Wolfgang Paul Autograph

Profession:
(1913-1993) German physicist, who co-developed the non-magnetic quadrupole mass filter which laid the foundation for what is now called an ion trap - he shared one-half of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989 for this work with Hans Georg Dehmelt.

Year of Birth: 1913

Wolfgang Paul was a German physicist who was born on August 10, 1913, in Lorenzkirch, Germany. He is best known for his work in the field of nuclear physics and his contributions to the development of ion traps, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989.

After completing his education, Paul began his career as an assistant at the Institute for Physics at the University of Munich. In 1937, he earned his doctorate in physics and went on to work at the Siemens & Halske Company in Berlin. During World War II, he was involved in military research but was captured by the British in 1945 and spent two years as a prisoner of war.

After his release, Paul joined the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen, where he pursued his research on nuclear physics. It was during his time at the institute that he developed the Paul trap, a device used to confine ions in a small space for study. This breakthrough laid the foundation for the field of ion trap mass spectrometry, which has applications in various fields, including chemistry and medicine.

Paul's contributions to physics were widely recognized, and he received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In addition to the Nobel Prize, he was also a member of several prestigious scientific academies, including the National Academy of Sciences in the United States and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Wolfgang Paul passed away on December 7, 1993, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking contributions to the field of physics. His work on ion traps continues to have a profound impact on scientific research, and he is remembered as one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century.

His dedication to expanding our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature and his commitment to scientific discovery have left an indelible mark on the field of physics.