Radiation physics · 1852–1908
Henri Becquerel
Becquerel came from a family with a strong tradition of experimental physics and studied optical phenomena before his uranium investigations. In 1896 he found that uranium compounds produced penetrating effects without continuing illumination. He went on to examine electrical and magnetic properties of the emission. The 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized his discovery alongside the Curies’ investigations of the phenomenon.
Contribution & context
He established the experimental starting point for natural . His work should be distinguished from the later chemical identification of polonium and radium, and from subsequent explanations of radioactive transformation.
Discoveries in context
When a mineral was more active than its uranium ↗
Photographic effects and electrical measurements led from unexpected uranium rays to evidence for previously unknown elements.
Sources & further reading
- Henri Becquerel: Biographical ↗Nobel Prize OutreachHistorical account · Source checked
Sources and further reading. What the review labels mean