Philipp Lenard
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1905
Born: 7 June 1862, Pressburg, Hungary (now Bratislava, Slovakia)
Died: 20 May 1947, Messelhausen, Germany
Affiliation at the time of the award: Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Prize motivation: “for his work on cathode rays”
Prize share: 1/1
Work
Experiments conducted in the late 19th century on cathode rays (radiation emitted when a voltage is applied between two metal plates in a glass tube filled with low-pressure gas) led to the discovery of electrons and X-rays. In crucial experiments performed by Philipp Lenard beginning in 1893, the glass tube was fitted with a thin aluminum window, making it possible to study the radiation outside the tube and thereby prove that it was not electromagnetic in nature.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
