Wolfgang Paul facts for kids

Wolfgang Paul was a German professor and a brilliant scientist. He was born in Lorenzkirch, Germany in 1913 and passed away in Bonn in 1993. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his important work with tiny particles.

About Wolfgang Paul

Wolfgang Paul was born on August 10, 1913, in Lorenzkirch, Germany. When he was young, his family moved to Munich. His father taught chemistry at the University of Munich.

In 1932, Wolfgang started studying physics in Munich. He later moved to Berlin in 1934 to continue his studies. He earned his doctorate degree in 1939.

After his studies, he began teaching. In 1944, he taught at the University of Göttingen. Then, in 1952, he joined the University of Bonn. He became the director of their Institute of Experimental Physics. He held this important position until he died.

Wolfgang Paul passed away on December 7, 1993, in Bonn.

His Scientific Discoveries

During World War II, Wolfgang Paul worked on separating isotopes. Isotopes are different forms of the same chemical element. This process was important for creating materials used in nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is a way to release energy from atoms.

His most famous work involved studying ions. Ions are atoms or molecules that have an electric charge. He invented something called an ion trap. This device uses electric and magnetic fields to hold tiny charged particles (ions) in place. This allows scientists to study them very carefully.

For inventing the ion trap, Wolfgang Paul received half of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989. He shared the prize with another scientist, Hans G. Dehmelt.

From 1965 to 1967, he also served as the Director of Nuclear Physics at CERN. CERN is a very large science laboratory in Europe. Scientists there study the smallest particles in the universe.