PHYSICIST
Luis Walter Alvarez
1911 - 1988
Luis Walter Alvarez
Luis Walter Alvarez (June 13, 1911 – September 1, 1988) was an American experimental physicist, inventor, and professor who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1968 for his discovery of resonance states in particle physics using the hydrogen bubble chamber. In 2007 the American Journal of Physics commented, "Luis Alvarez was one of the most brilliant and productive experimental physicists of the twentieth century." After receiving his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1936, Alvarez went to work for Ernest Lawrence at the Radiation Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. Alvarez devised a set of experiments to observe K-electron capture in radioactive nuclei, predicted by the beta decay theory but never before observed. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Luis Walter Alvarez has received more than 1,293,898 page views. His biography is available in 73 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 67 in 2019). Luis Walter Alvarez is the 327th most popular physicist (up from 354th in 2019), the 1,746th most popular biography from United States (up from 2,337th in 2019) and the 68th most popular American Physicist.
Memorability Metrics
1.3M
Page Views (PV)
58.94
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
73
Languages Editions (L)
2.63
Effective Languages (L*)
6.85
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among PHYSICISTS
Among physicists, Luis Walter Alvarez ranks 327 out of 851. Before him are Kenneth G. Wilson, Henri Pitot, Samuel C. C. Ting, Thomas Johann Seebeck, Bruno Pontecorvo, and John B. Goodenough. After him are Daniel C. Tsui, Félix Savart, Joseph Swan, Pierre Louis Dulong, Ami Argand, and Donna Strickland.
Most Popular Physicists in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsKenneth G. Wilson
1936 - 2013
HPI: 59.50
Rank: 321
Henri Pitot
1695 - 1771
HPI: 59.44
Rank: 322
Samuel C. C. Ting
1936 - Present
HPI: 59.43
Rank: 323
Thomas Johann Seebeck
1770 - 1831
HPI: 59.38
Rank: 324
Bruno Pontecorvo
1913 - 1993
HPI: 59.33
Rank: 325
John B. Goodenough
1922 - 2023
HPI: 59.13
Rank: 326
Luis Walter Alvarez
1911 - 1988
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 327
Daniel C. Tsui
1939 - Present
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 328
Félix Savart
1791 - 1841
HPI: 58.91
Rank: 329
Joseph Swan
1828 - 1914
HPI: 58.85
Rank: 330
Pierre Louis Dulong
1785 - 1838
HPI: 58.84
Rank: 331
Ami Argand
1750 - 1803
HPI: 58.82
Rank: 332
Donna Strickland
1959 - Present
HPI: 58.80
Rank: 333
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1911, Luis Walter Alvarez ranks 72. Before him are Lina Heydrich, Karl Silberbauer, Alfonso García Robles, Feodor Lynen, Lee J. Cobb, and Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza. After him are Jussi Björling, William Stuart-Houston, George Stigler, Maria Reiter, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, and Roberto Matta. Among people deceased in 1988, Luis Walter Alvarez ranks 46. Before him are Willem Drees, Chico Mendes, Muzafer Sherif, Trường Chinh, Khalil al-Wazir, and Paul Grice. After him are Yevgeny Mravinsky, Renato Salvatori, Karl August Wittfogel, René Char, Bacha Khan, and Isamu Noguchi.
