John Charles Wheatley

Biography

Abstract

John Wheatley was Professor of Physics and President's Chair at University of California, Los Angeles (1985-1986). Other institutional affiliations included Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research included the study of quantum fluids at low and very low temperatures.

Important Dates

February 17, 1927Birth, Tucson (Ariz.).

1947Obtained BS in Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder (Colo.).

1952Obtained PhD in Physics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh (Pa.).

1952 – 1966Instructor to Professor of Physics (1952-1966) and Member, Center for Advanced Study (1965-1966), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana (Ill.).

1954 – 1955Guggenheim Fellow, University of Leiden.

1966 – 1981Professor of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.).

1975Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1980 – 1981Guggenheim Fellow, University of Leiden.

1981 – 1986Researcher (1981-1985) and UCLA-Los Alamos Joint Fellow (1985-1986), Los Alamos National Laboratory.

1985 – 1986Professor of Physics and President's Chair, University of California, Los Angeles.

May 10, 1986Death, Los Angeles (Calif.).

Occupation

Quantum physicist.

Places

Birth

Tucson (Ariz.)

Undergraduate Education

Boulder (Colo.)

Graduate Education

Pittsburgh (Pa.)

Employment

Urbana (Ill.)

La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.)

Death

Los Angeles (Calif.)

Subjects

Fluid mechanics.

Low temperatures.

Quantum liquids.

Thermal conductivity.

Thermodynamics.

Relationships

People

Family

Wheatley, Ben, 1956-

Son.

Wheatley, Bill, 1955-

Son.

Wheatley, Jane, 1959-

Daughter.

Wheatley, Martha Raup

Wife. Married 1949.

Advisors & Collaborators

Anderson, A. C. (Ansel Cochran), 1933-

Advised by Wheatley at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, "Thermal Conductivity of Liquid Helium-3" and both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Halliday, David, 1916-2010

PhD advisor at University of Pittsburgh, "Quenching of Positronium by a Magnetic Field."

Webb, R. A. (Richard Alan)

Advised by Wheatley at University of California, San Diego, "Measurements of Johnson noise using an rf biased SQUID and its application to Millikelvin thermometry" and both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Colleagues

Abrahams, Elihu

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Alfvén, Hannes

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Almy, Gerald Marks, 1904-

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Anderson, Herbert Lawrence

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Bardeen, John

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Baym, Gordon

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Booker, Henry G.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Bowman, J. D. (J. David)

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Browne, John C.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Brueckner, Keith A.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Campbell, David K.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Chen, Francis F., 1929-

Both employed at University of California, Los Angeles.

Chew, Geoffrey F.

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Clogston, Albert McCavour

Both employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Cooper, Leon N. (Leon Neil), 1930-

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Coppi, B.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Dawson, J. M. (John Myrick), 1930-

Both employed at University of California, Los Angeles.

Edwards, David F. (David Franklin)

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Feher, George, 1924-

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Feigenbaum, Mitchell, 1944-2019

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Fisk, Zachary

Both employed at University of California, San Diego, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Frauenfelder, Hans, 1922-

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Ginsberg, Donald M.

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Haxton, Wick C.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Hecker, Siegfried S.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Holstein, Theodore David, 1915-1985

Both employed at University of California, Los Angeles.

Jackson, John David, 1925-2016

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Kadanoff, Leo P.

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Kennel, Charles F., 1939-

Both employed at University of California, Los Angeles.

Kerr, Donald M.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Kerst, Donald William, 1911-1993

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Keyworth, George A., II, 1939-

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Klein, Miles V., 1933-

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Knapp, Edward A.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Kohn, Walter, 1923-2016

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Kroll, Norman Myles, 1922-

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Lang, Norton D.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Lazarus, David, 1921-

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Leggett, A. J. (Anthony J.)

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Lieb, Elliott H.

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Loomis, F. W. (Francis Wheeler), 1889-1976

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Low, Francis E. (Francis Eugene), 1921-2007

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Malmberg, J. H.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Maple, M. Brian, 1939-

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Matthias, Bernd T., 1918-1980

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Mayer, Maria Goeppert, 1906-1972

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Moss, Joel M.

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Novick, Robert

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

O'Neil, T. M. (Thomas Michael), 1940-

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Overhauser, Albert Warner, 1925-

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Pines, David, 1924-2018

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Robertson, R. G. Hamish, 1943-

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Robinson, C. Paul

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Rosenbluth, M. N.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Rudnick, Isadore, 1917-

Both employed at University of California, Los Angeles.

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

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Schwinger, Julian, 1918-1994

Both employed at University of California, Los Angeles.

Seitz, Frederick, 1911-2008

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Sham, L. J.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Simmons, Ralph Oliver

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Slichter, Charles P.

Both employed at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Suhl, Harry

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

York, Herbert F. (Herbert Frank)

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Zweig, George

Both employed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Institutions

Major Positions

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Researcher and UCLA-Los Alamos Joint Fellow.

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

Researcher.

University of California, Los Angeles. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics and President's Chair.

University of California, San Diego. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Department of Physics

Instructor to Professor of Physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden

Guggenheim Fellow.

University of Colorado Boulder. Department of Electrical Engineering

Obtained BS (1947).

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Center for Advanced Study

Member.

University of Pittsburgh. Department of Physics

Obtained PhD (1952).

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

John Wheatley papers.

Archives.

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Group CRM-1, Mail Stop C-322, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA

Published Resources

Subject

John Wheatley National Academy of Sciences biographical memoirs.

John Wheatley Physics Today obituary.