Bad luck in attempts to make scientific discoveries

JAN 01, 1967

People who get prizes are usually expected to tell the assembled dinner guests about the research that won them recognition. The recipient of the Fifth Fritz London Award chose instead to describe how he had just missed making a number of very important discoveries.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3034140

C. J. Gorter

Henry A. Boorse

WHEN THE Committee for the Fifth Fritz London Award asked me to give my recipient’s address a somewhat personal nature, I hesitated about how to combine the modest review that I could give of certain recent advances made in the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory with this request. Not finding a satisfactory solution, I remembered that from time to time I am asked why I have just missed making certain discoveries. Since I have received a favorable reaction from the committee chairman, Dean Boorse, to my enquiry about whether it would be admissible to drop all discussion of recent work and to speak only on apparent bad luck in my attempts to make certain scientific discoveries, I shall do so in the hope of satisfying once and for all those who have asked or would like to ask me about these matters. I shall talk mainly on attempts to observe nuclear and electron magnetic resonances, gamma anisotropy after orienting atomic nuclei, anisotropy of beta emission, and flux quantization in superconductors.

This article is only available in PDF format

References

1. C. J. Gorter, Paramagnetische Eigenschaften von Salzen, thesis, Leiden, 1932.
2. W. Lenz, Phys. Z. 21, 613 (1920); https://doi.org/PHZTAO
P. Ehrenfest, Leiden Comm. Suppl. 44b (1929).
3. G. Breit and H. Kamerlingh Onnes, Leiden Comm. 168b (1926).
4. C. J. Gorter, Physica 3, 503 (1936).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
5. C. J. Gorter, Leiden Comm. 241e, Physica 1, 199 (1934); https://doi.org/PHYSAG
C. J. Gorter, and H. B. G. Gasimir, Physica 1, 305 (1934); https://doi.org/PHYSAG
C. J. Gorter, and H. B. G. Gasimir, Phys. Z. 35, 963 (1934).https://doi.org/PHZTAO
6. A. D. Kokker and C. J. Gorter, Z. Phys. 77, 166 (1932).https://doi.org/ZEPYAA
7. E. C. Wiersma and C. J. Gorter, Leiden Comm. Suppl. 73c;
Physica 12, 316 (1932).
8. L. Nordheim and C. J. Gorter, Physica 2, 383 (1935).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
9. C. J. Gorter and F. Brons, Physica 4, 579 (1937).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
10. I. Waller, Z. Phys. 79, 370 (1932).https://doi.org/ZEPYAA
11. C. J. Gorter and R. Kronig, Physica 3, 1009 (1936); https://doi.org/PHYSAG
R. Kronig, Physica 5, 521 (1938) https://doi.org/PHYSAG
and R. Kronig, 6, 33 (1939); https://doi.org/PHYSAG , Physica (Amsterdam)
R. Kronig and C. J. Bouwkamp, Physica 6, 290 (1939).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
12. C. E. Cleeton and N. H. Williams, Phys. Rev. 45, (1933) 234.https://doi.org/PHRVAO
13. I. I. Rabi, J. R. Zacharias, S. Millman and P. Kusch, Phys. Rev., 53, 318 (1938).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
14. L. W. Alvarez and F. Bloch, Phys. Rev. 57, 111 (1949).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
15. C. J. Gorter and L. J. F. Broer, Leiden Comm. 266a;
Physica 9, 591 (1942).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
16. N. Bloembergen, Leiden Comm. 277a,
Physica 15, 405 (1949); https://doi.org/PHYSAG
F. Bruin and F. M. Schimmel, Physica 21, 867 (1955).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
17. L. J. Dijkstra, thesis, Amsterdam (1943);
J. Volger, thesis, Leiden (1946).
18. E. K. Zavoiski, thesis, Kazan (1944).
19. J. H. Frenkel, Zh. Eksperim. i Teor. Fiz. 15, 409 (1945).https://doi.org/ZETFA7
20. E. K. Zavoisky, Journ. of Phys. USSR 9, 211 (1945)
and E. K. Zavoisky, 10, 170 (1946).
21. C. J. Gorter and J. H. Van Vleck, Leiden Comm. Suppl. 97a, Phys. Rev. 72, 1128 (1947); https://doi.org/PHRVAO
J. H. Van Vleck, Phys. Rev. 74, 1168 (1948).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
22. F. Bloch, W. W. Hansen and M. Packard, Phys. Rev. 69, 683 (1946). https://doi.org/PHRVAO
E. M. Purcell, H. C. Torrey and R. V. Pound, Phys. Rev. 69, 37 (1946).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
23. P. Debije, Phys. Z. 35, 923 (1934).https://doi.org/PHZTAO
24. N. Kurti and E. Simon, Proc. Roy. Soc., London A149, 152 (1935).
25. F. Simon, C. R. Conf. Magnetisme, Strasbourg, 3, 1 (1939).
26. C. J. Gorter, Cer. Langevin‐Perrin, Paris, 77 (1948);
Leiden Comm. Suppl. 97d;
Physica 14, 504 (1948).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
27. M. E. Rose, Phys. Rev. 75, 213 (1949).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
28. C. J. Gorter, D. de Klerk, O. J. Poppema, M. J. Steenland and Hl. de Vries, Physica 15, 679 (1949).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
29. R. P. Penrose, Leiden Comm. Suppl. 278b, Nature 163, 992 (1949).https://doi.org/NATUAS
30. J. M. Daniels, M. A. Grace and F. N. H. Robertson, Nature 168, 780 (1951).https://doi.org/NATUAS
31. C. J. Gorter, O. J. Poppema, M. J. Steenland and J. A. Beun, Leiden, Comm. 287b, Physica 17, 1050 (1951).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
32. B. Bleaney, Proc. Phys. Soc. A64, 15 (1951), https://doi.org/PPSOAU
B. Bleaney, Phil. Mag. 42, 441 (1951).https://doi.org/PHMAA4
33. T. D. Lee and C. N. Yang, Phys.Rev. 104, 254 (1956).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
34. H. Postma, W. J. Huiskamp, A. R. Miedema, M. J. Steenland, H. A. Tolhoek and C. J. Gorter, Physica 23, 259 (1957).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
35. C. S. Wu, R. W. Ambler, R. W. Hayward, D. D. Hoppes and R. P. Hudson, Phys. Rev. 105, 1413 (1957).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
36. F. London, Phys. Rev. 74, 562 (1948); https://doi.org/PHRVAO
also: F. London, Superfluids 1, 152 (1950).
37. L. Onsager, Nuovo Cim. 6, Suppl. 2, 249 (1949);
R. P. Feynman, Progress in Low temp. physics 1, 17 (1955).
38. A. A. Abrikosov, JETP (USSR) 32, 1442 (1957).
39. A. R. de Vroomen, and C. van Baarle, Leiden Comm. 309b; Physica 23, 907 (1957).https://doi.org/PHYSAG
40. B. S. Deaver and W. M. Fairbank, Phys. Rev. Letters 7, 43 (1961); https://doi.org/PRLTAO
R. Doll and N. Näbauer, Phys. Rev. Letters 7, 51 (1961).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

More about the Authors

C. J. Gorter. Director, Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory.

Henry A. Boorse. Barnard College, Columbia University.