Biography of

Niels Bohr

Bohr atomic model

Niels Bohr is remembered for having established, for example, an atomic model and a series of postulates identified with his surname.

Niels Bohr is one of the scientists who has played a fundamental role in the process of knowledge and understanding of both quantum mechanics and the atom . This Dane, who stood out in the areas of atomic physics and nuclear physics, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 in recognition of his contributions to radiation and the structure of the atom .

He was the one who in 1913 proposed, taking concepts from the photoelectric effect , the so-called Bohr atomic model . This (whose content was improved and gained more precision over time) sought to account for the stable orbits in which electrons are arranged around a nucleus and sought to elucidate how matter achieves stability. The so-called Bohr Postulates , of which there were three, have also crossed epochs and borders (one that focuses on electrons that trace circular orbits above the atomic nucleus but do not radiate energy ; another premise that alludes to angular momentum and Planck's constant and a third principle that refers to the emission or absorption of energy by an electron in jumps between orbits ).

Given the indelible and important mark that this man has left in the field of science, it is worth reviewing the experiences, academic training, professional achievements and scientific legacy of Niels Henrik David Bohr .

Personal life and education of Niels Bohr

When collecting personal data and Niels Bohr 's educational career, it is noted that the birth of this descendant of the couple formed by Ellen Adler and Christian Bohr occurred on October 7, 1885 in Copenhagen .

In 1911 he received his doctorate from the University of Copenhagen , an entity that later had him as a professor in the chair of theoretical physics . After seeking to deepen his knowledge with the help of physicist Joseph John Thomson at the Cavendish Laboratory linked to the University of Cambridge , Niels settled in Manchester , where he added knowledge with Ernest Rutherford as a tutor.

To his satisfaction, this scholar managed to raise the necessary funds to found the Nordic Institute of Theoretical Physics , an organization that had him at the head of its management for many years. At the same time, he became involved with the Manhattan Project , created in the context of World War II to research and develop nuclear weapons. Once the war was over, this man who was in Sweden , England , the United States and Switzerland , among other nations, became a promoter of nuclear disarmament and strove to raise awareness about the positive use of the findings made at the nuclear level. . He also contributed to the creation of CERN (an acronym that identifies the European Council for Nuclear Research or European Organization for Nuclear Research ).

Niels , brother of the mathematician, professor and footballer Harald August Bohr and father of the physicist Aage Bohr (the fruit of his love with Margrethe Nørlund ), found death in his hometown on November 18, 1962.

Bohr and Einstein

Between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein there were public debates and disputes, but also mutual admiration and respect.

Links with colleagues

There are sufficient records and information to reconstruct and reflect the links that Bohr has established with various colleagues of his. With Albert Einstein , for example, he had differences of opinion but they respected and admired each other. It is impossible to ignore that they had public disputes about quantum mechanics that were immortalized under the title of the Bohr-Einstein debate , a framework in which both faced each other at the Solvay conferences over the Heinsenberg uncertainty principle.

His contact with Werner Heisenberg is also documented. They worked together and, in 1941, Werner went to Copenhagen , Denmark , to talk with his colleague about a German plan focused on an atomic bomb , although in 1942 J. Hans D. Jensen assured Bohr that the project did not aim for a bomb. nuclear but to a reactor.

Recognitions and awards given to Niels Bohr

Beyond the awarding of a Nobel Prize in Physics , there were other recognitions and awards that were granted to Niels Bohr .

The person responsible for publications known in Spanish as "The mechanism of nuclear fission" and "Luz y vida" , among other texts, has also been honored with a Franklin Medal and with a stimulus named Atomos para la Paz .

Chemical element

Bohrium, a chemical element identified as Bh, owes its name to the surname of the Danish scientist Niels Bohr.

In honor of him, both a lunar crater and an asteroid were named after him. There is even a chemical element, bohrium , which was also inspired by the aforementioned scientist.

To learn more about him and keep his figure alive, you can take into account books in Spanish such as "Bohr and the quantum theory" , "The quantum atom - Bohr - quantum passport to another state" and "Niels Bohr: Scientist, philosopher, humanist" .

Nor can we fail to point out that a play called "Copenhagen" (later adapted to the big screen) has been devised that recreates the meeting between Heisenberg and Bohr .