[Neutron] Bertram Brockhouse 1918 - 2003

Bruce Gaulin gaulin at nightshade.physics.mcmaster.ca
Tue Oct 14 16:20:08 CDT 2003



Dear Friends and Colleagues;

It is with deep regret that I inform you that Prof. Bertram N. Brockhouse
passed away yesterday in Hamilton, Ontario.  

As you know Bert was a heroic figure in the development of neutron
scattering as a technique to study materials at a microscopic level.  His
invention of the triple axis neutron spectrometer and the "constant-Q"
technique for inelastic scattering allowed the first detailed
determination of the dispersion relations for spin and lattice vibrations
in solids.  These in turn allowed for a detailed microscopic understanding
of the forces present between atoms in materials, and for the nature of
atomic motion in solids. He was recognized for these achievements at the
highest level, culminating with the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he
shared with Cliff Shull of MIT.  

Further details on Bert's life can be found at: 
http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/people/fs3_people_Brockhouse_BN.html

Bert was a remarkably modest individual, and always a fine gentleman.  We 
mourn his passing, and offer our sincere condolences to his family and 
close friends.  Ultimately however, we look back on a magnificent life of 
accomplishment in science.

For the information of people interested in attending the memorial
services: There will be a visitation on Wednesday, October 15th from 7:00
- 9:00 p.m. at Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home in Ancaster, Ontario, 378
Wilson St. E. and the funeral service is on Thursday, October 16th at 1:00
p.m. at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in Ancaster, Ontario, 11 Wilson 
St. W.


Sincerely yours;


Bruce D. Gaulin
President, Canadian Institute for Neutron Scattering


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce D. Gaulin
Brockhouse Chair in the Physics of Materials
Department of Physics and Astronomy
McMaster University
Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4M1

905-525-9140 x24362 (office ABB 238)
             x27518 (labs ABB 251, 337)
905-546-1252 (FAX)







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