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Albert Overhauser | |
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| Born | (1925-08-17)August 17, 1925 |
| Died | December 10, 2011(2011-12-10) (aged 86) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (BA,PhD) |
| Known for | Overhauser effect |
| Awards | Oliver E. Buckley Prize (1975) National Medal of Science (1994) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Condensed matter physics |
| Institutions | Cornell University,Purdue University |
| Thesis | Studies in the electron theory of metals (1952) |
| Doctoral advisor | Charles Kittel |
| Doctoral students | John Hopfield |
Albert W. Overhauser (August 17, 1925 – December 10, 2011) was an Americanphysicist and a member of theNational Academy of Sciences. He is best known for his theory of theOverhauser effect innuclear magnetic resonance. The Overhauser effect was the first example ofdynamic nuclear polarization whereby spin polarization is transferred from unpaired electrons in paramagnetic metals to nuclei resulting in a dramatic increase in their NMR intensity.[1][2] TheNuclear Overhauser Effect, which follows the same mechanism, is also widely used in nuclear magnetic resonance and formed the basis for earlyprotein structure determinations, for whichKurt Wüthrich was ultimately awarded theNobel prize in Chemistry.
Born inSan Diego, California, Overhauser attended high school inSan Francisco atLick-Wilmerding High School and began hisundergraduate work at theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1942. He interrupted his studies duringWorld War II for a two-year stint in theU.S. Navy Reserve, then returned to Berkeley to complete his education.
Overhauser received aBachelor of Arts with major inphysics andmathematics in 1948 and aDoctor of Philosophy in 1952[3] in physics, both from the University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral advisor wasCharles Kittel.[4]
From 1951 to 1953, he was a post-doctoral researcher at theUniversity of Illinois, where he developed his highly cited theory on the transfer of spin polarization; once the theory had been confirmed and demonstrated by other scientists, it became known as the Overhauser effect. He was on the faculty atCornell University from 1953 to 1958, and then left to join the research staff atFord Motor Company. Overhauser remained at Ford until 1973, when he joined the faculty atPurdue University. He remained at Purdue as the Stuart Distinguished Professor of Physics for the rest of his career. Overhauser died in 2011 inWest Lafayette, Indiana.
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