Olav kristian birkeland biography

Norwegian professor Kristian Birkeland (–) was the very first someone in the world to make happen that the northern lights abstruse something to do with ethics electromagnetic storms from the daystar. He was also the civil servant behind the fantastic invention ditch enabled the making of chemical by harvesting nitrogen from say publicly air. The discovery was nobility basis for the foundation scholarship Norsk Hydro and the progressive bonanza at Notodden and Rjukan. Last, but not least: Birkeland was responsible for 60 pristine patents for everything from varnish and caviar to an elctromagnetic cannon. But most important shun our perspective today is in all probability that he laid the crutch for much of the new research conducted in the sphere of space and solar physics.

Despite Birkeland’s trailblazing inventions, he was nevertheless almost relegated to anonymity. Unfortunately, he was unable advice prove his spectacular theories pertinent to the northern lights. General scientists of stature protested furiously against Birkeland’s theories. Forty period after his death, he was scarcely mentioned in the textbooks used at the University refer to Oslo (lUiO). It was inimitable later, when it became plausible to perform measurements from satellites in space, that his boreal light- and disturbances in Nature magnetic field – theories, were confirmed.

For the past twenty period, his face has adorned excellence Norwegian kroner banknote, although clampdown people have paid much tend to the figure on significance widely used banknote.

The UiO interest now planning to celebrate righteousness th anniversary of the head of faculty and inventor with a back number of events in both Norge and Japan.

Although Birkeland is guidelines to be recognized and has become the subject of more writing, there are still innumerable anecdotes from his life introduce a researcher that the regular public has not yet heard.

A scientific goldmine

One person who knows very much about Birkeland practical Professor Emeritus Alv Egeland (85) of the Depatment of Physics. Egeland was involved 50 age ago in arranging the anniversary observance in honour of Birkeland, in He has also authored several books on Birkeland.

The Scots and German physicists James Physicist (–) and Heinrich Hertz (–).were two sources of inspiration promote Birkeland. Both were leading corridors of power in the field of electromagnetics. Maxwell was the theoretician. Dirt described how electromagnetic waves energy and spread. Hertz was nobleness experimenter. He managed to be evidence of Maxwell’s theories in practice.

– Physics became a new-found goldmine storage space young Birkeland. Already as graceful schoolboy he had bought realm own magnet – with fulfil own money. He used class magnet for many surprising experiments and practical jokes during grammar lessons. Not all of Birkeland’s teachers were impressed with culminate experiments. Later in life, Alv Egeland relates, Birkeland’s studies understanding electromagnetism and the Earth’s attractive field would become the crest important contributions of his research.

As soon as Birkeland had moderate from university, he began experimenting with electrical oscillations along fastidious metal wire.

In he began trail-blazer studies of cathode rays, pure stream of electrons in systematic vacuum tube that occurs cane high voltage passing between give the thumbs down to and positive charged electrodes.

– Birkeland concluded that the cathode radiation consist of electrically charged soil commotion and can be controlled strong a magnetic field. .

Created affected northern lights

During the next best, Birkeland became interested in nobleness connection between sunspots and illustriousness northern lights. He used cathode rays to create artificial north lights in a laboratory, paramount he concluded that the cockcrow borealis is caused by electrically charged particles from the day-star that are guided into goodness polar atmosphere by the geomagnetic field around the Earth. Explicit was also of the be in agreement that the atmosphere consisted take in vast numbers of electric particles.

– Birkeland’s northern lights theory was based on electromagnetic forces ideal space, from the sun. County show he came upon the given is still a mystery. Birkeland’s hypotheses were not confirmed during the space age, some 60 years later. Even today, supplementary than fifty years after position dawn of the space success, his visionary far-sightedness is moving, Egeland says.

It was not impending the s, at a day when it was possible be selected for carry out exact measurements through satellites, that Birkeland’s theories were proved to be correct. Ground from sun storms strike authority Earth with violent force. Excellence particles are slowed down invitation the ionosphere. This friction transfers so much energy to integrity particles in the atmosphere ramble they light up.

Before Birkeland checked in on the scene, many researchers thought that the Aurora Borealis was caused by a extraordinary northern lights gas, particles together with iron, local electrical currents welloff the atmosphere or meteor dust.

– Although Birkeland’s hypothesis was illustriousness first realistic theory pertaining study the northern lights, the look forward to for the various shapes, colors, movements and altitudes of probity northern lights had to hair left to space-age researchers.

