August Herman Pfund

August Herman Pfund
Born	(1879-12-28)December 28, 1879 Madison, Wisconsin
Died	January 4, 1949(1949-01-04) (aged 69)
Nationality	USA
Alma mater	Johns Hopkins University University of Wisconsin–Madison
Known for	Pfund line Pfund telescope
Awards	Edward Longstreth Medal (1922) Frederic Ives Medal (1939)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics Spectroscopy Calorimetry
Institutions	Johns Hopkins University
Doctoral advisor	Robert W. Wood

August Herman Pfund ('Papa Pfund')(December 28, 1879 – January 4, 1949) was an American born physicist, spectroscopist, and inventor.

Early Life

Pfund was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended Wisconsin public schools until his entry into the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned a B.S. degree in physics and studied under Robert W. Wood.

Career

Both Wood and Pfund left Wisconsin for Johns Hopkins in 1903. From 1903 to 1905 Pfund was a Carnegie research assistant and continued to work under Wood. In 1906 Pfund earned his Ph.D. in physics and was a Johnston scholar from 1907 to 1909. He remained at Hopkins for the remainder of his career, eventually becoming a full professor and later chair of the physics department. From 1943 to 1944 Pfund served as the president of the Optical Society of America.

Pfund discovered the hydrogen spectral series or Pfund lines, where an electron jumps up from or drops down to the fifth fundamental level. He also invented the Pfund telescope, which is a method for achieving a fixed telescope focal point regardless of where the telescope line of sight is positioned. Pfund is also noted for is work into the area of infrared gas analysis.

External links

• Articles Published by early OSA Presidents Journal of the Optical Society of America

See also

• Current and past presidents of the Optical Society of America

References and Biography

• Dr. John Andraos, Named Concepts in Chemistry (L-Z), York University, 2001

• Pelletier, Paul A. (ed.), Prominent Scientists: An index to collective biographies, 2nd ed., Neal-Schuman Publishing, Inc.: New York, 1985 (citations only)

• Cattell, J.M.; Cattell, J. American Men of Science, 6th ed., The Science Press: New York, 1938

• Journal of the Optical Society of America, 39:4 (April, 1949) 325. Obit.