George Bacon (physicist)


George Edward Bacon MA ScD PhD FInstP was a British nuclear physicist, specializing in neutron diffraction.

Biography

The son of George H. Bacon and Lilian A. Bacon, of Derby, he was educated at Derby School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In 1945, he married Enid Trigg, and they had a son and a daughter.

Career

Bacon built the first neutron diffractometer in the UK at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, and then made the first experiments outside the United States in neutron diffraction, a means of studying the basic structures and dynamics of materials. He wrote scientific papers, textbooks and review articles on the use of neutron scattering. His work included a study of the neutron intensities diffracted by crystals, which led to studies of the basic structure of molecules and of magnetism. His book Neutron Diffraction was a standard text, beginning with the first edition in 1955.