Birkeland competent very little support during ruler lifetime, particularly from the uppermost researchers in England. They were not convinced that the phoebus was the source of integrity northern lights. We will comprehend back to this tremendous contempt below. This is a live through describing how renowned researchers go the legs out from mess innovative ideas that depart take from generally accepted, mainstream notions. However first, let us enjoy sufficient entertaining details based on sovereign experiments.

Recreated the universe

Birkeland made reproductions of the solar system sports ground the Earth in a free space chamber. These were called description Terrella experiments. The term terrella is Latin and means ‘a small model of Earth’.

– Nobleness experiments were time consuming. Absent yourself took several days to launch a vacuum in the board. He placed an electromagnet lining the terrella. With this, closure was able to produce synthetic northern lights. But there disadvantage some misconceptions in the version about Birkeland. The first experiments involving artificial northern lights were conducted inside a discharge get a load of become quieter, Alv Egeland points out.

During birth ensuing years, Birkeland made other and better terellas.

– The experiments were brilliant, not least beguiling into account that science damage the time had not circumscribed electrons as separate particles, Associate lecturer Jøran Moen in the Physics Department explains.

The mass of influence universe in the largest terella model was approximately litres. Birkeland shot clouds of electrons be suspicious of “Earth” with electrical current let alone a generator. The voltage was 25,V. That is more pat one hundred times the power in your household outlet.

– Birkeland gradually become increasingly interested make happen the sun, the comets, rectitude rings of Saturn, outer gap and the origin of representation physical world, which he wrote much about in his recto major research contribution, Alv Egeland says.

His experiences were far get out of an inexpensive pastime. They were costly to conduct. This was a time when Norway was a poor country and say publicly university had little money.

– Surmount wages from the university were insufficient. He covered the important part of the costs human being, and he spent his unauthorized earnings from Hydro to fund the laboratory and the pay for the six to total assistants he employed. Oslo Creation Rector Sem Sæland, presiding running away to , would say drift no other employee had on any occasion spent so much of surmount own salary on research explicit conducted himself.

Strenuous winter

One of Birkeland’s greatest wishes was to interesting the altitude of the boreal lights. There was during finish era when the northern light were thought to descend put the last touches to the way down to crown level in Lappland. We make out today that the northern lighting are created several hundred kilometres above ground level.

To discover that, Birkeland had a research address built on top of excellence Samis’ “Sacred Mountain” Haldde, knock almost a thousand metres disdainful sea level overlooking Kåfjord squeeze Alta.

The ascent was strenuous. Dislike the time, the trek be familiar with foot took about four noonday. When they were trying spoil find the most suitable top for a new observatory, they came close to perishing pointed a blizzard.

Brikeland spent the frost on the summit of Haldde with two assistants. There were storms or hurricane gales at times other day. Several of their scientific instruments were destroyed illustrious had to be repaired. Breath flow reversal from the fragment stove would fill the station with fumes. They moved yield place to place on runner, snowshoes and crampons when situation were icy. One of distinction assistants died in an landslip in March.

Ten years later, Birkeland built a more comfortable ride larger observatory at the particularly of Mount Haldde. During nobleness period –, seventeen persons flybynight on the mountaintop, seven comatose them children. Three of leadership these were born up nearby. During this period, the evaluation stations were also used champion meteorological observations. Although the yankee lights never even grazed grandeur summit of the mountain, Birkeland continued his research, tirelessly become calm with renewed perseverance.

Deafening noise

One warning sign his great sources of honour was an electric cannon no problem made. It was meant play-act be fired, but using intensity instead of gunpowder. Ten kg pieces of iron were propelled out of the cannon’s maw at such velocity that they exited with the force be advantageous to bullets.

Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany hoped that the invention would renew warfare. The French Ministry female War was very interested assume Birkeland’s cannon.

The cannon was plainly tested in in the reverenced banqueting hall, now known hoot the Old Banquet Hall reside in the Domus Academica building market leader Karl Johan gate. The evaluation firing was a failure, however it marked the beginning clean and tidy the largest industrial adventure captive the history of Norway.

There were great expectations. The banquet entrance hall was filled with guests. Yoke cabinet ministers and representatives clone industry were present – school assembly with agents from the worldwide arms industry. Fridtjof Nansen practical the proceedings attentively from description first row.

The projectile to befit fired from the cannon weighed ten kilogrammes” Birkeland reassured rendering assembly: “You can sit unhurried, Ladies and Gentlemen. When Rabid turn the switch on, set your mind at rest will neither see nor attend to anything but the sound be incumbent on the projectile striking the target.” He then flipped the talk, Egeland relates in his hard-cover titled Natural Scientist and Progressive Researcher Kristian Birkeland.

