Sir Martin Ryle
(27 September 1918 – 14 October 1984) was an English
radio astronomer
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation coming f ...
who developed revolutionary
radio telescope
A radio telescope is a specialized antenna and radio receiver used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky. Radio telescopes are the main observing instrument used in radio astronomy, which studies the radio frequency ...
systems (see e.g.
aperture synthesis) and used them for accurate location and imaging of weak radio sources. In 1946 Ryle and
Derek Vonberg were the first people to publish
interferometric
Interferometry is a technique which uses the ''interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber op ...
astronomical measurements at radio wavelengths. With improved equipment, Ryle observed the most distant known galaxies in the universe at that time. He was the first Professor of
Radio Astronomy in the University of Cambridge and founding director of the
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. He was the twelfth
Astronomer Royal from 1972 to 1982. Ryle and
Antony Hewish
Antony Hewish (11 May 1924 – 13 September 2021) was a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 (together with fellow radio-astronomer Martin Ryle) for his role in the discovery of pulsars. He was also awarded the ...
shared the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, the first Nobel prize awarded in recognition of astronomical research. In the 1970s, Ryle turned the greater part of his attention from astronomy to social and political issues which he considered to be more urgent.
Education and early life
Martin Ryle was born in Brighton, England, the son of Professor
John Alfred Ryle
John Alfred Ryle (1889–1950) was a British physician and epidemiologist.
He was born the son of Brighton medical doctor R J Ryle and brother of the Oxford philosopher Gilbert Ryle. He was educated at Brighton College and Guy's Hospital where ...
and Miriam (née Scully) Ryle. He was the nephew of Oxford University Professor of Philosophy
Gilbert Ryle
Gilbert Ryle (19 August 1900 – 6 October 1976) was a British philosopher, principally known for his critique of Cartesian dualism, for which he coined the phrase "ghost in the machine." He was a representative of the generation of British ord ...
. After studying at
Bradfield College, Ryle studied physics at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
. In 1939, Ryle worked with the
Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) on the design of antennas for airborne radar equipment during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war, he received a
fellowship
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
at the
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...
.
Career and research
The focus of Ryle's early work in Cambridge was on radio waves from the
Sun.
His interest quickly shifted to other areas, however, and he decided early on that the
Cambridge group should develop new observing techniques. As a result, Ryle was the driving force in the creation and improvement of
astronomical interferometry and
aperture synthesis, which paved the way for massive upgrades in the quality of radio astronomical data. In 1946 Ryle built the first multi-element astronomical radio interferometer.
[ – Observations from the first multi-element astronomical radio interferometer]
Ryle guided the
Cambridge radio astronomy group in the production of several important radio source catalogues. One such catalogue, the
Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources
The Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources (3C) is an astronomical catalogue of celestial radio sources detected originally at 159 MHz, and subsequently at 178 MHz.
History
3C
The catalogue was published in 1959 by members of the ...
(3C) in 1959 helped lead to the discovery of the first
quasi-stellar object
A quasar is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is pronounced , and sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. This emission from a galaxy nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a mass ranging ...
(
quasar
A quasar is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is pronounced , and sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. This emission from a galaxy nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a m ...
).
While serving as university lecturer in physics at Cambridge from 1948 to 1959, Ryle became director of the
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in 1957 and professor of radio astronomy in 1959. He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1952,
was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed in 1966 (p 519 of
) and succeeded Sir
Richard Woolley as
Astronomer Royal from 1972 to 1982. Ryle and Antony Hewish shared the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, the first Nobel prize awarded in recognition of astronomical research. In 1968 Ryle served as professor of astronomy at
Gresham College, London.
Personality
According to numerous reports Ryle was quick-thinking, impatient with those slower than himself and charismatic (pp 502, 508, 510 of
). He was also idealistic (p 519 of
), a characteristic he shared with his father (p 499 of,
[The Papers of Sir Martin Ryle at Churchill Archives Centre](_blank)
/ref>). In an interview (p271 of[Williams R ed ''The Best of The Science Show''. Nelson, 1983.]) in 1982 he said "At times one feels that one should almost have a car sticker saying 'Stop Science Now' because we're getting cleverer and cleverer, but we do not increase the wisdom to go with it."
He was also intense and volatile (p 327 of[Kragh, H. ''Cosmology and Controversy: the historical development of two theories of the universe''. Princeton University Press, 1996.]), the latter characteristic being associated with his mother (p 499 of, Folder A.20 of). The historian Owen Chadwick described him as "a ''rare'' personality, of exceptional sensitivity of mind, fears and anxieties, care and compassion, humour and anger." (Folder A.28 of)
Ryle was sometimes considered difficult to work with – he often worked in an office at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory to avoid disturbances from other members of the Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the School of Physical Sciences. The laboratory was opened in 1874 on the New Museums Site as a laboratory for experimental physics and is named ...
and to avoid getting into heated arguments, as Ryle had a hot temper. Ryle worried that Cambridge would lose its standing in the radio astronomy community as other radio astronomy groups had much better funding, so he encouraged a certain amount of secrecy about his aperture synthesis methods in order to keep an advantage for the Cambridge group. Ryle had heated arguments with Fred Hoyle of the Institute of Astronomy about Hoyle's steady state universe
In physical cosmology, cosmology, the steady-state model, or steady state theory is an alternative to the Big Bang theory of evolution of the universe. In the steady-state model, the density of matter in the expanding universe remains unchanged ...
