Herbert Frohlich
Honorary Degree Recipient
- Doctor of Science, Purdue University 1981
Professor Emeritus Herbert Frohlich, of the University of Liverpool, England, has been a visiting professor physics at Purdue University on three separate occasions. During the first of these visits he conducted research which led to the unraveling of what had been the mystery of electrical conductivity. He showed that the interaction between electrons and metal ions that is ordinarily responsible for the resistance to current flow can lead, under special circumstances, to the vanishing of all electrical resistance at temperatures near absolute zero. This fundamental contribution to the microscopic theory of superconductivity proved to be the key to the deadlock that had prevailed for the preceding 20 years.
Dr. Frohlich earned his doctorate from the University of Munich at the age of 24. Since that time, he has spent his life in research and teaching. One is awed by the diversity of his contributions and the profound influence of his work in physics. His publications over a half century include two books and more than 140 original papers and review articles.
Dr. Frohlich has received many awards and honors including the prestigious Max Planck Medal, an annual award of the German Physical Society to honor the entire career of an outstanding physicist.
From the citation in the College of Science announcement