Daily Image
11-03-2010
Cornelis Jan Bakker, born 11 March 1904 in Amsterdam
| Submitter: | Richard Strom |
| Description: | At a clandestine 1944 colloquium in Leiden, HC van de Hulst argued that the 21 cm atomic hydrogen line ought to be observable from the Milky Way. The other speaker, CJ Bakker, discussed radio technique, a fact often overlooked. His contribution may seem minor (probably few astronomers remember his name), but for 5 years Bakker was Jan Oort's main advisor on antennas and receivers. Yet by 1948 his name is no longer mentioned. Why? Bakker, working at the Philips NatLab, studied electron noise in radio circuits. After 1940, this work stimulated his interest in radio emission from the sun and space. But as a former student of Zeeman, he was also interested in atomic physics and began constructing a cyclotron during the war. 1947 saw Bakker become director of the Zeeman Institute in Amsterdam, and he led the development of a large European particle accelerator. This culminated in the foundation of CERN in Geneva, and in 1955 Bakker became its second Director General. In 1960, at the height of his career, he tragically died in a plane crash. (This is one of several portraits of key figures in early Dutch radio astronomy. For some of the background, look here ) |
| Copyright: | CERN |
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