Gustav Theodor Hans Hermann Hupfeld (November 28, 1905 – November 11, 1942 in Mecklenburg, Germany) was a German

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

known for his work on the

scattering Scattering is a term used in physics to describe a wide range of physical processes where moving particles or radiation of some form, such as light or sound, are forced to deviate from a straight trajectory by localized non-uniformities (including ...

gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

Rittergut Klein Varchow, Mecklenburg, Germany, circa 1905

Early career

Hans-Hermann Hupfeld was born on his parents' farm in Klein-Varchow,

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

, Germany. He obtained a degree in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and worked at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut, Berlin Dahlem, from 1929 until 1932 with Prof.

Otto Hahn Otto Hahn (; 8 March 1879 – 28 July 1968) was a German chemist who was a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is referred to as the father of nuclear chemistry and father of nuclear fission. Hahn and Lise Meitner ...

and Prof.

Lise Meitner Elise Meitner ( , ; 7 November 1878 – 27 October 1968) was an Austrian-Swedish physicist who was one of those responsible for the discovery of the element protactinium and nuclear fission. While working at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute on rad ...

. His research during that time resulted in the discovery of the so-called Meitner–Hupfeld effect. The Meitner-Hupfeld effect is an anomalously large scattering of

Gamma rays A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

by heavy elements. Later on, the Meitner–Hupfeld effect was explained by a broad theory from which evolved the

Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetism, electromagnetic, weak interaction, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying a ...

, a theory for explaining the structure of the

atomic nucleus The atomic nucleus is the small, dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford based on the 1909 Geiger–Marsden gold foil experiment. After the discovery of the neutron i ...

. The anomalous gamma-ray behavior was eventually ascribed to electron–positron pair production and annihilation. Although Professor Meitner was recognized for her work, Hupfeld is usually ignored, and little or no account of his life exists. His name is misspelled as Heinz Hupfeld, instead of Hans-Hermann Hupfeld in publications from the early '30s.

Later career

Disgruntled by lack of recognition, Hupfeld left the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut in 1932 (now known as the

Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (german: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e. V.; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. ...

) in Berlin and went, because of Germany's bad economic situation at that time, to help in the construction of buildings using a sustainable earthen technology known as the "Dunne loam loaf" technique,See "Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture, by Gernot Minke, page 74 pioneered in Europe by Pastor Gustav von Bodelschwingh, Ruhrgebiet, Germany. From there he went to the recently founded "Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst" (FAD) also created by v. Bodelschwingh, but was very suddenly incorporated by the Nazi regime into the "

Reichsarbeitsdienst The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major organisation established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with Nazi ...

" (RAD) at Schloss Simmenau, High Silesia and Oppeln/OS (after World War II, known as Opole, Poland). From there he left to serve as a Reserve Officer until his death at the age of 36 during World War II in the Russian

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. According to letters sent by the German army to his widow, he was killed on November 11, 1942, in Nisch Ssaniba,

North Ossetia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

. There are a number of curious coincidences in his life with notable events in Physics: the ''

Annus Mirabilis Papers The ''annus mirabilis'' papers (from Latin '' annus mīrābilis'', "miracle year") are the four papers that Albert Einstein published in ''Annalen der Physik'' (''Annals of Physics''), a scientific journal, in 1905. These four papers were major c ...

'' and the 100th anniversary of his birthday coincided with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

World Year of Physics The year 2005 was named the World Year of Physics, also known as Einstein Year, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's " Miracle Year", in which he published four landmark papers, and the subsequent advances in the field of p ...

. Hupfeld was survived by his wife and three daughters who later emigrated to Brazil.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hupfeld, Hans-Hermann 1905 births 1942 deaths 20th-century German physicists Reich Labour Service members German Army officers of World War II German Army personnel killed in World War II Scientists from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Military personnel from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Early career

Later career

See also

References