Others Born in 1911
Go to all RankingsLina Heydrich
WRITER
1911 - 1985
HPI: 59.70
Rank: 66
Karl Silberbauer
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1911 - 1972
HPI: 59.62
Rank: 67
Alfonso García Robles
DIPLOMAT
1911 - 1991
HPI: 59.59
Rank: 68
Feodor Lynen
CHEMIST
1911 - 1979
HPI: 59.49
Rank: 69
Lee J. Cobb
ACTOR
1911 - 1976
HPI: 59.37
Rank: 70
Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza
WRITER
1911 - 2003
HPI: 59.03
Rank: 71
Luis Walter Alvarez
PHYSICIST
1911 - 1988
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 72
Jussi Björling
SINGER
1911 - 1960
HPI: 58.93
Rank: 73
William Stuart-Houston
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1911 - 1987
HPI: 58.92
Rank: 74
George Stigler
ECONOMIST
1911 - 1991
HPI: 58.80
Rank: 75
Maria Reiter
PAINTER
1911 - 1992
HPI: 58.66
Rank: 76
Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1911 - 1986
HPI: 58.21
Rank: 77
Roberto Matta
PAINTER
1911 - 2002
HPI: 58.20
Rank: 78
Others Deceased in 1988
Go to all RankingsWillem Drees
POLITICIAN
1886 - 1988
HPI: 59.70
Rank: 40
Chico Mendes
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1944 - 1988
HPI: 59.59
Rank: 41
Muzafer Sherif
PSYCHOLOGIST
1906 - 1988
HPI: 59.43
Rank: 42
Trường Chinh
POLITICIAN
1907 - 1988
HPI: 59.09
Rank: 43
Khalil al-Wazir
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1935 - 1988
HPI: 58.99
Rank: 44
Paul Grice
PHILOSOPHER
1913 - 1988
HPI: 58.95
Rank: 45
Luis Walter Alvarez
PHYSICIST
1911 - 1988
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 46
Yevgeny Mravinsky
POLITICIAN
1903 - 1988
HPI: 58.87
Rank: 47
Renato Salvatori
ACTOR
1933 - 1988
HPI: 58.83
Rank: 48
Karl August Wittfogel
POLITICIAN
1896 - 1988
HPI: 58.69
Rank: 49
René Char
WRITER
1907 - 1988
HPI: 58.60
Rank: 50
Bacha Khan
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1890 - 1988
HPI: 58.46
Rank: 51
Isamu Noguchi
SCULPTOR
1904 - 1988
HPI: 58.45
Rank: 52
In United States
Among people born in United States, Luis Walter Alvarez ranks 1,746 out of 20,380. Before him are Ving Rhames (1959), Sol LeWitt (1928), Henry Ford II (1917), John Fogerty (1945), Barbara Bel Geddes (1922), and Martin Rodbell (1925). After him are Stephen Lang (1952), Aaron Copland (1900), George Gaylord Simpson (1902), Margaret Keane (1927), Robert Moog (1934), and Emilio Estevez (1962).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsVing Rhames
ACTOR
1959 - Present
HPI: 58.97
Rank: 1,740
Sol LeWitt
PAINTER
1928 - 2007
HPI: 58.97
Rank: 1,741
Henry Ford II
BUSINESSPERSON
1917 - 1987
HPI: 58.97
Rank: 1,742
John Fogerty
SINGER
1945 - Present
HPI: 58.97
Rank: 1,743
Barbara Bel Geddes
ACTOR
1922 - 2005
HPI: 58.95
Rank: 1,744
Martin Rodbell
CHEMIST
1925 - 1998
HPI: 58.95
Rank: 1,745
Luis Walter Alvarez
PHYSICIST
1911 - 1988
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 1,746
Stephen Lang
ACTOR
1952 - Present
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 1,747
Aaron Copland
COMPOSER
1900 - 1990
HPI: 58.91
Rank: 1,748
George Gaylord Simpson
ARCHAEOLOGIST
1902 - 1984
HPI: 58.91
Rank: 1,749
Margaret Keane
PAINTER
1927 - 2022
HPI: 58.90
Rank: 1,750
Robert Moog
INVENTOR
1934 - 2005
HPI: 58.89
Rank: 1,751
Emilio Estevez
ACTOR
1962 - Present
HPI: 58.89
Rank: 1,752
Among PHYSICISTS In United States
Among physicists born in United States, Luis Walter Alvarez ranks 68. Before him are David Gross (1941), John Robert Schrieffer (1931), Robert B. Laughlin (1950), John C. Mather (1946), Kenneth G. Wilson (1936), and Samuel C. C. Ting (1936). After him are Frank Wilczek (1951), Frank Oppenheimer (1912), Philip Abelson (1913), Walter A. Shewhart (1891), Carl Wieman (1951), and John Mauchly (1907).
David Gross
1941 - Present
HPI: 60.10
Rank: 62
John Robert Schrieffer
1931 - 2019
HPI: 59.64
Rank: 63
Robert B. Laughlin
1950 - Present
HPI: 59.55
Rank: 64
John C. Mather
1946 - Present
HPI: 59.50
Rank: 65
Kenneth G. Wilson
1936 - 2013
HPI: 59.50
Rank: 66
Samuel C. C. Ting
1936 - Present
HPI: 59.43
Rank: 67
Luis Walter Alvarez
1911 - 1988
HPI: 58.94
Rank: 68
Frank Wilczek
1951 - Present
HPI: 58.75
Rank: 69
Frank Oppenheimer
1912 - 1985
HPI: 58.72
Rank: 70
Philip Abelson
1913 - 2004
HPI: 58.62
Rank: 71
Walter A. Shewhart
1891 - 1967
HPI: 58.32
Rank: 72
Carl Wieman
1951 - Present
HPI: 57.04
Rank: 73
John Mauchly
1907 - 1980
HPI: 56.93
Rank: 74