Edward George Bowen

Edward George " Taffy" Bowen , CBE, FRS, were a British physicist who made major contributions to the development of the history of the Radar, and thus helped to gain the Bataille of England and the battles of the Atlantic.

Years of youth

Edward George Bowen was born the January 14th 1911 with Cockett, close to Swansea (Wales), of George Bowen and Ellen Ann, born Owen. His/her father was metallurgist in a white ironworks of Swansea.

Edward was very intelligent, and could thus receive a good teaching thanks to purses. As of its young age, it developed a great interest for the radio and the Cricket. It can thus enter in Swansea University College, where it learns physics and from the related subjects. It receives its diploma with Honors of First Class in 1930, and continuous with a research on x-rays and the structure of alloys, to receive the Control (MSc) in 1931.

It makes its doctorate under the direction of the Professor E.V. Appleton with the King' S College London. For its research, Bowen passes most of 1933 and 1934 to work on a researcher of direction to cathode tube at the radio research station of Slough. It is there that he is noticed by Robert Watson-Watt, which will lead it to play a big role in the history of the beginnings of the Radar. It is recruited by Watson-Watt in 1935.

The terrestrial radar

A commission on the scientific study of air defense had been established under the presidency of Henry Tizard. Before the first meeting of this commission at the beginning of 1935, the government asks Watson-Watt if an intense beam of radio waves, a death ray , could destroy a plane. Watson-Watt answers that a death ray is unfeasible, but suggests that the radio waves could be used to detect the enemy planes, rather than to destroy them.

After a positive demonstration of the reflection of the radio waves on a plane, in February 1935, the development of the radar continues, and a team of 5 people, whose Bowen, is assembled to Orfordness with the pretext of make research on the ionosphere. The work of Bowen is to mount a transmitter, and it quickly manages to make assemble the power peak of the impulse above 100 kw.

The first detection of a plane is made on June 17th, 1935 with 17 miles of distance (27 km). At the beginning of 1936, after much of improvements, the planes are detected with more than 100 miles (160 km). This causes work on a chain of radar tracking stations (Chain home) which covers at the beginning only the approaches of London. Consequently the team of Ofordness is increased, and of new buildings are acquired, the manor of Bawdsey, in March 1936.

Bowen, with its request, is charged to seek if a radar can be installed on a plane. The day when the group must make the demonstration of the new transmitter to the manor of Bawdsey, it fails. Nevertheless Bowen manages to save the day before Sir Hugh Dowding does not go back disillusioned to London. It gives him a demonstration impromptue of an experimental radar, built within the framework of its program of airborne radar, which detects a plane at a distance up to 50 miles (80 km) : by working all during the night, it has ressuscity the old transmitter of Orfordness for the demonstration. The government and RAF can continue the extension of the coastal stations.

The airborne radar

It is difficult to install a radar on a plane, because of the size and the weight of the equipment and the antenna. Moreover, the apparatus must function in an environment cold and full with vibrations. In the years which come, Bowen and its group attack the majority of the problems and solve them. For example, it solves the problem of the supply of power by using an alternator mû by the engine of the plane, and it encourages HERE to produce the first cables radio frequency with solid polyethylene insulation.

The improvements follow one another until September 1937, when Bowen gives a sensational and unforeseen demonstration radar by seeking the fleet of the North Sea by bad visibility, and by detecting three important boats. The group of airborne radar of Bowen has two objectives majeurs&thinsp now;: the detection of the boats and the interception of the planes. Bowen makes also short experiments in the field of application of the airborne radar for the detection of structures on the ground such as maritime cities or coasts, like support for navigation.

The second world war

With the declaration of war, the unit of Bowen is moved with St Athan. One of the first things that it fact is to try there to detect a submarine by radar. At this time, the Magnétron with cavity was improved by Sir John Randall and Harry Boot, which makes airborne radar a powerful tool. In December 1940, of the operational planes detect the submarines with more than 15 miles (24 km). This technology will have a major effect for the victory in the Bataille of the Atlantic, and will end up making possible the accumulation of the forces by sea to the unloading of Normandy.

The developments continue for the air interception, and a radar with a narrow revolving beam and a machine-position indicator in the plan is developed and used by the RAF to direct hunting in October 1940. Primitive versions of the airborne radar are assembled on Bristol Blenheim, but they have limited ranges minimal and maximum. However, with the hands of experienced crews, the later versions of 1941 are remarkably effective, and for the hard raids of 1941, the hunters equipped with radars are the principal weapon of air defense of night. In May 1941, more than 100 enemy planes are destroyed the night with the radar, to compare with the 30 destroyed by the batteries of DCA.

