 Hans A. Bethe, who was the author of one volume and editor of another volume of the "World Scientific Series in 20th Century Physics" published by World Scientific, died on 6 March 2005. He was 98, among the last of the giants who inaugurated the nuclear age. His death was announced by Cornell University, where he worked and taught for 70 years. He died quietly at home.
His achievements include a Nobel Prize in Physics. In a 1938 paper, he gave an explanation on how the sun and similar stars fuse hydrogen into helium, releasing bursts of energy and ultimately light. This work helped establish his reputation as the father of nuclear astrophysics, and nearly 30 years later, earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967. Throughout his lifetime, he published more than 300 scientific and technical papers, many of them originally classified secret.
Even in his 90's, he made discoveries in the world of tiny particles described by quantum mechanics and the whorls of time and space envisioned by relativity theory, astonishing his colleagues with his continuing insight and vigor.
For nearly eight decades, Dr. Bethe worked in some of the most esoteric realms of physics and astrophysics, politics and armaments and in time emerged as the science community's liberal conscience.
Professor Bethe's publications with World Scientific include:
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