work in physics. These awards showed how much his discoveries helped science.
Becoming a Royal Society Fellow
In 1973, Vinen was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK. It means he was recognized as one of the best in his field.
His election certificate explained why he was chosen. It said he made big contributions to low temperature physics. He worked with another physicist, H.E. Hall. They studied how second sound behaved in spinning liquid helium. Their work helped show that tiny, invisible lines called vortex lines probably exist.
Later, Vinen did another clever experiment. He proved directly that something called circulation was "quantized." This means it only comes in specific, tiny amounts, not just any amount. He also studied how heat currents move in liquid helium. This helped scientists understand how different parts of liquid helium interact. It also explained how liquids flow in special ways.
At Birmingham, he kept making important discoveries. He studied not only liquid helium but also similar problems in type II superconductors. These are materials that can carry electricity with no resistance. His work was known for his deep thinking and strong skills in both experiments and theory.
The Rumford Medal
In 1980, Joe Vinen was given the Rumford Medal. This award was for his discovery of the "quantum of circulation" in superfluid helium. It also recognized his new ways to make very exact measurements in liquid helium.
Joe Vinen's Family Life
In 1960, Joe Vinen married Susan-Mary Audrey Master. They had two children, a son named Richard and a daughter named Katie. The family lived in Birmingham.
