|
|  |
Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > Faculty Experts at Washington University in St. Louis >

Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences
Expertise: noble gases, mass spectrometer, meteorites, noble gas mass spectrometry
Bio: Hohenberg's area of specialization focuses on noble gases, and he has established a laboratory at Washington University for that purpose. He developed a new type of mass spectrometer that defines the state of the art noble gas mass spectrometry. Combining nearly perfect ion optics with the ultimate sensitivity afforded by ion-counting detection and the unique chemical properties of noble gases resulted in an instrument that can measure samples containing as few as several thousand noble gas atoms. Focused laser heating allows the noble gases contained in individual micron-sized mineral grains to be routinely studied.
WUSTL Contact Information:
| Work: | (314) 935-6266 |
| Fax: | (314) 935-4083 |
|
|
Education:
-
Ph.D. in Physics at University of California at Berkeley
-
B.A. in Physics at Princeton University

| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing 1 Stories.
|
 |
Here comes the sun
 Washington University scientists analyze solar wind samples from Genesis mission

Oct. 29,
2007 --
As reservoirs of valuable information go, nothing beats the sun. This sphere of heat and energy holds 99.9 percent of the solar system, saved in all original proportions after planets and meteorites formed. Analyzing the mix of hydrogen, oxygen and noble gases found in the sun can answer one of the biggest questions of the universe: How did our solar system evolve? Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and a large team of colleagues marked the beginnings of that odyssey by examining samples of solar wind for neon and argon, two abundant noble gases. The work was published in the Oct. 19, 2007, issue of Science.

|
Showing 1 Stories.
|
 |
| Clips: |
Showing 1 Clips.
|
 |
NASA sends first Genesis early-science sample to researchers
PhysOrg.com (Virginia), Spaceflight Now (Florida)
and 7 others

Jan. 28,
2005 -- NASA scientists have sent to academic researchers an unprecedented piece of the sun gathered by the Genesis spacecraft, enabling the start of studies to achieve the mission's initial science objectives.
A piece of polished aluminum collector was sent to WUSTL researchers Charles Hohenberg and Alex Meshik. They will study the sample to try to determine detailed information about the gases that make up the sun.
The WUSTL study is the first of two scientific objectives that make up the initial research program planned for Genesis. The other early science objective involves studies of nitrogen from samples.

|
Additional Background: He joined Washington University in 1970 as an assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 1978. He is the recipient of many awards, including several from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and has authored hundreds of articles in scholarly journals and in conference proceedings. Throughout his career, Hohenberg has been active in national and international organizations and has served on a number of federal organizations to advise on scientific policies.
|
|  |
|