Bitter, Francis

Bitter, Francis

(1902–67) physicist; born in Weehawken, N.J. He taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1934–60), and was concurrently a commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves (1943–51). He made significant contributions to the fields of ferromagnetism, nuclear structure, and optics. During the 1930s he invented the Bitter electromagnet, a water-cooled solenoid that produced the first sustained powerful magnetic field.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.