In 1941, the coastal Command of the RAF uses for the anti-submarine patrols approximately 110 planes provided with radars. This increases the detection of the submarines of day like night. However, very few of these attacks lead to a destruction, until the introduction to semi-1942 of powerful projectors (22 Mcd), of 61 cm of diameter (), which light the submarine. The result is that the submarines must then reload their batteries the day, to be able at least to see arriving the planes. The radar and Leigh light decrease considerably the losses in boats of the Allies.

Centimetric radars as H2S increase much the precision of the allied bombers used in the strategic bombardment campaign. The centimetric radars of fire control system are much more precise than those of older technology. They return the large more dangerous combat ships combined and the new rockets of proximity return also the guns of air defense much more dangerous for the planes which attack. It is estimated that the anti-aircraft batteries located along the corridors of flight of the German flying bombs V-1 destroyed many of these flying bombs before they reach their target.

The Tizard mission

Bowen goes to the United States with the Tizard mission in 1940, and helps to launch the formidable projections of the radar to microwaves as arms. Bowen returns visit to the various American laboratories and tells them its studies on the airborne radar and organizes demonstrations. It was able to carry one of the very first specimens of the magnetron with cavity. With a remarkable speed, the American soldiers assemble a special laboratory, Radiation Laboratory (= Laboratoire of the radiation) with the MIT for the development of the centimetric radar, and Bowen works closely with them on their program, writing the first specifications for the first system. The first airborne experimental radar of 10 American cm is tested with Bowen on board in March 1941, only 7 months after the arrival of the Tizard mission.

The Tizard mission had much success, and this, almost entirely because of the furnished information by Bowen. It helped to establish alliance between the United States and Great Britain more than one year before the Americans do not enter in war. The success of collaboration on the radar helped to assemble transportation routes which helped the other technology transfers towards the United States, such as the Reaction engine and the nuclear physics.

Australia

During the last months of 1943, Bowen seems at the end of its mission, because its work in the United States is virtually finished, and that the invasion of Europe by the Allies is imminent. Bowen is then invited in Australia, in the laboratory of radiological physics of the Organization of Scientific research and Industrielle of the Commonwealth (CSIRO). In May 1946, it is named head of the division of radiological physics. He addresses himself to the many public ones on the development of the radar, his military uses, and his potential peaceful applications to the civil aviation, sea transport and geodesy.

In addition with its developments on the radar, Bowen undertakes also two other activities of recherche : the acceleration pulsated of the elementary particles and aerial navigation, which results in the invention from the DME, which will be finally adopted per many civil aircrafts.

He encourages also the new science which is the Radioastronomie, and arrives at the construction of the radio telescope of 210 feet (64 m) with Parkes (News-Wales of the South) : during visits in the United States, it meets two of his influential colleagues during the second world war, Dr. Vannevar Bush, which became president of Carnegie Corporation, and Dr. Alfred Loomis, which is administrator of Carnegie Corporation and the Fondation Rockefeller. He persuades them into 1954 to finance a large radio telescope in Australia by a gift of 250 000 $. In return, Bowen helps to establish radioastronomy in the USA, by supporting Australian California Institute off Technology.

Bowen plays a key part in the design of the radio telescope of Parkes. With its inauguration in 1961, it dit : … the research of the truth is one of the noblest goals of humanity, and nothing adds any more to glory of the human race, or any more dignity to him but the need does not confer to bring back the vast complexity of the Universe to range of human comprehension.

The radio telescope of Parkes in good time makes its appearance for the American space program, and follows many space probes, including the missions Apollo. Later, Bowen plays a big role by guiding the phase of design of the anglo-Australian Observatoire optical, which will open in 1974.

Bowen was also at the origin of experiments of artificial rain in Australia in 1947, and will continue after its retirement in 1971.

Personal biographical details

At the university of Swansea, it meets his future wife, Enid Vesta Williams, of the locality close to Neath. They marry in 1938, and have three fils : Edward, David and John. Bowen did not cease liking the cricket, which he played regularly. He became also an enthusiastic sailor.

In December 1987, it undergoes an attack, and declined gradually. He died on August 12th, 1991 at 80 years.

External bond

Biographie supplements

Source

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