Who discovered positron annihilation?
History and Philosophy of Physics
2022-01-19 v3
Abstract
In the early 1930s, the positron, pair production, and, at last, positron annihilation were discovered. Over the years, several scientists - commonly, Thibaud and Joliot - have been credited with the discovery of the annihilation radiation. A conversation between Werner Heisenberg and Theodor Heiting prompted me to examine relevant publications, when these were submitted and published, and how experimental results were interpreted in the relevant articles. I argue that it was Theodor Heiting - usually not mentioned at all in relevant publications - who discovered positron annihilation, and that he should receive proper credit.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1809.04815,
title = {Who discovered positron annihilation?},
author = {Tim Dunker},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1809.04815},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
Submitted to European Physical Journal H