Theodore "Ted" H. Geballe, a pioneer in applied physics, materials research, and superconductivity has passed away.

Theodore “Ted” H. Geballe, Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics in the School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) and Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering, Professor Theodore and Sydney Rosenberg, died on October 24. He is 101 years old.

Theodore "Ted" H. Geballe, 1920-2021 (Image source: Courtesy Theodore H. Geballe Advanced Materials Laboratory)

As a condensed matter physicist, Geballe studied superconductivity, a phenomenon in which electrons flow without resistance, and how temperature affects the properties of semiconductors such as silicon and germanium.

His work helped define the field of applied physics, which had a ripple effect on many disciplines. His research paved the way for innovations including infrared-sensitive films in night vision goggles, films in medical imaging equipment, high-purity lithium niobate crystals for lasers, and the first successful high-temperature superconductor in the form of thin films .

"Ted Geballe is known for his lifetime contributions to the field of materials science, especially superconductivity," said Kenneth and Barbara Oshman Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering Steve Harris. "He is a kind, generous, considerate and outstanding person, and everyone who knows him likes him."

In 1967, Geballe joined Stanford University as a professor in the Department of Applied Physics and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Geballe's legacy includes the development and shaping of the Stanford Department of Applied Physics, where he served as chairman (1975-78) and the Materials Research Center, where he served as director (1976-88). In these leadership positions, he recruited top faculty, promoted interdisciplinary research, and promoted the development of independent laboratories at Stanford University.

In 1973, Geballe hired Malcolm "Mac" Beasley to Stanford University as a professor of applied physics. About ten years later, Beasley chaired the search committee and helped recruit Aharon Kapitulnik, the current H&S Professor of Applied Physics, Aharon Kapitulnik, to Stanford University.

(From left to right) Malcolm "Mac" Beasley, Theodore "Ted" H. Geballe and Aharon Kapitulnik, members of the Kapitulnik-Geballe-Beasley research team. (Image source: provided by Ted Geballe)

Soon after, the three formed the Kapitulnik-Geballe-Beasley group, focusing on superconductivity. Kapitulnik explained that when IBM’s Alex Müller and Georg Bednorz discovered the high-temperature superconductivity of copper oxide compounds in 1986—a discovery that earned them the Nobel Prize the following year—Geballe was the first to recognize its importance. One of the people. "His natural leadership skills and his deep knowledge in solid state chemistry helped our Kapitulnik-Geballe-Beasley team become a world leader in this field."

"Ted helped create the field of materials physics and made it the center and contemporary subfield of all physics," Beasley said. "Being a pioneer is not an easy path. Ted Geballe has walked this path."

At Stanford University, Geballe's influence went beyond his discoveries, benefiting many Stanford faculty, staff and students. In 1990, Geballe and his wife Frances “Sissy” Koshland Geballe established the Theodore and Frances Geballe Professorship. Over the years, they have given generously to support H&S, Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Humanities Center, Stanford Science Researcher Program and other areas around the campus faculty, staff, students and projects.

"He is known for his many contributions to physics and is appreciated (mainly anonymous) for his charitable activities," said Steven Kivelson, a Prabhu Goel family professor and professor of physics at H&S.

Pamela Davis Kivelson (Pamela Davis Kivelson) Geballe canvas oil painting, hung in the Geballe Advanced Materials Laboratory. (Image source: Pamela Davis Kivelson provided)

In 2000, Stanford University's new interdisciplinary laboratory for advanced materials was named Theodore H. Geballe Advanced Materials Laboratory (GLAM) in honor of him.

Geballe was born in San Francisco on January 20, 1920 to the talented amateur pianist Alice Glaser and lawyer Oscar Geballe. At the age of 17, Geballe met Sissy and began studying for an undergraduate in the laboratory of William Giauque, a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.

Geballe's first task was to measure the heat capacity of gold—that is, how much heat is needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of gold by 1 degree Celsius.

