Hans Wospakrik, also known as Hans Jacobus Wospakrik, is an Indonesian physicist who teaches theoretical physics at the Bandung Institute of Technology. Hans, a prominent scientist born on September 10, 1951, is renowned for his high level of dedication, particularly to his studies in theoretical physics.
Educational Background
Hans was born in Serui, Papua, the capital of the Yapen Archipelago. Unfortunately, there are not enough records that chronicle Hans’ early life and family history.
The introduction of the theory of relativity by Hans’ physics instructor at a Manokwari public high school first piqued his curiosity. The new information kept stoking the interest he had deep inside his mind.
Then, Hans got admitted to the Bandung Institute of Technology and declared his major to be Mining Engineering in 1971. However, he switched to the Physics department the following year since he had lost interest in his previous major.
Hans successfully finished his undergraduate studies in 1976. He moved to the Netherlands in the late 1970s to pursue postgraduate studies in theoretical physics, his preferred field.
While the length of his stay in the Netherlands is unknown, it is known that he attended Durham University in England in 1999. He enrolled in the university’s doctoral program in 2002.
As he pursued his doctoral studies, Hans worked on research projects with Martinus J. G. Veltman in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the early 1980s. Meanwhile, Veltman is a Dutch theoretical physicist and the winner of the Novel Prize in 1999.
Later, Atma Jaya University in Jakarta honored Hans with an award for being the greatest physicist in recognition of his commitment, perseverance, and high dedication to theoretical physics.
Some of Hans’s Most Notable Works
Hans had published quite a several influential writings in physics by the end of his life. Some of Hans’ most famous works include:
1. Louis de Broglie: The Last Quantum Pioneer (Indonesian: Louis de Broglie: Perintis Kuantum Terakhir) (1987)
This piece by Hans is about French physicist and Nobel Prize laureate Louis de Broglie. The “de Broglie wave” is a de Broglie theory that describes how a moving object might have wave features in addition to its particle nature.
2. Inhomogeneous Burgers Equation and the Feynman-Kac Path Integral (1998)
Hans worked on this project with Freddy Permana Zen, a fellow Bandung Institute of Technology lecturer and theoretical physics researcher. In this study, Hans and Freddy developed a Feynman-Kac integral formalism-based solution to the associated initial value problem of the linear heat type equation.
3. CPT Symmetries and the Backlund Transformations (1999)
Hans and Freddy conducted yet another study a year later. They demonstrated in the paper how the symmetries of some Exactly Solvable and Integrable Systems were related to their auto-Backlund transformations.
4. From Atomos to Quark (Indonesian: Dari Atomos Hingga Quark) (2005)
This book chronicles humanity’s historic hunt for the tiniest particles that make up the universe. It has roots in the theories put out by Greek philosophers who considered it the smallest component of every substance.
Also, it discusses the study of alchemy and the nuclear processes that teach people about atoms, protons, and neutrons. Additionally, it makes mention of current research on quarks, the smallest known form of matter.
Hans has also successfully published other essays in four of the top physics journals worldwide, in addition to the publications mentioned above. He consistently discusses field theory, particle physics, and Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity in his writings.
Hans’ End of Life
Due to leukemia, Hans passed away on January 11, 2005. Although he is no longer with us, his Bandung Institute of Technology students still remember him as a brilliant and kind man. Hans once remarked that you need both your head and your heart to comprehend physics.
The world is proud of Hans because of his tremendous contribution to the field of physics, which led to groundbreaking investigations. Furthermore, the great level of devotion Hans Jacobus Wospakrik showed to physics was a priceless contribution to science.