Wolfgang Max Paul Gaede (25 May 1878 – 24 June 1945) 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 cau ...
and pioneer of
vacuum engineering
Vacuum engineering deals with technological processes and equipment that use vacuum to achieve better results than those run under atmospheric pressure. The most widespread applications of vacuum technology are:
* Pyrolytic chromium carbide coatin ...
.
Life
Gaede was born in
Lehe,
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.
It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...
, the son of Prussian Colonel Karl Gaede and Amalia, nee Renf. In 1897 he began studying medicine at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemb ...
, but he soon switched to the field of physics. In 1901 he wrote his doctoral thesis on the change of the specific heat of metals with temperature. Subsequent research on the
Volta effect in a vacuum was unsuccessful, as the pump technology of the time could not create sufficient vacuum for the investigations. This prompted Gaede to deal more closely with vacuum technology. He invented the rotating mercury pump for high vacuum, which he presented to his scientific colleagues in 1905 at a congress in
Merano
Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...
. Also in
Freiburg im Breisgau, Gaede wrote his
habilitation thesis
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
on ''The external friction of gases'' in 1909.
In 1913 he received a professorship at the University of Freiburg. In the following six years, he invented the
momentum transfer pump (molecular pump) and a mercury
diffusion pump
Diffusion pumps use a high speed jet of vapor to direct gas molecules in the pump throat down into the bottom of the pump and out the exhaust. They were the first type of high vacuum pumps operating in the regime of free molecular flow, where the ...
. In 1919, Gaede joined the
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as a professor of
experimental physics,
where he worked in the following research areas:
* Vacuum technology
* Radio and communications technology
* Process for obtaining pure hydrogen and mercury
* Exploration of lightning protection equipment
* Movement of liquids in a rotating hollow ring
In 1930, Gaede was elected a member of the
Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...
. In 1933/34 two employees denounced Gaede to the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
, as having called the National Socialists "childish". He then had to retire, although all allegations proved to be false. Despite this incident, the
Werner von Siemens Ring
The Werner von Siemens Ring (in German orthography, Werner-von-Siemens-Ring) is one of the highest awards for technical sciences in Germany.
It has been awarded from 1916 to 1941 and since 1952 about every three years by the foundation ''Stiftung ...
for 1933 was given to him in 1934. He also received various awards at international level in the following years.
A lifelong consultancy contract from 1906 with
Leybold GmbH
Leybold GmbH, based in Cologne, is part of the Swedish industry group Atlas Copco. The company’s core competencies are based on the development of components and systems for the generation of vacuum and gas management engineering.
History
In ...
of Cologne made it possible for him to continue his research in his private laboratory in Karlsruhe and later in Munich. Among other things, he invented the gas ballast principle. Gaede was the owner of almost 40 patents in Germany, and many others abroad. A call to return to the university in Karlsruhe after the end of the war did not reach Gaede.
Gaede died in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
in 1945.
Honours and memorials
*
Elliott Cresson Medal,
Franklin Institute
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 statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, 1909
*
Duddell Medal and Prize
The Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize (previously the Duddell Medal and Prize until 2008) is a prize awarded biannually by the Institute of Physics for distinguished contributions to the application of physics in an industrial, commercial or busines ...
,
Physical Society of London
The Physical Society of London, England, was a scientific society which was founded in 1874. In 1921, it was renamed the Physical Society, and in 1960 it merged with the Institute of Physics (IOP), the combined organisation eventually adopting the ...
, 1932
* A lecture hall of the Karlsruhe University, named in 1969
* Wolfgang-Gaede-Strasse, on the university grounds in Karlsruhe, named in 1993
* Gaedestraße in Cologne, beside Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum GmbH
The GAEDE Foundation, administered by the German Vacuum Society (DVG), grants young scientists the Gaede Award for work in the field of vacuum-assisted sciences. It maintains the Gaede archive at the Leybold GmbH headquarters in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
.
References
Further reading
* Harriet Unzeitig: ''Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technik - zu den Pumpenerfindungen Wolfgang Gaedes von 1900-1914'' (''Between science and technology - on the pump discoveries of Wolfgang Gaede from 1900-1914''). Dissertation,
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 2000, .
*
External links
*
Träger des Werner-von-Siemens-Ringes(Holders of the Werner von Siemens Ring
Deutsche Vakuumgesellschaft (DVG)(German Vacuum Society)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaede, Wolfgang
Members of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
University of Freiburg alumni
University of Freiburg faculty
Werner von Siemens Ring laureates
People from Bremerhaven
20th-century German physicists
1878 births
1945 deaths