Heinz Raether

Heinz Artur Raether (14 October 1909 — 31 December 1986) was a German physicist. He is best known for his theoretical and experimental contributions to the study of <a href="/facts/Surface_plasmon/6H6a2fYC">surface plasmons</a>, as well as for Kretschmann-Raether configuration, a commonly-used experimental setup for the excitation of <a href="/facts/Surface_plasmon_resonance/8JKldMUT">surface plasmon resonances</a>.
From 1944 to 1946 he was a professor of physics at the <a href="/facts/University_of_Jena/Kv3JXbEL">University of Jena</a> at the Physikalisches Institut. Here he dealt with <a href="/facts/Solid-state_physics/Cmc6hvyR">electron physics</a>, <a href="/facts/Electron_microscope/XtaBktwF">electron microscopy</a>, electron interference and <a href="/facts/Electric_discharge_in_gases/IBvwoujy">gas discharges</a>.
In 1951, he took over the management of the Institute for Applied Physics at the <a href="/facts/University_of_Hamburg/BeercIta">University of Hamburg</a>. After the development of the <a href="/facts/Transistor/Bmr8zwL0">transistor</a>, he focused on solid state physics. His work during this period concerned the structure and growth of crystals. Later he became interested in the collective behavior of the electrons of a crystal, the solid-state electron plasma.
In gas discharge physics, he devoted himself to the ignition process, especially the formation of the <a href="/facts/Streamer_discharge/PPB1SQ1w">spark channel</a>, the initial phase of electrical breakdown. In 1963 he was elected a full member of the <a href="/facts/G%C3%B6ttingen_Academy_of_Sciences/XohY9ruH">Göttingen Academy of Sciences</a>. In 1979 he was elected a member of the <a href="/facts/Academy_of_Sciences_Leopoldina/rMSzXfGu">Academy of Sciences Leopoldina</a>.

Heinz Raether open-in-new

Heinz Raether