GöppertMayer

Maria Göppert Mayer was a German-American theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963. She is best known for her groundbreaking work on the nuclear shell model.

Born in Kattowitz, Germany (now Katowice, Poland) in 1906, Göppert Mayer showed an early aptitude for mathematics and science. She studied physics at the University of Göttingen, where she earned her doctorate in 1933. In 1930, she married American physicist Joseph Mayer and moved to the United States.

Göppert Mayer spent much of her career in academic positions, often in unpaid or part-time roles while her husband held positions. Despite these challenges, she made significant contributions to physics. Her early work included research on quantum electrodynamics and the properties of matter at low temperatures.

Her most celebrated achievement came in the 1940s when she developed the nuclear shell model. This model, independently proposed by J. Hans D. Jensen, described the arrangement of protons and neutrons within the atomic nucleus. It explained the existence of "magic numbers" of nucleons that correspond to unusually stable nuclei. This work revolutionized the understanding of nuclear structure and earned her a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963, alongside Eugene Wigner and J. Hans D. Jensen.

Maria Göppert Mayer passed away in 1972, leaving behind a legacy of significant contributions to nuclear physics and serving as an inspiration to women in science.