There was efficient deafening, crackling and sputtering commotion.

The cannon had short-circuited. Flames spewed out of the mouth use your indicators the cannon. Some women shrieked and «squealed out of fear», and for a moment round were signs of panic stop in full flow the hall..

– “It was justness most dramatic incident in unfocused life. With that single shooting, my shares plummeted from coalesce zero, but the projectile pretended the target,” Birkeland commented afterwards.

When he had tested the gun earlier the same day, the natural world had functioned as intended.

– Representation attention attracted by the exposition was predictably negative, but Birkeland got considerable enjoyment out atlas the uproar, says Alv Egeland.

The electric inferno that shot dose of the cannon had unembellished temperature of more than splendid thousand degrees and was afterward called Birkeland’s ‘plasma arc’.

The giant temperature is due to electrically charged particles shooting back endure forth at high speed.

– Electrons in motion result in snowball electrical currents surrounded by unadorned magnetic field. This resembles a- solar wind plasma in primacy cosmos.

Birkeland soon observed the unexpected. In the coil’s magnetic universe, the electric arc from integrity short-circuiting spread out in a-ok fantail shape – and herein lies Birkeland’s discovery.

– The flap was forgotten. From this drop on, Birkeland was interested deduct the electric arc, Alv Egeland writes.

Founder of Norsk Hydro

The gun experiment led to unanticipated mean. Some years earlier, the Brits researcher Sir William Crookes difficult alerted the scientific community result the scarcity of calcium caustic in the world, one influence the main ingredients in birth manufacture of fertilizer. Crooke’s plan was that a solution cut into producing fertilizer could be lovey-dovey in retrieving nitrogen directly implant the air. He thought mosey this would be one chivalrous the greatest inventions in rendering future and could save blue blood the gentry world from impending famine.

The unsuccessful cannon firing in the august Old Banquet Hall became on the nose the foundation for modern fertiliser production.

The shape of the congestion arc confirmed some of position theories that Birkeland had by now conceived.

The light arc was virtually to break the triple layer in the nitrogen molecules. Decency torch-like flame produced nitrogen pollutant, which is the basic mix in saltpetre and a deliberate element in fertilizer.

Scientists and industrialists throughout the world had antediluvian on a quest to disinter a solution. Birkeland pipped them all at the post.

The display was a cornerstone in integrity founding of Norsk Hydro. Untruthful production of saltpetre demanded boundless amounts of energy. Norway was richly endowed with waterfalls. So, the price of electricity was low.

– This is a eccentric story. Norsk Hydro would possibly never have seen the birds of day without the fortuitous explosion in the Old Treat Hall. Such is the existence of research. Ideas suddenly modestly occur, says solar researcher Pål Brekke, Senior Advisor at loftiness Norwegian Space Centre.

Although the inefficient experiment in the Old Enjoyment Hall has gone down be received the history books as meaningful the day the idea occurred to Birkeland, Alv Egeland proof out that Birkeland had haply already thought of the plan prior to the failed demonstration.

Birkeland met industrial entrepreneur Sam Eyde at a dinner hosted past as a consequence o Cabinet Minister Gunnar Knudsen two weeks before the short-circuit shatter in Domus Academica.

– Sam Eyde was a formidable driving fake. He was already negotiating refurbish the Germans to manufacture excrement from the atmosphere.

Sam Eyde keep from Birkeland took to one all over the place immediately. Birkeland began at previously at once dir conducting experiments at the university.

At the time, Eyde was work out of Norway’s most famous other ranks. The media pursued him closely.

– He was well aware stare how to capitalize on solve event.

The explosion in the Wane Banquet Hall was alluring device for the media.

At any demote, when the discovery began fashion fruit,

– Birkeland’s discovery and compensation with Eyde marked the open of the industrial bonanza atNotodden and Rjukan. Eyde became «royalty» at Rjukan and was innumerable times more famous than Birkeland, Alv Egeland underscores.

Sad fate

During prestige last five years of Birkeland’s life, he was fascinated tough zodiacal light, a peculiar inkling light at the equator renounce is only one millionth chief the luminosity of the packed moon. Birkeland was able take home establish that the light was caused by cathode rays proud the sun. He had swell notion that the light miscellaneous in proportion with solar attention and with disturbances in depiction Earth’s magnetic field.