"I turned gold into a single crystal," Geballe explained in his memoir. "I have automated the rig so that I can go home on the weekend because I have a date and want to borrow my parents' car. On Friday afternoon, I set off for San Francisco and left the gold on the concrete floor in the center of the open laboratory... …When I came back on Monday morning, I found a solidified single crystal."

Geballe received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1941. In the same year, he was called up to participate in World War II, which prompted Geballe and Sissy to get married quickly in the living room of Koshlands.

Geballe served as a captain of the U.S. Army's Department of Ordnance until 1945, where he kept guns during tours in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. After Geballe was discharged, he was at a crossroads.

"I feel that my life is far behind. I have to decide whether to go back to school," Geballe wrote in his memoir. Giauque offered Geballe a graduate position in his laboratory, but Geballe was not sure he had been away from science for many years. Cici encouraged him to do it.

Geballe's bet paid off. In 1949, their research on the thermodynamics of matter at extremely low temperatures earned Giauque the Nobel Prize, and Geballe received his Ph.D.

In 1952, Geballe moved to Bell Labs. Two years later, Geballe and his colleague Bernd Matthias discovered superconductivity in niobium 3 tin (Nb3Sn) at 18.3K (-427.27 degrees Fahrenheit). In the end, Nb3Sn replaced the niobium-titanium (Nb-Ti) alloy and became the leading superconducting material in high (magnetic field) applications and was used in MRI machines. It is also used in the Large Hadron Collider and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project that aims to replicate the process of solar fusion.

Their discovery won them the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Award (1970) from the American Physical Society in recognition of their “challenging theoretical understanding and pioneering experiments in high-field superconductor technology”.

Geballe has won numerous awards, including the Von Hippel Award for his superconductor research in 1991. Geballe has written and co-authored hundreds of scientific papers, and co-authored "Progress in Solid State Physics: The Long-Range Order of Solids" (Academic Press, 1979) with Robert White.

At Stanford University, Geballe held the position of Professor of Applied Physics at Theodore and Sydney Rosenberg (1968-90). He was appointed as a Guggenheim Fellow (1975) and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Chemical Society.

During Geballe's decades of teaching at Stanford University, he has provided advice to more than 30 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

"Ted is the best graduate mentor I can have," said Francis Herman, who received a PhD in applied physics (1985) and is a professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Even when I questioned whether science is really my future, he supported me, for example when I briefly decided that becoming a scuba diving instructor might be my way," Herman said, adding that Geballe was gentle Replied, "But isn't it, hurricane season?"

"I found my way into science, not because he told me which way to go, but because he cleared the way for me and trusted me," Herman said.

"Ted directly taught me the art of good materials science," said Jonathan Sun, who received a PhD in applied physics (1989). "Ted will always be the inspiration for my great achievement. I will really miss him."

After Geballe retired from Stanford University in 1990, he returned many times to advise students and teach a course he is particularly proud of-a freshman seminar with John Fox, entitled "21st Century Energy options".

In his 2013 article "Why I Haven't Retired", Geballe wrote: "One of the most valuable parts of doing research at university are students. They are fresh, enthusiastic, and willing to accept new ideas, and believe that textbooks and professors know it. All this. Then they started to think for themselves, and I started to learn from them."

"Ted is the best consultant you can have," said Daniel Worledge, Geballe's last graduate student, who received his PhD in 2000. Get out of the laboratory. Ted told me the next day,'Daniel, if you set fire to the laboratory from time to time, you are not working hard enough. '"

Six of his children survived: Gordon Theodore Geballe, Alison Frances Geballe, Adam Philip Geballe, Monica Geballe, Jennifer Geballe Norman and Ernest Henry Geballe. He has 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, as well as many close relatives, nieces and nephews. A private memorial service was held on October 26. You can share Ted Geballe's memories and photos on the GLAM website.

Holly Alyssa MacCormick, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University: hollymac@stanford.edu

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