On the life and work of Rolf Widerøe - A reading recommendation

What do particle physics, medicine and materials research have in common? This question, which seems strange at first, can be answered quite simply: All three disciplines benefit from particle accelerators. Only the focus is a little different. While in particle physics accelerators are used to study matter and its composition, in medicine they help in fighting cancer. In materials science, on the other hand, they are used to test materials. Although particle accelerators are naturally adapted to their fields of application, they always have one and the same basis - the inventor of accelerator technology, Dr. Rolf Widerøe.

Born at the beginning of the 20th century, Rolf Widerøe dedicated his life to his dream of developing and building a particle accelerator. The recently published book "Obsessed by a Dream" tells precisely about this life. In her work, author Aashild Sørheim incorporates a wealth of information about the Norwegian scientist and engineer, including material from previously closed archives. For her research, she was also able to draw on the knowledge of professors at RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. Among them are Prof. Andreas Lehrach, Nuclear Physics Institute, Large Scale Nuclear Physics Equipment of Forschungszentrum Jülich and Prof. Achim Stahl, III Institute of Physics B of RWTH Aachen University, two scientists of the JARA section FAME. Based on the information of the numerous experts and documents, Sørheim traces Widerøe's career, thus honoring his outstanding achievements in a way that is worth reading.

The book "Obsessed by a Dream" is available as OpenAccess. The Norwegian original has been translated into both English and German. Both versions can be downloaded from the Springer Verlag website.
"Obsessed by a Dream" https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/2F978-3-030-26338-6
"Von einem Traum getrieben" https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-63286-4