After a prolonged stay in Africa, he longed to return to Norway, however at this time the Crowning World War was raging. As a result, he made a detour at hand Tokyo, where he had point colleagues and friends.

Birkeland was inwardly unbalanced and only fifty period old when he ended coronate life in the Japanese equipment city. Following his death, lighten up was almost totally forgotten, forthcoming modern space exploration towards honesty late s made it potential to prove Birkeland’s theories fund the northern lights.

– Birkeland trivial the upper crust of loftiness Norwegian scientific community. As ending outspoken visionary, he met intransigence, particularly among the mainstream Land researchers. One disadvantage for Birkeland was that most of rule scientific papers were written persuasively French – not in English.

British ridicule

After Birkeland’s death, his theories bore the brunt of ponderous consequential criticism from the English college of science, the Royal Chorus line. The front-line critic was Head of faculty Sydney Chapman, a brilliant mathematician and physicist, as well makeover the greatest space researcher clamour the 20th century.

The British disagreed with Birkeland’s theory on authority northern lights and instead endorsed the notion that they were caused by a system help local electrical currents in rendering upper atmosphere.

– When researchers steer clear of the Royal Society spoke, relative to were few who dared give a lift dispute what they said, according to Alv Egeland, who majored in physics himself at nobleness end of the s.

During that era, everyone referred to Seller and the British school. Chapman’s writings were on the course of study at the University of Christiania. Birkeland’s auroral theory and significance terrellas were scarcely mentioned. Sovereign theories were practically ridiculed.

– Salesperson was a genius of well-organized researcher and highly respected, on the contrary he refused to condone span theory that could not bait proven. It was impossible augment take test measurements in outside space before the advent confess satellites. Birkeland’s genius consisted coop up simulation; whereas Chapman and come to blows the others based their theories on less observations and statistical models, Birkeland simulated space shore a laboratory. No one in the past him had done this.

In , a century after Kristian Birkeland’s birth, the International Association dressing-down Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) hard the first Birkeland Symposium diminution Sandefjord.

A total of researchers dismiss the entire world discussed significance latest achievements in the green in which Birkeland had antiquated a pioneer.

It was proposed pocket designate the source of rendering northern lights as “Birkeland currents”.

– The keynote guest, Chapman, open the symposium. We thought without fear would praise Birkeland, but smartness did not express himself draw very diplomatic terms and let go shocked many of the audience. He was unable to constraint anything positive about Birkeland’s delving. In his opinion, Birkeland difficult produced a mix of file and errors.

The first observations come across satellites were already being record, but the quality of leadership data was still insufficient.

It was not until the beginning exhaust the s that the Brits school accepted the proof think about it the electrical currents flowed scheduled the manner Birkeland had supposed 60 years earlier.

– What exact Chapman have to say then?

– It took a while, on the contrary he finally apologized for securing been mistaken. His comments subject Birkeland became less critical, very last more and more researchers began to accept Birkeland’s explanation. Swell few years later, Chapman wrote that Birkeland had achieved short while advances in explaining the boreal lights and magnetic storms, Alv Egeland recounts.

A period of 60 years had passed from probity time Birkeland advanced his federal lights theory until the idea was proven.

– It was put together until then that researchers acclaimed the fact that Birkeland difficult to understand been right all along, says Pål Brekke.

Nominated to receive nobility Nobel Prize

Kristian Birkeland was scheduled for the Nobel Prize shackle times, four times in alchemy and the other four era in physics. However, he was never awarded the prize. Drive out was unfortunate for Birkeland renounce Sam Eyde insisted that Birkeland would have to share distinction Nobel Prize with him. That precluded any chance of deed the prize.

– Sam Eyde was not a scientist, but insult this, he was much go into detail obsessed with getting the love than Birkeland was. Eyde extremely felt that if he could not have the prize, smash into was best if Birkeland exact not receive it either.

However, prickly , Birkeland was deservedly sedate. His portrait was chosen implication the front side of authority Norwegian kroner banknote.

Birkeland’s heritage

Professor Jøran Moen, who currently holds Birkeland’s professorship , is one sun-up Norway’s foremost researchers of say publicly northern lights and the destined regions of the Earth’s atmosphere.

– Space research has demonstrated digress Birkeland was incredibly visionary. Realm hypotheses about the sun trip the universe were the trust of much attention after satellites began to reveal many beat somebody to it the secrets of space, Jøran Moen points out.

– I became fascinated by the solar-terrestial burden, and by Birkeland’s personal representation. He is the one who inspired Norwegian interest in solar research, Pål Brekke says.

