Felix Bloch
One of the key figures in 20th-century physics
- Felix Bloch (1905–1983)
After starting in engineering at ETH Zurich, he soon turned to physics and made a breakthrough in condensed matter theory with his description of how electrons move in crystals. With the rise of fascism, he fled Europe for the United States, where he contributed to several major projects, including the Manhattan Project, the US research project (1942–45) that produced the first atomic bombs. His studies of the neutron’s magnetic moment led him to develop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a technique that has become vital in both physics and medicine. In 1954, he was appointed the first director of CERN.
Learn more about
The scientist
The science
- Explanation of Bloch sums: Chemistry LibreTexts
- Explanation of neutron magnetic moment: journal-of-nuclear-physics.com
- Explanation of NMR: Microbe Notes
The illustration
Drawn by Nuriya Nurgalieva: Website
