Georg Bednorz is a German physicist. He is best known for his work on high-temperature superconductivity, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987.
Life and Career
He was born on 16 May 1950, in Neuenkirchen, Germany. He received his undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Münster in 1972 and his Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Heidelberg.
After completing his Ph.D., he worked as a researcher at the IBM Research Laboratory in Ruschlikon, Switzerland. In 1986, he and his colleague, K. Alex Müller, discovered high-temperature superconductivity in a new class of materials called cuprates. This discovery was a major breakthrough in the field of superconductivity, as it allowed for superconductivity to occur at much higher temperatures than previously thought possible.
Since his discovery, Bednorz has continued to work on the development of new materials with novel electronic properties. He has also been involved in the design and fabrication of new devices based on these materials, such as superconducting sensors for medical imaging.
Overall, Georg Bednorz’s work has had a profound impact on the field of materials science and has opened up new avenues for research and development in a wide range of fields.
Award and Legacy
In 1987, Bednorz and Muller were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery. This made Bednorz the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics at the time.
He has received numerous other honors and awards throughout his career, including the German Order of Merit and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics.
His discovery has had a profound impact on materials science and has opened up new possibilities for the development of technologies such as power transmission and medical imaging.
Bednorz continues to work as a physicist and is currently a director at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany.