curie

Curie is a surname of Polish origin that became prominent in science through Marie Skłodowska Curie and her husband Pierre Curie. The pair conducted foundational work on radioactivity at the turn of the 20th century in France, often collaborating with Henri Becquerel. Marie Curie later became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the couple's work laid the groundwork for modern radiochemistry and medical applications of radioactivity.

In 1903, Pierre and Marie Curie, along with Becquerel, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their combined investigations into spontaneous radiation. In 1911, Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discoveries, including the elements polonium and radium and their subsequent isolation. The Institut Curie in Paris is named in honor of the couple and remains a leading biomedical research center.

The curie (symbol Ci) is a non-SI unit of radioactivity formerly used to quantify decay rate: one curie equals 3.7×10^10 disintegrations per second. The curie was superseded by the becquerel (Bq) in the International System of Units, where 1 Ci equals 37 gigabecquerels. The term remains in historical and clinical contexts.

Curie point, or Curie temperature, denotes the temperature at which certain ferromagnetic materials lose their permanent magnetism. This property was named after Pierre Curie and is a key concept in magnetism and materials science.

Institutions bearing the name Curie include the Institut Curie in Paris, a major biomedical research organization associated with the Curie family. The surname Curie thus encompasses a scientific legacy spanning foundational physics, chemistry, and medical research.