Education
After his Abitur in The Hague, Gorter studied physics in Leiden, earning his Doctor of Philosophy with the thesis Paramagnetische Eigenschaften von Salzen ("Paramagnetic Properties of Salts") under Wander de Haas.
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Cornelis Jacobus
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Career
Among other work, he discovered paramagnetic relaxation and was a pioneer in low temperature physics. From 1931 to 1936 he worked at Teylers Stichting in Haarlem and from 1936 to 1940 at the University of Groningen, before he became a professor at the University of Amsterdam as successor to Pieter Zeeman. In 1946, succeeding West. H. Keesom, he returned to Leiden as a professor
In 1948, as successor to De Haas, Gorter directed the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, remaining there until his retirement in 1973.
He died in Leiden in 1980, after suffering for several years from Alzheimer"s disease. His doctoral students include Nicolaas Bloembergen and Bert Broer.
Achievements
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Membership of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1946. Fritz London Award in 1966 for his various contributions to the physics of low temperatures. His acceptance speech discusses the discoveries he missed. In the autumn of 2007, the C. J. Gorter Center for High-field Medical Research Institute was opened in Leiden.
Membership
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
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Born
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Died
March 30, 1980 (aged 72)