Noah Hershkowitz (August 16, 1941 – November 13, 2020) was an American experimental plasma

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 ...

. He was known for his pioneering research on the understanding of plasma sheaths,

solitons In mathematics and physics, a soliton or solitary wave is a self-reinforcing wave packet that maintains its shape while it propagates at a constant velocity. Solitons are caused by a cancellation of nonlinear and dispersive effects in the medium ...

and double layers in plasmas, as well as the development of the emissive probe which measures the plasma potential (i.e. the

electric potential The electric potential (also called the ''electric field potential'', potential drop, the electrostatic potential) is defined as the amount of work energy needed to move a unit of electric charge from a reference point to the specific point in ...

within a plasma sheath). In 2004, Hershkowitz was co-awarded the 2004

James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics The James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics is an annual American Physical Society (APS) award that is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of the Plasma Physics. It was established in 1975 by Maxwell Technologies, ...

for his contributions to the field of low-temperature plasmas. He was also awarded the 2015

IEEE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award The IEEE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award is a Technical Field Award that was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 2008. This award may be presented for outstanding contributions to the field of nuclear and plasma sciences and engineering ...

for his research and education of basic and applied plasma science.

Early life and career

Hershkowitz obtained a bachelor's degree from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1962 and a Ph.D. in physics from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1966. Upon graduation, Hershkowitz remained at the university to become an instructor in physics until 1967, where he was employed as assistant professor at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

until 1980. During this time between 1974 and 1975, he was a visiting professor at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Between 1980 and 1981, he was a visiting professor at the

University of Colorado, Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

. In 1981, he became a professor at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, and was the Irving Langmuir Professor of Engineering Physics. In 1992, Hershkowitz founded the journal ''

Plasma Sources Science and Technology ''Plasma Sources Science and Technology'' is an international journal dedicated solely to non-fusion aspects of plasma science. The journal is indexed in Scopus, INSPEC Information Services, ISI (SciSearch, ISI Alerting Services, Current Conte ...

'' as the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Scientific contributions

Hershkowitz' work on low temperature plasmas included radio frequency wave heating, sheath physics, potential profiles, diagnostic probes and the industrial applications of plasmas. His work also has applications in

magnetic confinement fusion Magnetic confinement fusion is an approach to generate thermonuclear fusion power that uses magnetic fields to confine fusion fuel in the form of a plasma. Magnetic confinement is one of two major branches of fusion energy research, along with i ...

(e.g. tokamaks, magnetic mirrors).

Honors and awards

Hershkowitz has been a fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

and the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

since 1981. In 2004, Hershkowitz was jointly awarded the

with

Valery Godyak Valery A. Godyak (born June 8, 1941 in Czernowitz) is a Russian-American physicist who specializes in plasma physics. As a scientist, he made fundamental contributions to the understanding of radio frequency (RF) induced discharges in plasmas as w ...

for his research on low-temperature plasmas. In 2015, he received the

for "''innovative research and inspiring education in basic and applied plasma science''".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hershkowitz, Noah 1941 births 2020 deaths American physicists Plasma physicists Scientists from New York City Johns Hopkins University alumni Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellow Members of the IEEE Union College (New York) alumni University of California, Los Angeles faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty University of Iowa faculty