Biography:Richard F. Post
Richard F. Post | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard Freeman Post November 14, 1918 Pomona, California |
| Died | April 7, 2015 (aged 96) Walnut Creek, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Pomona College (B.S.) Stanford University (Ph.D.) |
| Spouse(s) | Marylee Post |
| Children | 3; including Markie |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nuclear fusion, plasma physics, magnetic mirrors, magnetic levitation, magnetic bearing design, direct energy conversion |
| Institutions | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
Richard Freeman Post[1] (November 14, 1918 – April 7, 2015) was an American physicist notable for his work in nuclear fusion, plasma physics, magnetic mirrors, magnetic levitation, magnetic bearing design and direct energy conversion.[2]
Post was a winner of the James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics[3] and led the controlled thermonuclear research group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 23 years. He held a total of 34 patents in the fields of nuclear fusion, particle accelerators, and electronic and mechanical energy storage.[4]
Early life and education
Post was born in 1918 in Pomona, California, the son of Miriam (Colcord) and Freeman Post.[5][6] He received a BA in physics from Pomona College in 1940 and a PhD in physics from Stanford University in 1951. After his PhD, he was inspired to pursue fusion energy research by a college professor.[7]
Career
Post joined the staff at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as leader of the controlled thermonuclear research group until 1974.[5] During this time, he developed many of the concepts behind magnetic mirrors and direct energy conversion.[2] He worked with Marshall Rosenbluth to develop the stability of plasma inside mirror machines.[8] From 1974 to 1987 he was deputy associate director of the magnetic fusion energy program at LLNL. This was a heavily funded effort by the United States Department of Energy to build a succession of magnetic mirror machines, including the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF) and the Tandem Mirror Facility. After 1987, Post was senior scientist in the magnetic fusion energy program.[5] He has held advisory roles at NASA, the National Academy of Sciences and the United States Air Force .[5]
His notable work includes inductrack[9][10][11] and magnetically levitated flywheels.[12]
Personal life
Post and his wife Marylee (a poet) are the parents of actress Markie Post and her two brothers,[1] Steve and Rodney.[4] Although he retired in 1994, Post continued to work in his lab four days a week, up until the week of his death on April 7, 2015.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grant, James (3 March 1986). "Though She Plays a Lawyer on Night Court, Markie Post Can't Help Feeling Guilty". People 25 (9). http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20093069,00.html. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Post, Richard (September 1969). "Mirror Systems: Fuel Cycles, Loss Recovery, and Energy Recovery". BNES Nuclear Fusion Reactor Conference at Culham Laboratory.
- ↑ "1978 James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics Recipient: Richard F. Post". American Physical Society. http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Post&first_nm=Richard&year=1978. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Remembering Dick Post's life and career | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory". https://www.llnl.gov/news/remembering-dick-post%E2%80%99s-life-and-career.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Richard Post at Array of Contemporary American Physicists; accessed 6-28-2013
- ↑ Studer, Robert Paul (1962). "The Historical Volume and Reference Works, Los Angeles County". https://books.google.com/books?id=oIS-OkQPkjUC&q=Richard+Freeman+Post+1918.
- ↑ Post, Richard. "Thoughts on Fusion Energy Development", Fusion Power Associates Annual Meeting and Symposium - "Honoring Fusion Pioneers Richard F. Post and John H. Nuckolls", 3–4 December 2008
- ↑ Post, R. F.; Rosenbluth, M. N. (1966). "Electrostatic Instabilities in Finite Mirror-Confined Plasmas". Physics of Fluids 9 (4): 730. doi:10.1063/1.1761740. Bibcode: 1966PhFl....9..730P.
- ↑ Heller, Arnie. "A New Approach for Magnetically Levitating Trains — and Rockets". Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. http://www.llnl.gov/str/Post.html. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
- ↑ Post, Richard F. (January 2000). "MagLev: A New Approach". Scientific American. Archived from the original on March 9, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050309114627/http://www.skytran.net/press/sciam01.htm.
- ↑ Post, Richard F.. "The Inductrack Approach to Magnetic Levitation". http://www.askmar.com/Inductrack/2000-4%20Magnetic%20Levitation.pdf.
- ↑ Post, Richard F. (1 August 1993). The electromechanical battery: The new kid on the block. Office of Scientific and Technical Information, US Department of Energy. http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/10131858-hCtiMj/native/. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
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