Walter Alvarez
BY PRASHANTH
KALLAT
Walter Alvarez was born in Berkeley, California in 1940. He grew up to be a scientist. Alvarez earned his B.A ( for Bachelor of Arts ) in geology in 1962, from Carleton College in Minnesota.
In 1938, Alvarez showed his first major discovery. It was the phenomenon of orbital electron capture . Before, in 1936 Hans Bethe had argued that an excited nucleus could decay by capturing one of its own orbiting electrons . It is a process that is known as K-Capture . Alvarez succeeded in detecting the process experimentally by identifying the characteristic X rays emitted during K capture , as a result of electrons moving from outer orbits into the vacant K orbit .
As a scientist Alvarez had been helping on the World War II effort. Alvarez developed a type of radar system that was used to locate bombing targets. Also he made a ground controlled approach radar system that is used to land aircraft in bad weather. Once the war was over Alvarez returned to his study of atoms .
Alvarez wrote a book about dinosaurs. The book was called T.rex AND THE CRATER OF DOOM.
Walter Alvarez died on September 1, 1988 in Berkeley California.
Walter Alvarez has been studying different things that makes me interested in science. Walter Alvarez is known for researching subatomic particles which are tiny particles of matter that make up the atom.