Technikatörténeti szemle 11. (1979)

TANULMÁNYOK - Vajda Pál: Creative Hungarians in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, technical sciences and industry. A selected bio-bibliography

lamp of this kind which has been patented. This lamp was the ancestor of the light emitting diodes used nowadays, e. g. in the output stages of computers. The research work of Szigeti materializes in many patents, granted both at home and abroad.

G. F. J. Garlick: Luminescent Materials, Oxford 1949. pp. 108—109., G. Destriau—

H. F. Ivey: Electroluminescence and Related Topics (= Proc. of the IRE. 1955. pp. 1911—1940.,), A. F. Gibson—P. Aigrain—R. E. Burgess: Progress in Semiconductors, London 1956. I. pp. 109., 132., 133., VPMS May 1958. p. 2., George Szigeti’s 70th Anniversary (= ATH 80/1974. pp. 1—8.)

SZIKLA, Géza (1882—1961). Mechanical engineer.

As a result of careful experiments Szikla elaborated a gas-free original system for boiler feeding (1923). This system solved completely the problem of corrosion-free boiler operation at a time when boiler pressure did not generally surpass 40 atm. Another significant invention of Szikla together with engineer Arthur Rozinek was the floating gasifier patented in 1940. The new theory of „combustion in three chambers” revealed the partial processes of combustion and rendered them available for computation. This had not previously been possible in the case of „single chamber combustion”.

Gumz, V.: Die Schwebefeuerung Bauart Szikla-Rozinek (= Die Wärme 1943. nr. 8—9.), Alton, Fr.: A nowel two-stage combustion process (= The Steam Boiler Yearbook and Manual 1944. pp. 543—546.), Kolbe, H.: Der wirtschaftliche Dampfkesselbetrieb, Halle/S/1949. pp. 79., 88.

SZILÁRD, Leo (1898—1964). Physicist.

Szilárd was „one of the most profundly original minds of this century” (Bernard T. Feld). In his dissertation (1922) he showed that the second law of thermodynamics not only covered the mean values of thermodynamics quantities, but also determined the form of the law governing the fluctuations around the mean values. In the twenties, during his Berlin period, Szilárd undertook experimental work in X-ray crystallography with Herman Mark. He also began to patent his long series of pioneering discoveries, including devices anticipating most modern nuclear particle accelerators. With Albert Einstein he patented an electromagnetic pump for liquid refrigerants that now serves as the basis for the circulation of liquid metal coolants in nuclear reactors. In the thirties in Oxford Szilárd’s led to the establishment of the Szilárd-Chalmers reaction and the discovery of the X-ray-induced emission of neutrons from beryllium. It was only after he came to the United States, in 1938, that he recognized that fission would be the key to the release of nuclear energy, and he immediately undertook experiments at Columbia University to demonstrate the release of neutrons in the fission process and to measure their number. With Fermi he organized the research there that eventually led to the first controlled nuclear chain reaction, on 2 Dezember 1942.

Rabinowitsch E.: Leo Szilárd 1898—1964. (= Bull, of Atomic Scientists Oct. 1964.), Esterer A. K.—Esterer L. A.: Prophet of the atomic-age: Leo Szilárd, New York 1972.

DSB, WHC, CH, ITS, CRW, DHS, ABE TIHANYI, Kálmán (1897—1947). Physicist.

In his Hungarian and — in 1928 — British and French patent applications he described the archetype of today’s television picture tube. The development of

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