Prof. Norman Feather, F.R.S.

Abstract

DR. NORMAN FEATHER takes up his appointment as professor of natural philosophy in the University of Edinburgh this session. Dr. Feather has held the appointment of lecturer in physics in the University of Cambridge since 1936; he was elected to a research fellowship of Trinity College in 1929, and to a staff fellowship in 1936. After taking the Natural Sciences Tripos in Cambridge, Dr. Feather took up research work under Lord Rutherford in 1927 and worked first on the long-range α-particles from radium. He spent a year at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and there studied the relations between β-particle energies and absorption coefficients, deducing therefrom a much used empirical relation. Returning to Cambridge in 1930, he resumed work with the Wilson cloud chamber, and in 1932 was brought in by Dr. J. (now Sir James) Chadwick to obtain cloud chamber confirmation of his discovery of the neutron. Within a few weeks, Dr. Feather was able to obtain tracks resulting from neutron collisions and, in particular, was able to demonstrate the disintegration of nitrogen by neutrons. This was the first evidence of disintegrations produced by neutrons.