Rolf Widere

Rolf Widerøe (1902–1996) was a Norwegian accelerator physicist who made significant contributions to particle acceleration, including the development of the betatron and resonance accelerator concepts. Born in Oslo to Theodor Widerøe and Carla Launer, he was the brother of aviator Viggo Widerøe. After completing his education in Norway, Widerøe studied electrical engineering in Germany, where he conceived the betatron concept, using electromagnetic induction to accelerate electrons. His early work included unsuccessful attempts to build a betatron prototype but led to the development of a linear accelerator.

During World War II, Widerøe was forced to work on the German Betatron project in Hamburg after his brother Viggo was arrested for resistance activities. Despite facing penalties and loss of citizenship rights, he continued his research. After the war, he returned to Norway and focused on medical technology, particularly cancer treatment with megavolt radiation therapy. He also contributed to high-energy physics by collaborating with institutions like CERN, ETH Zurich, and DESY.

Widerøe authored over 180 scientific papers and filed more than 200 patents. Honored with numerous awards, including the Röntgen Medal and the Robert R. Wilson Prize, he was a member of prestigious scientific societies. His legacy is remembered through the European Physical Society's annual prize in his name for accelerator physics achievements.