George Paget Thomson Autograph

Profession:
(1892-1975) English physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (1937)

Year of Birth: 1892

George Paget Thomson was an English physicist, born on May 3, 1892, in Cambridge, England. He was the son of the famous physicist Sir Joseph John Thomson, who discovered the electron. From a young age, George showed a keen interest in science and went on to study physics at Trinity College, Cambridge.

During World War I, Thomson served in the army as a technical officer and worked on developing radar technology. After the war, he returned to Cambridge to complete his Ph.D. under the supervision of Ernest Rutherford. He then joined the Cavendish Laboratory as a research assistant, where he made significant contributions to the field of atomic physics.

In 1927, Thomson, along with Clinton Davisson, conducted experiments that provided evidence for the wave-like properties of electrons. This work confirmed the theory of quantum mechanics and earned Thomson a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1937. He was the son of a Nobel laureate and later became one himself.

Thomson went on to have a distinguished career in academia, teaching at the University of Aberdeen and the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London. He also served as the president of the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom.

Throughout his life, George Paget Thomson remained dedicated to advancing the field of physics through his research and teaching. He passed away on September 10, 1975, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the scientific community.