Robert Herman

1914–1997 · Cosmology, Theoretical physics, Transport modeling

American physicist who, together with Ralph Alpher and George Gamow, predicted the existence of the cosmic microwave background radiation — the residual heat of the Big Bang. His work became a cornerstone of observational cosmology.

Biography

Graduated from City College of New York and Princeton. Worked at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the University of Chicago, and General Motors Research Laboratories. Collaborated with Gamow and Alpher on nucleosynthesis and cosmology.

Key discoveries

Prediction of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background (~5 K).
Calculations of cosmological nucleosynthesis.
Mathematical models of transport flows.

💡 In addition to physics, Herman studied road traffic flow and applied the laws of hydrodynamics to traffic jams.

"He recalled that when the cosmic microwave background was predicted, it was not taken seriously, but now it is the foundation of cosmology."

Concepts

Phase transition

Scientists

Steven Weinberg André-Marie Ampère Ilya Prigogine Lars Onsager Gustav Kirchhoff Rudolf Clausius Josiah Willard Gibbs Roy Kerr

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Robert Herman

Biography

Key discoveries

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