Wu Youxun (; 26 April 1897 – 30 November 1977), also known as Y. H. Woo, was a Chinese physicist. His

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

was Zhèngzhī ().

Biography

Wu graduated from the Department of Physics of Nanjing Higher Normal School (later renamed

National Central University National Central University (NCU, ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwet-li̍p Chung-yong Thài-ho̍k'', Wade–Giles: ''Kuo2 Li4 Chung Yang Ta4 Hsüeh2'' or ''中大'', ''Chung-ta'') is a public research university with long-standing traditions based in Taiwa ...

and

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianl ...

), and was later associated with the Department of Physics at

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...

. He served as president of

and

Jiaotong University Jiaotong University, Jiao Tong University or Chiao Tung University () may refer to: * Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China * Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China * Southwest Jiaotong ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

. When he was a graduate student at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

he studied

x-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

and electron

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 ...

, and verified the

Compton effect Compton scattering, discovered by Arthur Holly Compton, is the scattering of a high frequency photon after an interaction with a charged particle, usually an electron. If it results in a decrease in energy (increase in wavelength) of the photon ...

which gave

Arthur Compton Arthur Holly Compton (September 10, 1892 – March 15, 1962) was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his 1923 discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radia ...

the

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 " ...

Awards

In 2000, the Chinese Physical Society established five prizes, in recognition of five pioneers of modern physics in China. The Wu Youxun Prize is awarded to physicists in nuclear physics.

References

1897 births 1977 deaths Boxer Indemnity Scholarship recipients Educators from Jiangxi Members of Academia Sinica Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing University alumni National Central University alumni National Southwestern Associated University faculty People from Yichun, Jiangxi Physicists from Jiangxi Presidents of National Central University Presidents of Nanjing University Presidents of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai Jiao Tong University faculty Tsinghua University faculty {{China-scientist-stub