Wednesday, 19 June, 2019

Obituary Prof. Johann Peisl

 

Johann Peisl at the CeNS Anniversary event on January 18, 2019.

On June 12, the Faculty of Physics lost its outstanding member Professor Johann Peisl, former Chair of Experimental Physics at LMU from 1974 until 2000, at the age of 85 years. With his research contributions in a broad spectrum of structural analysis of solid-state phases, defects and interfaces with X-ray and neutron radiation, he became an internationally recognized scientist in the field of condensed matter. Until his retirement, he was actively involved in experiments at various synchrotron sources. In doing so, he and his colleagues pushed the development of new scattering methods. This in turn led to a substantial number of appointments to leading professorships in Germany and abroad for his former doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers.

Also in teaching, Hans Peisl was committed passionately to the improvement of education in experimental physics. In addition, due to his engagement as dean of the Faculty in years of restructuring, before the turn of the millennium, the scientific spectrum of the Faculty was expanded constructively. By strengthening medical physics, applied biophysics, and nanophysics of complex solid-state and biological systems, he helped shaping new areas and substantially contributed to the foundation of the Center for Nanoscience (CeNS) which celebrated its 20th anniversary at the beginning of this year. In addition, he promoted the expansion of other areas of research and thus contributed significantly to today's - also in international comparison - outstanding reputation of the faculty.

After studying physics at the Technical University of Munich and obtaining his doctorate from Georg Joos, he was first appointed to professorships at the end of the 1960s at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Technical University of Munich (1971) before being appointed to the Röntgen Chair at LMU in 1974.

We will remember him as a very dedicated and valued colleague.

Prof. em. Jörg P. Kotthaus, Prof. Joachim Rädler, and Prof. em. Herbert Wagner

German version at the website of the Faculty of Physics