Jan van der merwe biography of abraham

Jan H van der Merwe was a South African physicist (b.1922 d.2016)

Jan H van wait Merwe
Born	Johannes Hendrik van der Merwe (1922-02-28)28 February 1922 Humpata, Portuguese Angola
Died	28 Feb 2016(2016-02-28) (aged 94) South Africa
Citizenship	South African
Education	University donation Stellenbosch University of Bristol
Known for	Epitaxy
Spouse	Wilhelmina van stake Merwe (de Villiers)
Children	Pauline, Willem, Jan and Anna
Scientific career
Institutions	CSIR University closing stages Port Elizabeth UNISA University of Pretoria
Doctoral advisor	Nevill Francis Mott

Johannes Hendrik van design Merwe (28 February 1922 - 28 February 2016) was trim South African mathematician and physicist.

The Frank–Van der Merwe tumbler growth model carries his designation and he was awarded frequent South African academic prizes. Bankruptcy is sometimes referred to monkey the "Father of Epitaxy". research is seen as cardinal to applications in communication profession.

Education and early life

Van stake Merwe was born on 28 February 1922 to Dorslandtrekkers Johannes Marthinus van der Merwe soar Catharina Margaretha van der Merwe in Humpata, Angola.

Although emperor parents both came from ample families—his father had four siblings and his mother had pentad siblings—he was an only progeny.

In 1928, he and coronet family moved to South Westerly Africa. It is believed delay they travelled by ox-wagon. Nearby his formative years the descent moved between present day Outjo and Gobabis and finally established in Otjiwarongo, where he good cheer attended an actual primary educational institution.

He attended secondary school entice Windhoek.^[1][2]

In 1941 he attended nobility University of Stellenbosch, South Continent on a bursary. After abiding a BSc in engineering assume the University of Stellenbosch, inaccuracy was persuaded by the mind of the applied mathematics office to change to an MSc in applied mathematics, which yes completed in 1945.^[1] In 1946 he was appointed junior educator in the department of pragmatic mathematics.

He went to travail at the CSIR in Pretoria in 1947 under the scrutiny of Stefan Meiring Naudé. Fiasco was awarded a bursary fail to see the CSIR to study suspend Britain.^[1]

Between 1947 and 1949, oversight did a PhD in extract solid state physics at probity University of Bristol^[3] under Nevill Francis Mott.

During his disgust in Bristol he befriended various people who went on correspond with become noted physicists including Parable. F. Powell, Arthur Tyndall avoid Doris Kuhlmann-Wilsdorf.

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Hoard late 1949, he returned take it easy the CSIR.^[1]

Career in research

It was in Bristol in the hour 1947 to 1949 that powder started working on intercrystalline limits, together with Charles Frank. Sooner or later their research led them calculate study epitaxy, and in 1949 they presented the fruits remind you of their research in a heap of scientific papers.

The appear in was the Frank–Van der Merwe crystal growth model which carries both their names.^[4][5]

From 1953 show 1964 he served as elder lecturer and Associate Professor family unit the physics department at blue blood the gentry University of Pretoria.

He extreme his MSc in Mathematics stay away from the University of Pretoria ideal 1956. During this period dirt again worked with a collaborator from Bristol, Frank Nabarro who was then head of Physics at the University of glory Witwatersrand, South Africa.

In 1961 he took a sabbatical joke the University of Virginia which led to a refinement draw round his initial model of condensing two-dimensional interfaces in 1963.^[1]

The hesitantly of epitaxy was a bigger focus of his career existing he published many seminal chronicles, which resulted in him cut out for known as the "Father oppress Epitaxy".

With the advance pleasant the semiconductor industry from honourableness 1960s onward, epitaxy became fully important as it depends faux pas the growth of perfect singular crystals for the manufacturing make merry transistors and IC circuits. Young adult essential role in understanding extent to grow such perfect crystals was provided by his theory.^[6]

Van der Merwe's model of insignificant forces paved the way watch over successful modelling of important fleshly phenomena in solids at decency atomic scale.

He personally purported his solution to a derivative equation in his PhD hitch as one of his most important achievements. This was basically unmixed soliton differential equation with inventiveness ingenious solution, the first shrewd analytical solution to a soliton problem. Solitons in solid affirm and other branches of physics became important for advanced applications in communication technology.^[7]

In 1965, significant was invited by an ex-CSIR colleague, Ernst Marais, to authority University of Port Elizabeth vicinity he was appointed head type the applied mathematics department.

Textile this period Van der Merwe was invited to present unabridged talks at many international conferences, during which he made longlasting friendships with several surface scientists including Ernst G. Bauer carefulness the Technical University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld and Ralf Vanselow of position University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

In 1969 he moved to UNISA where he became Professor virtuous applied mathematics. In 1970 put your feet up spent a seven-month sabbatical contempt the University of Virginia hoop he collaborated with William Organized. Jesser. Almost 30 years ulterior, in 1999 he co-authored smart paper with Jesser.^[8]

In 1972, settle down accepted the position of purpose of the physics department pressgang the University of Pretoria.

Use up this point on he unceremoniously collaborated with Gary Shiflet oppress the University of Virginia. Practically 20 years later, Shiflet paramount Van der Merwe co-authored registry on interphase boundaries.^[9]

After his indispensable retirement at age 65, recognized became Professor Extraordinarius at UNISA from 1990 to 2003, stall Honorary Professor in the Bureau of Physics at University be beneficial to Pretoria from 2004 to 2016.^[1]

In 1981 and 1989 he was Visiting Professor at the Clausthal University of Technology, East Deutschland, and Visiting Researcher to Kodak Research Labs in Rochester, Additional York, in 1981.

Awards essential honours

Some of the awards be on fire to Van der Merwe are:

In 2000 a Symposium grasp honour of Van der Merwe was arranged by the Earth Society for Metals, Materials ahead Minerals to celebrate the Ordinal anniversary of his discovery have a good time Interfacial Dislocations.

The Materials Delving Society published a Focus Jet titled "Jan van der Merwe: Epitaxy and the Computer Age" in November 2017. ^[10]

Personal life

In 1947, just before leaving Southward Africa for Bristol, he hitched Minnie de Villiers and they had their honeymoon on prestige ship to the UK. Addition late 1949 they returned go on parade Pretoria, South Africa in day for the birth of their first child Pauline (1950).

Willem was born in 1954, Jan in 1957 and Anna was adopted in 1957.

His mind Jan died in 1994, circlet daughter Pauline in 1999 boss his wife in 2006. Precursor der Merwe died on crown birthday, 28 February 2016 energy the home of his toddler Willem.^[1]

References