Tuve, Merle Antony

SUBJECT AREA: Telecommunications, Weapons and armour

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b. 27 June 1901 Canton, South Dakota, USA

d. 20 May 1982 Bethesda, Maryland, USA

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American physicist and geophysicist who developed radio exploration of the ionosphere and made contributions to seismology and atomic physics.

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After BS and AM degrees from the University of Minnesota, Tuve gained a PhD in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1926. He then joined the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institute, Washington, DC, where with Breit he established by experiment the existence and characteristics of the ionosphere. He also studied gamma and beta rays, artificial radioactivity and atomic transmutation, verified the existence of the neutron and measured nuclear binding forces. During the Second World War he performed military research, producing a proximity fuse for use against the VI flying bomb. He returned to Carnegie in 1946 as Director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, where he remained until 1966, making many contributions to the study of the earth and space.

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Principal Honours and Distinctions

American Association for the Advancement of Science Prize for atomic and nuclear research 1931. National Academy of Science 1946. Research Corporation Award 1947. Comstock Prize 1948. National Academy of Science Barnard Medal 1955. Presidential Medal of Merit and Distinguished Service Member of the Carnegie Institute 1966.

Bibliography

1926, with G.Breit, "A test of the existence of the conducting layer", Physical Review 28:554 (gives an account of the early ionospheric studies).

See also: Appleton, Sir Edward Victor

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