Contents
John Bardeen
Co-inventing the transistor and helping explain superconductivity.
Point-contact transistor · BCS theory
- Born
- 23 May 1908
- Birthplace
- Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- Died
- 30 January 1991
More people
John Bardeen
John Bardeen was an American physicist whose research connected quantum theory with the behaviour of solids. Two different collaborations earned him Nobel Prizes in Physics.
Early life
Academic family
His father became the first dean of Wisconsin’s medical school.
Engineering to physics
Studied electrical engineering before a mathematics doctorate at Princeton.
Career
- 1930s–1940s
Research and teaching
Worked in industry and academia, including wartime naval research.
- 1945
Bell Labs
Joined a semiconductor research group.
- 1951 onwards
Illinois professor
Moved to Illinois and developed superconductivity research.
Contributions
Point-contact transistor
Co-invented the device with Walter Brattain.
BCS theory
With Leon Cooper and Robert Schrieffer, explained conventional superconductivity.
Beyond the lab
Family
Married Jane Maxwell in 1938 and raised three children.
Away from physics
Enjoyed golf and maintained an unshowy public manner.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Transistor research ↗Photo: Nobel foundation. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
