G. Ahlers

Biography

Abstract

Guenter Ahlers researched Rayleigh-Benard convection in liquid helium which led to the experimental observation of chaos in a fluid-mechanical system. Other research interests include pattern formation in convection and Taylor-vortex flow, and turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection. He and his co-workers published over 260 papers in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Physics of Fluids, Physical Review A, B, and E, Physical Review Letters, and elsewhere.

Important Dates

March 28, 1934Birth, Bremen (Germany).

1959Obtained BS in Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside (Calif.).

1963Obtained PhD in Physical Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley (Calif.).

1963 – 1979Member, Technical Staff, Bell Telephone Laboratories, Murray Hill (N.J.).

1971Fellow, American Physical Society.

1978Awarded Fritz London Memorial Award, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.

1979 – presentProfessor of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (Calif.).

1982Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1985 – 1988Member, Materials Research Advisory Committee, National Science Foundation.

1989 – 1992Director, Center for Nonlinear Sciences (1989-1996) and Acting Director (1991-1992), Quantum Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara (Calif.).

1990Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

1995 – 1998Member, Council (1995-1998) and Member, Executive Board (1997-1998), American Physical Society.

1996 – 1998Chair, Low Temperature Science Steering Group (1996-1997) and Chair, Fundamental Physics Steering Group, (1997-1998), Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

1997 – 1999Member, Microgravity Research Advisory Subcommittee (1997-1999); Member, Life and Microgravity Science and Applications Advisory Committee (1997-1999); and Chair, Fundamental Physics Discipline Working Group (1998-1999), National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

2004Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

2007Awarded Fluid Dynamics Prize, American Physical Society.

Occupation

Physical chemist.

Places

Birth

Bremen (Germany)

Undergraduate Education

Riverside (Calif.)

Graduate Education

Berkeley (Calif.)

Employment

Murray Hill (N.J.)

Santa Barbara (Calif.)

Subjects

Gas dynamics.

Solid helium.

Solid hydrogen.

Solid state chemistry.

Solid state physics.

Superfluidity.

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Pitzer, Kenneth S. (Kenneth Sanborn), 1914-

Ph.D. advisor at University of California, Berkeley, Some Properties of Solid Hydrogen at Small Molar Volumes.

Colleagues

Anderson, P. W. (Philip W.), 1923-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Appelbaum, J. A. (Joel A.)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Ashkin, Arthur, 1922-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Aspnes, D. E.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Awschalom, D. (David)

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Bialek, William S.

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Birgeneau, Robert J. (Robert Joseph), 1942-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Bishop, David John, 1951-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Bode, Hendrik W. (Hendrik Wade), 1905-1982

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Boyle, Willard S., 1924-2011

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Brattain, Walter H. (Walter Houser), 1902-1987

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Brinkman, William F. (William Frank), 1938-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Buchsbaum, Solomon J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Cava, Robert J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chu, Ching-wu, 1941-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chynoweth, A. G.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Clogston, Albert McCavour

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Cohen, Marvin L.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Cutler, Cassius Chapin

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Darlington, Sidney, 1906-1997

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

David, Edward E.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

DiSalvo, Francis

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Dolan, Gerald

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Dynes, Robert C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Fleury, Paul A.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Fulton, Theodore Alan

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Geballe, Theodore H.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Goldenfeld, Nigel

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Gossard, A. C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Gross, David J. (David Jonathan)

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Halperin, Bertrand I.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hamann, Donald, 1939-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hartle, J. B. (James B.)

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Heeger, Alan J.

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Herring, William Conyers, 1914-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hohenberg, Pierre C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hopfield, John J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Horowitz, Gary T., 1955-

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jackson, Shirley Ann, 1946-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Kivelson, Steven

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Kohn, Walter, 1923-2016

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Kompfner, Rudolf, 1909-1977

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Lander, James J., 1914-1996

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Langer, James S.

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Laughlin, Robert B.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Lax, Melvin J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Lee, P. A. (Patrick A.), 1946-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Libchaber, Albert J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Matthias, Bernd T., 1918-1980

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

McMillan, William L.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Murray, Cherry Ann

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Osheroff, Douglas D.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Patel, C. Kumar N.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Peale, Stanton Jerrold

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Penzias, Arno A.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Pfann, William G.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Phillips, J. C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Pinczuk, Aron

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Polchinski, Joseph Gerard

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Rice, Thomas Maurice, 1939-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Richards, Paul L. (Paul Linford)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Rowell, John Martin, 1935-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Sarachik, Myriam P.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Scalapino, Douglas J.

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Schrieffer, J. R. (John Robert), 1931-

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Shank, C. V. (Charles V.)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Smith, George E., 1930-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Smith, Neville, 1942-2006

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Stillinger, F. H.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Störmer, Horst

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Strominger, Andrew Eben

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Stubbs, Christopher

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Tauc, J. (Jan)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Thomas, D. G. (David Gilbert), 1928-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Tsui, D. C. (Daniel Chee), 1939-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Weeks, John David

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Wilczek, Frank

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Wilson, Robert Woodrow, 1936-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Witherell, Michael S., 1949-

Both employed at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Yariv, Amnon

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Institutions

Major Positions

Bell Telephone Laboratories

Member, Technical Staff.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Quantum Institute

Director, Center for Nonlinear Sciences and Acting Director.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Physical Society

Member, Council and Member, Executive Board.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.)

Chair, Low Temperature Science Steering Group and Chair, Fundamental Physics Steering Group.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Member, Materials Research Advisory Committee.

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Member, Microgravity Research Advisory Subcommittee; Member, Life and Microgravity Science and Applications Advisory Committee and Chair, Fundamental Physics Discipline Working Group.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Chemistry

Obtained PhD in Physical Chemistry in 1963.

University of California, Riverside. Department of Chemistry

Obtained BS in 1959.

Resources