Obituary: Professor Peter Landsberg, theoretical physicist

Prof Peter Landsberg, Theoretical physicist. Born: 8 August, 1922 in Berlin, Germany. Died: 14 February, 2010, in Southampton, aged 87.

WITH the notable exceptions of Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose, it is rare for those at the cutting-edge of theoretical physics to achieve any kind of fame or celebrity. The medium of television has propelled physicists such as Brian Cox into the public arena, but generally those men and women who so passionately pursue the truth about how our world, galaxy and universe work remain unknown to those outside their own field. Professor Peter Landsberg was a member of that band of exceptionally intelligent and forward-thinking scientists.

Born in Berlin on 8 August, 1922, Peter Theodore Landsberg was the son of a Jewish couple at a time when being Jewish in Germany was not yet a problem. His parents were well-educated and they had high hopes for their son, who had shown significant academic prowess. His father died when Landsberg was young, but despite this his childhood was an enjoyable one, until 1939. In January of that year, he left Nazi-controlled Germany and made his way to Britain to stay with his brother Rolf. Their mother headed for Brazil and it would be 15 years before Landsberg would see her again.

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Once in the UK, Landsberg set about gaining a degree in physics from London University. Understandably, at a time when everyone was under scrutiny, not least a German Jew from Berlin, Landsberg was greeted with apprehension when he arrived in the UK and deemed a potential security risk. He was subsequently punted over to the Isle of Man, a move that caused significant disruption to his studying. This inconvenience was not helped by desperate poverty.

During the war most suffered in some way and Landsberg was no different in having to decide what was more urgent: new shoes or new bicycle tyres.

By the time the war ended, life for Landsberg began to improve. He had gained his external degree and followed it up with a Master of Science (MSc) in 1946 and just three years later he gained his PhD – researching the foundations of quantum mechanics – from Imperial College London.

His work ethic, passion for his subject and refusal to be so painfully poor again meant that his PhD was not only gained in three years, but also achieved while he held down a full-time job researching the theory of semiconductors at the AEI Research Laboratories, Aldermaston Court.

As his career progressed, so did his home life when he married Sylvia Barkley in 1955, with whom he had two sons and a daughter.

Landsberg showed himself to be a chameleon of the scientific world, able to research numerous topics in numerous fields. It was this talent that led to his appointment at the tender age of 37 as Professor of Applied Mathematics at University College Cardiff in 1959. After nine years in the role, he was then promoted to the post of deputy principal, a position that he held from 1968 to 1971.

In 1972, he took up his last official post, at the University of Southampton, when he was appointed head of Applied Mathematics at the Hampshire university, eventually retiring from his post in 1987. Retirement for many of the most driven people means quite the opposite, and that held true for Landsberg.

In effect, his professional career lasted almost 60 years and he continued to publish articles on subjects as diverse as theoretical physics to that of practical electronics. His final paper was published in 2006, shortly before his 84th birthday.

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Landsberg was not solely interested in one branch of physics, he was interested in physics in general and this boyish enthusiasm took his research to all areas of theoretical work.

Following his PhD research on quantum mechanics was the study of that long foreseen but seemingly out-of-reach grail, "Bose condensation", in 1954.

The theory of the Bose condensation is that quantum particles perform like a single particle when their environment has a temperature just above absolute zero. This was finally observed in 1995, nearly 40 years after Landsberg had taken up its study. It was partly this elaborate process that fuelled Landsberg's passion for science.

Another great interest of his was the role of human beings and the potential links between quantum mechanics and life itself.

Landsberg also made the observation that if plants can convert sunlight in to energy using photosynthesis, then people should be able to do similar.

In his research, Landsberg showed theoretical limits on how much solar energy can be converted in to electricity, by using the same principles that are used when working out the amount of energy necessary to lower the temperature in a fridge by a specific amount.

It turned out to be Landsberg's lasting legacy in his field as the term is referred to as "Landsberg efficiency".

His views on the possible connection between free will and the quantum world were more comprehensively covered by the esteemed mathematician Roger Penrose in his 1989 book The Emperor's New Mind, with Penrose coming to a similar conclusion.

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Landsberg continued to work in various arena's in the physics world, including cosmology, thermodynamics, the applications of quantum phenomena, solar energy and much more.

His work was broad-ranging and highly respected. This was recognised by his election to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1971.

He also served on the council of the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Mathematics and it Applications.

During his extraordinary and prolific career, Landsberg published a total of 417 scientific papers, almost a third of which were contrived after his "retirement".

To add to this list he was the author or editor of some 11 books, many straightforward scientific text books although in 1999 he penned Seeking Ultimates, a look in to the lives of some of the greatest of the modern theoretical physicists.

His passions were not limited to science however, with tennis being a particular favourite, once even playing a veterans' event at Wimbledon. He had a well-founded reputation for refusing to grow old, for example not too many folk use a unicycle for transport, especially when well in to their retirement.

He also hijacked a students' go-karting trip – providing the much younger men with an unforgettable race – when he was well in to his seventies.

On 14 February, 2010, Peter Landsberg died peacefully at his home, he was 87.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia and his sons Max and Ken and daughter Olivia.