Edmond Becquerel
Edmond Becquerel | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 11 May 1891 | (aged 71)
Known for | First observed the photovoltaic effect Overhead projector Phosphoroscope Thermionic emission |
Children | Henri Becquerel |
Parent | Antoine César Becquerel |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel (French pronunciation: [alɛksɑ̃dʁ ɛdmɔ̃ bɛkʁɛl]; 24 March 1820 – 11 May 1891),[1] known as Edmond Becquerel, was a French physicist who studied the solar spectrum, magnetism, electricity and optics. He is credited with the discovery of the photovoltaic effect, the operating principle of the solar cell, in 1839.[2][3] He is also known for his work in luminescence and phosphorescence. He was the son of Antoine César Becquerel and the father of Henri Becquerel, one of the discoverers of radioactivity.
Biography
Becquerel was born in
The first photovoltaic device
In 1839, at age 19, experimenting in his father's laboratory, Becquerel created the world's first
Photographic discoveries
Becquerel was an early experimenter in photography. In 1840, he discovered that the silver halides, natively insensitive to red and yellow light, became sensitive to that part of the spectrum in proportion to their exposure to blue, violet and ultraviolet light, allowing daguerreotypes and other photographic materials to be developed by bathing in strong red or yellow light rather than by chemical treatment.[4] In practice this technique was rarely used. In 1848 he produced color photographs of the solar spectrum, and also of camera images, by a technique later found to be akin to the Lippmann interference method, but the camera exposures required were impractically long and the images could not be stabilized, their colors persisting only if kept in total darkness,[5] however this work is based on the discoveries of J. T. Seebeck prior to 1810.[6]
Other studies
Becquerel paid special attention to the study of light, investigating the
He investigated the
Publications
In 1867 and 1868 Becquerel published La lumière, ses causes et ses effets (Light, its Causes and Effects), a two-volume treatise which became a standard text. His many papers and commentaries appeared in French scientific journals, mainly the
Honors and awards
Becquerel was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1886.
The Becquerel Prize for "outstanding merit in photovoltaics" is awarded annually at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC).
See also
References
- ^ "Molecular Expressions: Science, Optics and You - Timeline - Alexandre Edmond Becquerel". micro.magnet.fsu.edu. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ R. Williams (1960). "Becquerel Photovoltaic Effect in Binary Compounds". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 32 (5): 1505–1514. .
- ^
E. Becquerel (1839). "Mémoire sur les effets électriques produits sous l'influence des rayons solaires". Comptes Rendus. 9: 561–567.
- ^ E. Becquerel (1840). "Mémoire sur le rayonnement chimique qui accompagne la lumière solaire et la lumière électrique", Comptes Rendus 11:702–703.
- ^ E. Becquerel (1848). "L'image photographique colorée du spectre solaire", Comptes Rendus 26:181–183.
- ^ Wall, E. J. (Edward John) (1922). Practical color photography. Getty Research Institute. Boston, Mass., American Photographic Publishing Co. p. 200.
Further reading
- A. Allisy (1 November 1996). "Henri Becquerel: The Discovery of Radioactivity". Radiation Protection Dosimetry. 68 (1): 3–10. .
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 611.