Robert Otto Pohl

Robert Otto Pohl (December 17, 1929 – August 30, 2024) was a German-American physicist, specialized in condensed matter physics topics such as amorphous solids, glass, thermal conductivity, and thin films, who was the Goldwin Smith Emeritus Professor of Physics at Cornell University. He developed the 3ω-method, widely used to measure thermal conductivities. He is also known for showing that thermal properties of glass are different from crystalline solids at low temperatures. His father was the physicist Robert Wichard Pohl,

Research Robert O. Pohl has done research on experimental investigations of glass and glassy materials, as well as heat transport and lattice transport behavior in crystalline solids and in amorphous solids, structure of glass, cryogenic techniques, and energy problems.

His doctoral students included Venkatesh Narayanamurti.

Springer published Robert Wichard Pohl's 3-volume edition of Einführung in die Physik (vol. 1, Mechanik und Akustik, 1930; vol. 2, Elektrizitätslehre, 1927; vol. 3, 1940, Optik) with many later editions and a 2-volume edition edited by Klaus Lüders and Robert O. Pohl (vol. 1, Mechanik, Akustik und Wärmelehre, 19th edition, 2004; vol. 2, 22nd edition, 2006). Robert O. Pohl added videos of demonstration experiments for the latest editions.

Pohl died in Göttingen, Germany on August 30, 2024, at the age of 94.

Pohl's opinions on nuclear waste disposal In addition to his main research interests, Robert O. Pohl was concerned about radioactive waste disposal and its effects on the environment and human health. During the Carter administration he served on a Presidential advisory committee on nuclear waste disposal.

In a 1982 article published in Physics Today, Pohl wrote:

Honors and awards In 1985 he received the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize for "his pioneering work on low energy excitations in amorphous materials and continued important contributions to the understanding of thermal transport in solids." It was considered the highest recognition in condensed matter physics. in 1984 a fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science and in 1999 a member of the National Academy of Sciences. For the academic year 1973–1974 he was a Guggenheim Fellow. In 1980 he received the Humboldt US Senior Scientist Award.