, which restricted collaboration between the Cavendish Radio Astronomy Group and the Institute of Astronomy during the 1960s.
War, peace and energy
Ryle was a new physics graduate and an experienced radio ham in 1939, when the Second World War started. He played an important part in the Allied war effort, working mainly in radar countermeasures. After the war, "He returned to Cambridge with a determination to devote himself to pure science, unalloyed by the taint of war."
In the 1970s, Ryle turned the greater part of his attention from astronomy to social and political issues which he considered to be more urgent. With publications from 1976 and continuing, despite illness until he died in 1984, he pursued a passionate and intensive program on the socially responsible use of science and technology.[ Rowan-Robinson, M. and Rudolf, A. (1985) ''Martin Ryle's Letter''. Menard Press.] His main themes were:
* Warning the world of the horrific dangers of nuclear armaments, notably in his pamphlet ''Towards the Nuclear Holocaust''.
* Criticism of nuclear power, as in ''Is there a case for nuclear power?''
* Research and promotion of alternative energy and energy efficiency, as in ''Short-term Storage and Wind Power Availability''.
* Calling for the responsible use of science and technology. "...we should strive to see how the vast resources now diverted towards the destruction of life are turned instead to the solution of the problems which both rich - but especially the poor - countries of the world now face."
In 1983 Ryle responded to a request from the President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences for suggestions of topics to be discussed at a meeting on ''Science and Peace''. Ryle's reply was published posthumously in ''Martin Ryle's Letter''. An abridged version appears in ''New Scientist'' with the title ''Martin Ryle's Last Testament''. The letter ends with "Our cleverness has grown prodigiously – but not our wisdom."
Honours and awards
Ryle was awarded numerous prizes and honours including:
* Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1952
*Hughes Medal
The Hughes Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "in recognition of an original discovery in the physical sciences, particularly electricity and magnetism or their applications". Named after David E. Hughes, the medal is awarded with ...
(1954)
* Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1964)
*Fernand Holweck Medal and Prize
The Fernand Holweck Medal and Prize is a major European prize for Physics awarded jointly every year by the British Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Société Française de Physique (SFP). It is one of the four Grand Prix of the SFP and one of ...
(1965)
* Henry Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
(1965)
*Albert A. Michelson Medal
The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...
of the Franklin Institute (1971)
*Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal and The King's Medal (depending on the gender of the monarch at the time of the award), is a silver-gilt medal, of which three are awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important ...
(1973)
* Bruce Medal (1974)
*Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
(1974)
*Ryle Telescope
{{Infobox telescope
The Ryle Telescope (named after Martin Ryle, and formerly known as the 5-km Array) was a linear east-west radio telescope array at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. In 2004, three of the telescopes were moved to create ...
at Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
* In 1965 Ryle co-delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on ''Exploration of the Universe''.
Personal life
In their early years Martin and his elder brother received lessons at home in carpentry (p 498 of ) and manual skills became important for him throughout his life. This was for relaxation – he built boats to his own designs (p 498 of ) – and professionally. In his wartime radar work ([Ryle M. (1985) "D-13:some personal memories of 24th–28th May 1944". ''IEE Proceedings'' 132 (6 October): 438–440.]), his post-war radio-telescope building (p 510 of ) and his late researches into wind energy (p 517 of ) he was a hands-on practical engineer as well as a scientist.
Ryle also had a lifelong interest in sailing (p 498 of) and this matched his choice when in the 1970s he turned his research subject from astronomy to wind energy (pp 420–422 of[Longair, M. ''Maxwell's Enduring Legacy: a scientific history of the Cavendish laboratory''. Cambridge University Press, 2016.])
Another practical skill acquired by Martin in youth that later served him well in his professional career was as a radio 'ham'. While still at School (Bradfield College) he built his own transmitter and obtained a Post Office licence to operate it (pp 498–499 of), with the GB-Callsign G3CY.
In 1936 the family moved to a house in Cambridge which became Martin's home after the war. In 1947 he and Rowena Palmer married and they lived in this house for rest of Martin's life. They had three children, born in 1949, 1951 and 1952. Ryle died on 14 October 1984, in Cambridge. He was celebrated on a first class stamp issued in 2009 as part of an Eminent Britons set.[Eminent Britons stamp set](_blank)
/ref> Lady Ryle died in 2013.[geni.com](_blank)
/ref>
Ryle was an amateur radio operator, and held the GB-Callsign G3CY.
References
External links
* including the Nobel Lecture, 12 December 1974 ''Radio Telescopes of Large Resolving Power''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryle, Martin
1918 births
1984 deaths
People from Brighton
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Astronomers Royal
20th-century British astronomers
English physicists
British Nobel laureates
Knights Bachelor
Nobel laureates in Physics
People educated at Bradfield College
Royal Medal winners
Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fellows of the Royal Society
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
Radio astronomers
English Nobel laureates
Spectroscopists