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K. Alex Müller

Swiss physicist (1927-2023) · Switzerland · Scientists · Died at 95

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He cracked a puzzle physicists thought was solved - and found that electricity could flow without resistance through materials everyone had dismissed as dead ends.

ScientistsScientistPhysicsSwitzerlandEurope20th Century

A life in dates

2023Died9 January 20231994Honorary Doctorate of the University of MetzAward1989Gold medal of the Spanish National Research CouncilAward1988EPS Europhysics PrizeAwardHonorary Doctorate from the University of Nice-Sophia AntipolisAwardJames C. McGroddy Prize for New MaterialsAward1987Dannie Heineman PrizeAwardFritz London AwardAwardNobel Prize in PhysicsAwardRobert Wichard Pohl PrizeAwardWilhelm Exner MedalAward1986Marcel Benoist PrizeAward1982IBM FellowAward1980Fellow of the American Physical SocietyAward1927Born20 April 1927

Also in Deutsch

Photos 5

Karl Alexander MuellerKarl Alexander MuellerHead photo of K Alex Mueller, Nobel Laureate, in the 1980s (cropped)Head photo of K Alex Mueller, Nobel Laureate, in the 1980s (cropped)Head photo of K Alex Mueller, Nobel Laureate, in the 1980sHead photo of K Alex Mueller, Nobel Laureate, in the 1980sKarl Alex Muller LANLKarl Alex Muller LANLKarl Alexander Mueller (cropped)Karl Alexander Mueller (cropped)

Awards

Honorary Doctorate of the University of Metz1994
Gold medal of the Spanish National Research Council1989
James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials1988
EPS Europhysics Prize1988
Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis1988
Robert Wichard Pohl Prize1987
Nobel Prize in Physics1987
Dannie Heineman Prize1987
Wilhelm Exner Medal1987
Fritz London Award1987
Marcel Benoist Prize1986
IBM Fellow1982
Fellow of the American Physical Society1980
Honorary Doctor of the Leipzig University
Honorary Doctorate of Salzburg University
Honorary doctorate from the University of Geneva
Honorary Doctor of the Ruhr University Bochum
Honorary Doctor of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich
Honorary doctors of Ghent University
Honorary Doctor of the University of Regensburg

About this person

Karl Alexander Müller was born on 20 April 1927 in Switzerland. Working alongside Georg Bednorz, he turned to ceramic materials that the field had written off as unpromising for superconductivity. Their experiments proved the conventional wisdom wrong. In 1987, the two shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery. Müller died on 9 January 2023, nearly four decades after the work that opened a new chapter in condensed matter physics.

Country
Switzerland
Category
Scientists
Type
Scientist
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1927 to 2023 · aged 95

In common with K.

Brian JosephsonBoth received Fritz London AwardHar Gobind KhoranaBoth received Dannie Heineman PrizePeter GrünbergBoth received EPS Europhysics PrizeDan ShechtmanBoth received James C. McGroddy Prize for New MaterialsEric Allin CornellBoth received Fritz London AwardHeinrich RohrerBoth received EPS Europhysics Prize

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