Page 58 - Neutrons for Sciences and Society

Neutrons for Science
on an article to which he hadn’t contributed, usually by offering his analysis of measurements. Before the war he performed experiments devised by himself together with theory; after the war he himself no longer performed the experiments he thought up. He shared his ethics on publication with Maier-Leibnitz. Today, unfortunately, many laboratory directors have an impressive list
of publications because they insist that all publications from the laboratory bear their signature even if they have not participated in the work. (His memoirs too were only published some twenty years after he had retired) The comparison between Maier- Leibnitz and Néel can be expanded. I mentioned their common interest in good food. If many colleagues of Maier-Leibnitz have enjoyed his cooking, I have never met anyone who has eaten Néel’s. The latter, in fact, never mixed his personal with his professional life. He always entertained colleagues at the CEA guest house. Both of them had a major influence on the work of their collaborators and knew how to transfer their knowledge. According to several witnesses it seems that both were fairly mediocre teachers at university.
Néel’s attitude towards theoretical physics is complex. He himself belonged to the endangered race of scientists who
were both practical experimenters and theorists. His theoretical contributions not only made use of classical physics, but he knew enough quantum mechanics to teach up to degree level. He strongly supported the creation of the Physics School at Les Houches at a site belonging to the Académie de Grenoble. Here, for the first time in France, twentieth century physics was to be taught at the highest levels. He himself criticised the University
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