Nobel Prize winner Klaus von Klitzing to deliver Western Faculty of Science lecture

Like legendary Nobel laureates Albert Einstein and Neils Bohr before him, Klaus von Klitzing quantifiably changed the way future scientists studied physics, specifically developing a way to measure the conducting properties of electronic components with extraordinary precision.

The winner of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physics will deliver the Elizabeth Laird Memorial Lecture at Western University on Thursday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Paul Davenport Theatre (Talbot College).

His lecture will include a historical overview of the Quantum Hall Effect, his groundbreaking discovery that he made in 1980, how his landmark findings influence the international system of units and some exciting new developments in quantum hall physics.

Today, the term “Quantum Hall Effect” is synonymous for the more general topic of electrons in strong magnetic fields with connections not only to semiconductor physics but also to other research areas like astrophysics (gravity and black holes) and metrology (the study of measurement). von Klitzing continues his research and has served as a director of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany since 1985.

This special event is hosted by the Faculty of Science’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and renowned Western physics professor Mahi R. Singh.

For more information, please visit https://www.uwo.ca/sci/news/Laird2013.html