Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was a Dutch physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his research on the low-temperature properties of matter. Born in Groningen, he attended the University of Groningen and, after getting his ‘candidaats’ degree, began his PhD studies under Gustav Kirchhoff at the University of Heidelberg. However, he returned to Groningen within two years to complete his studies under R. A. Mees. His dissertation on the spinning of the earth not only shed further light on the subject, but also demonstrated his mathematical proficiency. After working with Johannes Bosscha for five years at the Polytechnicum in Delft, he was subsequently assigned to the chair of Experimental Physics and Meteorology at the University of Leiden. He constructed a cryogenic laboratory at the university in order to provide experimental evidence for van der Waals’s hypothesis on the behavior of gases. After years of hard work, he was ultimately able to liquefy helium gas, which led to the discovery of superconductivity, a hypothesis stating that the electric resistance of certain materials vanishes at extremely low temperatures. Because of his endearing personality and love for low-temperature labor, he was affectionately known as the “Gentleman of Zero.”
Youth and Early Life
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was born in Groningen, Netherlands, on September 21, 1853. Near Groningen, his father, Harm Kamerlingh Onnes, ran a bricklaying business. Anna Giardina Coers, his mother, was the daughter of an architect from Arnhem.
Heike Onnes had two siblings. His brother, Menso Kamerlingh Onnes, became a well-known painter, while his sister, Jenny, married another well-known painter, Floris Verster.
Onees attended Hoogere Burgerschool for his secondary education and graduated in 1870. Since the school did not teach Greek and Latin, he received additional instruction in these subjects.
After enrolling in the University of Groningen, he received his ‘candidates’ degree in 1871. Later in the month of October, he enrolled at Heidelberg University to study under Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff.
Eventually, he eventually began his Ph.D. thesis under Gustav Kirchhoff, but in April 1873, he returned to the University of Groningen. There, he continued the same work under the supervision of R. A. Mees.
In June 1878, he earned a degree equal to a Master of Science. On April 10, 1879, he successfully defended his dissertation and became a doctor of philosophy. His dissertation work was titled ‘Nieuwe bewijzen voor de aswenteling der aarde’ (New proofs of the rotation of the earth).
Heike Onnes’s Career
Before receiving his doctorate in 1879, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes began his work as an assistant to the director of the Polytechnic in Delft, Johannes Bosscha, in 1878. Later, from 1881 to 1882, he served as Bosscha’s substitute lecturer while conducting his own study.
Also in 1881, he met van der Waals, a professor of physics at the University of Amsterdam and one of the proponents of the corpuscular theory. One was profoundly impacted by him.
Subsequently, he released his first work on the low-temperature features of the matter. The general theory of liquids (Algemeene Theorie der vloeistoffen) is concerned with the kinetic theory of the liquid state.
Onnes was named professor of experimental physics and meteorology at the University of Leiden in April 1882. In his inaugural presentation, ‘De beteekenis van het quantitative onderzoek in de natuurkunde,’ he spelled out his life philosophy, ‘Door meten tot weten’ (Through measurement to knowledge) (Knowledge and through measurement).
As soon as he was named Professor of Experimental Physics, Onnes decided to offer experimental confirmation for van der Waals’ hypothesis regarding the behavior of gases. To demonstrate this hypothesis empirically, Onnes had to construct a machine capable of liquefying vast quantities of air.
Onnes was ultimately able to construct a cryogenic laboratory at the University of Leiden in 1894. From 1895 until 1906, he focused on the development of cryogenic experimental techniques and the study of low-temperature metals and fluids. His study at this moment followed two divergent paths.
On the one hand, he adhered to the theories of van der Waals regarding the equation of state, viscosity, and capillarity, and on the other, he considered the theoretical work of Hendrik Lorentz regarding magneto-rotation of the plane of polarization, Kerr Effect, and Hall Effect, among others.
In 1901, he founded a school for glassblowing at the laboratory, which garnered it international fame.
He was able to construct an improved hydrogen-liquefaction machine in 1906. He also developed the term “Enthalpy,” which is a measure of energy in a thermodynamic system, at some point.
On 10 July 1908, Onnes successfully liquefied a small amount of helium. Utilizing the Joule-Thomson phenomenon, he was able to reduce the gas’s temperature to 0. 9° K. The temperature was the lowest ever recorded at the time. The achievement prompted additional research in the field.
However, Onnes has now given up his pursuit of ever-lower temperatures. He began exploring the characteristics of liquid helium instead. Therefore, he spent the following three years creating apparatus capable of storing liquid helium and doing additional research.
At some point, he also attempted to solidify helium. Willem Hendrik Keesom, his pupil and successor at the laboratory, completed this task in 1926 despite his failure.
His work on helium did, however, pave the way for his next great discovery. It had already been proven that as a metal cooled, its resistance decreased. However, scientists were uncertain as to what would occur if temperatures approaching absolute zero. Onnes is now attempting to solve the puzzle.
In the spring of 1911, he began his research on the low-temperature electrical conductivity of metals. Working with mercury, he determined that the electrical resistance of some substances begins to decrease at extremely low temperatures and disappears after a certain point.
He dubbed the phenomena “Supraconductivity” in 1913. Eventually, he altered the name to “superconductivity.” Onnes conducted an extensive study on superconductivity, which had a significant impact on the theory of electrical conduction in materials.
Simultaneously, he continued to mentor a number of Ph.D. students, many of whom went on to become prominent scientists. He took his retirement in 1923.
In addition to his laboratory studies, Onnes was active in the application of low temperature in everyday applications such as refrigerators, food preservation, and ice production. Due to his fondness for low temperatures, he was affectionately known as the “Gentleman of Zero.”
Heike’s Major Opera
His research on how materials react when chilled to near absolute zero is well-known. He was the first to liquefy helium, and his achievement of severe cryogenic temperatures led to the discovery of superconductivity.
Awards & Achievements
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was given the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1913 “for his research on the behavior of materials at low temperatures, which led, among other things, to the synthesis of liquid helium.”
Personal History and Legacy
Onnes wed Maria Adriana Wilhelmina Elisabeth Bijleveld in 1887. The marriage produced a son named Albert Kamerlingh Onnes, who eventually became a public servant of the highest rank in The Hague. Their residence was renowned for the hospitality it provided.
Onnes was an outstanding scientist, yet he was not a workaholic. With the assistance of his wife, he participated in numerous humanitarian efforts, such as reconciling political disputes between scientists during the First World War and assisting starving children in developing nations with food shortages.
He died in bad health on February 21, 1926, in Leyden, after a brief illness.
Estimated Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes is about $1 million.
Trivia
The laboratory for low temperatures that he constructed in 1894 is now known as the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory.
The Boerhaave Museum in Leiden is currently displaying a number of Onnes’s instruments for conducting the experiments. The apparatus he first used to liquefy helium is also on display in the lobby of Leiden University’s Physics Department.
In his honor, the phenomenon of superfluid helium creeping has been dubbed “The Onnes Effect.”
In addition, a crater on the far side of the moon is named after him.