Main description:

This Open Access biography chronicles the life and achievements of the Norwegian engineer and physicist Rolf Wideroe. Readers who meet him in the pages of this book will wonder why he isn't better known.

The first of Wideroe's many pioneering contributions in the field of accelerator physics was the betatron, the second, the linear accelerator, both summarized in a 27 page PhD. The betatron revolutionized the fields of cancer treatment through radiation therapy and also nondestructive testing; hospitals worldwide installed Wideroe's machine and today's modern radiation treatment equipment is based on his inventions. The most recent renaissance of the linac provides unprecedented x-ray intensities at Free Electron Laser (FEL) facilities in operation and construction worldwide. .

Wideroe's story also includes a fair share of drama, particularly during World War II when both Germans and the Allies vied for his collaboration. Wideroe held leading positions in multinational industry groups and was one of the consultants for building the world's largest nuclear laboratory, CERN, in Switzerland. He gained over 200 patents, received several honorary doctorates and a number of international awards.

The author, a professional writer and maker of TV documentaries, has gained access to hitherto restricted archives in several countries, which provided a wealth of new material and insights, in particular in relation to the war years. She tells here a gripping and illuminating story.

Contents:

A Comfortable Home - Formative years 1902 - 1943.- The World Awaits - The new life in Switzerland 1946 - 1996.- The Dark Chapter - Working in Germany during the war.- Treason Case number 3418 - The papers in the National Archives.- But There Was More - The papers in the British and American Intelligence Archives.- Why? - The unanswered question of why he went to Germany.- Postscript: The Letter from his Brother.