Carl David Anderson Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood And Early Life

American physicist Carl David Anderson was born to Carl David Anderson and Emma Ajaxson in New York City on the 3 September 1905. His parents were Swedish, and he was raised in the United States.

Education

In 1927 he graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a B.Sc. degree in Physics and Engineering and a Ph.D. in 1930.

Rise To Fame

After obtaining his doctorate, Anderson stayed on at the California Institute of Technology as a Research Fellow (1930-1933). He then became Assistant Professor of Physics (1933) and then Professor of Physics (1939). During WW II, he was involved with projects with the National Research Committee and the Office of Scientific Research and Development.

Major Works

His doctoral thesis concerned space distribution of photoelectrons ejected from various gases by X-rays. In the early 1930s, he worked with Professor Millikan on cosmic rays which led to the discovery of positron. In 1933 he worked with Dr. Neddermeyer and obtained direct proof that gamma rays from the THC” generate positions in their passage through material substances.

Awards And Achievements

Anderson won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1936 for his 1932 discovery of positron. Other awards include the Gold Medal of the American Institute of the City of New York (1935), the Elliot Cresson Medal of the Franklin Institute (1937), the Presidential Certificate of Merit (1945) and the John Ericsson Medal of the American Society of Swedish Engineers (1960).

Personal Life

Anderson’s wife Lorraine died in 1984. He died on the 11 January 1991.