John Bardeen (1908

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Biography

John Bardeen was an American condensed matter physicist. He is the only person to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for their invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon Cooper and Robert Schrieffer for their microscopic theory of superconductivity, known as the BCS theory.

In Their Own Words (2)

Science is a field which grows continuously with ever expanding frontiers. Further, it is truly international in scope. Any particular advance has been preceded by the contributions of those from many lands who have set firm foundations for further developments. The Nobel awards should be regarded as giving recognition to this general scientific progress as well as to the individuals involved.Further, science is a collaborative effort. The combined results of several people working together is often much more effective than could be that of an individual scientist working alone.

Banquet Speech, John Bardeen, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1972 , 1972

... I can't work well under the conditions at Bell Labs. Walter and I are looking at a few questions relating to point-contact transistors, but Shockley keeps all the interesting problems for himself.

told to Frederick Seitz as quoted by Lillian Hoddeson in No boundaries: University of Illinois vignettes, University of Illinois Press 2004 (quote page 242) , 2004

Timeline

The story of John Bardeen, told in moments.

1947 Event

Built the first working transistor at Bell Labs with Walter Brattain and William Shockley. A tiny germanium device that replaced bulky vacuum tubes. It won them the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Did you know the transistor would replace the entire vacuum tube industry? What was it like sharing a Nobel with Shockley? Was that tiny germanium device the biggest small thing you ever built?

1957 Life

Published the BCS theory of superconductivity with Leon Cooper and Robert Schrieffer. Explained why some materials lose all electrical resistance at low temperatures. A problem physicists had puzzled over for 46 years.

How do you explain why some materials lose all resistance? Did solving a 46-year-old puzzle feel like destiny? Was BCS theory harder to create or to name?

1972 Event

Won his second Nobel Prize in Physics for the superconductivity work. The only person ever to win two Nobel Prizes in the same field. At the ceremony he brought his children. He'd forgotten them the first time.

How did you forget your children at the first Nobel ceremony? What does it mean to be the only person with two Nobels in one field? Did the second prize feel different from the first?

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