Going for Cold: A Biography of a Great Physicist, Kurt Mendelssohn(Springer Biographies)

This short but revealing biography tells the story of Kurt Mendelssohn FRS, one of the founding figures in the field of cryogenics, from his beginnings in Berlin through his move to Oxford in the 1930s, and his groundbreaking work in low temperature and solid state physics. He set up the first helium liquefier in the United Kingdom, and did fundamental research that increased our understanding of superconductivity and superfluid helium. Dr. Mendelssohn's vision extended beyond his scientific and technical achievements; he saw the potential for growth of cryogenics in industry, visiting China, Japan and India to forge global collaborations, founded the leading scientific journal in the field and established a conference series which still runs to this day. He published two monographs which remain as classics in the field. This book explores the story behind the science, in particular his relationships with other key figures in the cryogenics field, most notably Nicholas Kurti at Oxford, and his work outside cryogenics, including his novel ideas on the engineering of the pyramids.

Table of Contents:
Introduction.- Acknowledgements.- 1 Foundations: Berlin 1906 – 1925.- 2 University: Berlin 1925 – 1931.- 3 Transitions: Breslau/Oxford 1931 -1933.- 4 All Things Super:  Oxford 1933 – 1939.- 5 War and Controversy: Oxford 1940 – 1945.- 6 Films and Other Studies: Oxford 1945 – 1980.- 7 Connections: 1945 – 1980.- 8 Travels: 1945 – 1980.- 9 Writings: 1945 – 1980.- 10 Pyramids.- Epilogue.- Bibliography.- References.- Appendix.

About the Author :
John Weisend is currently a Senior Scientist and Group Leader for Specialised Technical Services at The European Spallation Source. He received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he investigated engineering applications of He II. He has worked at the SSC Laboratory, the Centre D’Etudes Nucleaires Grenoble, the Deutsches Elecktronen-Synchrotron Laboratory (DESY), the Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), the National Science Foundation and Michigan State University  Dr. Weisend’s research interests include He II and large scale accelerator cryogenics. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cryogenic Society of America (CSA). He has led the CSA Short Course Program since 2001. He is Chief Technical Editor of Advances in Cryogenic Engineering. In addition to co-authoring more than 60 technical papers, Dr. Weisend is the co-author (with N. Filina) of Cryogenic Two-Phase Flow andthe editor of the Handbook of Cryogenic Engineering, Editor of Cryostat Design (Springer, 2016) and Cryogenic Safety (Springer, 2018).

Review :
“The book brings out several strands of value for the reader. … The book … gives valuable insight for non-scientists on the things that count in the life of a scientist. … The reviewer has no hesitation in commending it to anyone with an interest in science, particularly low temperature science, and science in Oxford.” (John Vandore, Cold Facts, Vol. 37 (4), 2021)