John Archibald Wheeler | |
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![]() Wheeler before the Hermann Weyl-Conference 1985 in Kiel, Germany | |
Born | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | July 9, 1911
Died | April 13, 2008 Hightstown, New Jersey, United States | (aged 96)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.) |
Known for |
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Spouse | Janette Hegner |
Awards |
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Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | |
Thesis | Theory of the dispersion and absorption of helium (1933) |
Doctoral advisor | Karl Herzfeld |
Doctoral students |
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John Archibald Wheeler (July 9, 1911 – April 13, 2008) was an American theoretical physicist. He was known for his interest in general relativity in the United States. Wheeler also worked with Niels Bohr in explaining the basic principles behind nuclear fission.
He is best known for using the term "black hole" and for inventing the terms "quantum foam", "neutron moderator", "wormhole" and "it from bit", and for hypothesizing the "one-electron universe".[1]
On April 13, 2008, Wheeler died of pneumonia at the age of 96 in Hightstown, New Jersey.[2]