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Harry Paul (physicist)

Harry Paul (physicist) is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Harry Paul (physicist) rather than just read about it. In short: Harry Paul (born 11 February 1931) is a German theoretical physicist at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he is emeritus professor of physics. His research areas include laser physics, nonlinear optics, and quantum optics.

Harry Paul (physicist) — main illustration
Harry Paul (physicist) — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Harry Paul (physicist) belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Harry Paul (physicist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Harry Paul (physicist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Harry Paul (born 11 February 1931) is a German theoretical physicist at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he is emeritus professor of physics. His research areas include laser physics, nonlinear optics, and quantum optics.

Education and career Paul was born to a Sudeten German family in Czechoslovakia. In the summer of 1945, he and his family resettled in Germany. Beginning in 1949, he studied physics at the University of Rostock and the University of Jena. After earning his diploma in 1955, he joined the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Jena as an assistant. He received his doctorate in 1958 and subsequently worked as a research scientist at the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. Since 1962, he worked under Gustav Richter at the Central Institute for Optics and Spectroscopy (Zentralinstitut für Optik und Spektroskopie) in Berlin, which later became the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut. In 1964, Paul completed his habilitation at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Until 1969, he worked at the Institute for Special Problems of Theoretical Physics, Academy of Sciences of the GDR. In 1978, Paul was appointed as a professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Following German reunification, he became head of the Nonclassical Radiation research group of the Max Planck Society at Humboldt University of Berlin in 1992. In 1993, he was appointed Professor of Theoretical Physics at the same institution, where he remained until his retirement in 1996.

Honors and awards In 1980, together with Witlof Brunner, he was awarded the National Prize of the GDR (Third Class) for Science and Technology for their contributions to quantum electronics. In 1999, he was elected a full member of the Natural Sciences Class of the Sudeten German Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Books Paul, Harry (1969). Lasertheorie I (in German). De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783112541128. ISBN 978-3-11-254112-8. Paul, Harry (1969). Lasertheorie II (in German). De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783112541142. ISBN 978-3-11-254114-2. Paul, Harry (1973). Nichtlineare Optik I (in German). De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783112595787. ISBN 978-3-11-259578-7. Paul, Harry (1973). Nichtlineare Optik II (in German). De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9783112595541. ISBN 978-3-11-259554-1. Paul, Harry (1995). Photonen: Eine Einführung in die Quantenoptik (in German) (2nd ed.). Wiesbaden: Vieweg+Teubner Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-322-96700-8. ISBN 978-3-519-03222-9. Paul, Harry, ed. (1999). Lexikon der Optik: in zwei Bänden (in German). Heidelberg: Spektrum Akademischer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8274-0382-7. Paul, Harry (2005). Über Physiker und ihr Metier. Berichte aus der Physik (in German). Aachen: Shaker. ISBN 978-3-8322-4549-8. Paul, Harry (2008). Introduction to quantum theory. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-87693-3.

References

Illustrations

Harry Paul (physicist) illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Harry Paul (physicist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Harry Paul (physicist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Harry Paul (physicist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Harry Paul (physicist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Harry Paul (physicist)

In research
Harry Paul (physicist) appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Harry Paul (physicist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Harry Paul (physicist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1931 births, 20th-century German physicists, Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Harry Paul (physicist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Harry Paul (physicist) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Harry Paul (physicist) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Harry Paul (physicist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Harry Paul (physicist) in simple terms?

Harry Paul (born 11 February 1931) is a German theoretical physicist at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he is emeritus professor of physics. His research areas include laser physics, nonlinear optics, and quantum optics.

Why does Harry Paul (physicist) matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Harry Paul (physicist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Harry Paul (physicist).

Tags

  • 1931 births
  • 20th-century German physicists
  • Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin
  • German theoretical physicists
  • Optical physicists
  • People from Ústí nad Labem District
  • University of Jena alumni
  • University of Rostock alumni

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