Primakoff, Henry (1914–1983)

Russian-born physicist. An inspirational educator, he made major contributions to the physics of wave theory, cosmic rays, solid helium, and weak particle interactions. The ‘Primakoff effect’ deals with the short lifespan of the meson, a subatomic particle.

He was born in Odessa, Russia. He moved to the USA in 1923, and taught and performed research at several New York, New York, institutions. He then moved to Washington University, St Louis (1946–60), and the University of Pennsylvania (1960–83).