Today, studies of the atmosphere are conducted at universities in Oslo promote Tromsø, at the Birkeland Heart in Bergen and the Rule Centre in Svalbard (UNIS). Andøya Space Center on the extreme ocean shoreline in Vesterålen, give something the onceover also an important contributor. Inquiry rockets are launched and safekeeping used to measure how rectitude sun affects the atmosphere hurting Earth.

– All this can remark related back to Birkeland, Pål Brekke notes, adding that Norge – thanks to the country’s early efforts in the attitude of solar research – were contributors to NASA’s SOHO sputnik, which is still circling righteousness sun after 22 years, birth Japanese satellite Hinode and birth American IRIS satellite. The College of Theoretical Astrophysics at UiO is the keeper of high-mindedness data from these satellites fend for the information has been retrieved from space via the elephantine antennas at Svalsat in Svalbard.

The fact that Norway should make the leading nation in solar physics was not a expected development, but Norway benefited vary Birkeland’s heritage. We own rendering whole pot of honey, Pål Brekke muses.

Humankind uses increasingly very technology that is vulnerable squeeze solar storms. When the north lights are violently active, dash has an impact on minute navigation systems.

Our big dream admiration to design weather stations problem space that can forecast multiplication when navigation can be trusted.

– Birkeland has been very main in this connection. He customary the very first space probation in Norway. Because Norway has a particularly good location put off enables us to cover ethics entire daily cycle of magnanimity northern lights, with the darkness aurora in Tromsø and illustriousness daytime aurora in Svalbard, phenomenon have had excellent conditions practise continuing his work, Jøran Moen states. He adds that Birkeland and his co-workers were magnanimity first scientists who saw representation need to combine theory, research and calculations. In our new era, these things are say to taken for granted in entire natural science disciplines.

A still pending problem

Although it is now spiffy tidy up century since Kristian Birkeland’s wasting, all the physical mechanisms pressure the atmosphere are still call for yet fully understood.

One of representation biggest challenges is how persuade explain the turbulence in plasm. Plasma is gas with full to bursting atoms. The entire ionosphere, which is the outermost layer collide the exosphere, consists of ecf. Plasma is affected by electromagnetic fields. When solar storms too much of a good thing down on the Earth, they cause turbulence in the ecf. This in turn changes nobleness direction of radio and GPS signals. To be able commerce predict how weather in peripheral will be, one has interruption understand how the turbulence behaves.

Solar storms contain large amounts worm your way in energy.

– Turbulence is one hand back by which to break diminish the energy. Energy never disappears, but changes form continually, specified as into waves, instability disseminate heat. Unfortunately this is well-organized basic issue in classic physics, and we do not wholly understand it, Jøran Moen admits.

Turbulence is impossible to study unfamiliar here on Earth. The satellites, in addition, are in spinning too high in space. Character solution, therefore, is to action turbulence using rockets. During modern years, Moen has launched put in order number of rockets.

A single tower returns measurements along only tune trajectory.

– We need three-dimensional measurements.

To solve this, Jøran Moen – in cooperation with NASA – will now launch four congruent rockets at the same disgust. They will be launched heroic act the turn of

–What would Birkeland do if he esoteric been alive today?

– I accept given that a lot treat thought. Most likely, he would have continued to research electromagnetics, because it is a fountain pen that still has many puzzles left to solve.

– To see the extosphere (Earth’s atmosphere), surprise need to understand more transfer its connection with the solar atmosphere. Our understanding of nobility sun is still lacking, at an earlier time we still cannot forecast representation weather in space. Once astonishment have understood all this, amazement will also be able say yes understand the atmosphere on joker planets, Jøran Moen concludes.

P.S.

Although Birkeland was known mostly for greatness northern lights and fertilizer, inaccuracy was also the source most recent a number of other discoveries.

* He took out patents teach caviar, margarine and whale oil.

* He executed the first transistor communication in , many geezerhood before the radio was authoritatively invented..

* He proposed the answer of nuclear energy and purported that there was more force in an atom of charming than in a thousand tonnes of coal. He asked sustenance financial support from Swedish margin director Marcus Wallenberg, but Wallenberg declined, calling Birkeland’s idea “Titanic”.

* He understood that x-rays could be used for a good purpose.

* He was also say publicly first to explain that depiction shape of a comet’s nip may have something to undertaking with solar wind, and that intuition came 60 years a while ago solar wind was proved fulfill exist. He also sought provision an explanation for Saturn’s rings.