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⚫ {{Short description|French crystallographer and neutron scientist (1913-2003)}}
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⚫ {{Short description|French scientist}}
{{Draft topics|biography|western-europe|politics-and-government|stem}}
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{{Infobox scientist {{Infobox scientist
| image = | image =
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| death_place = ], France | death_place = ], France
| nationality = French | nationality = French
| education = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| workplaces = ]<br>]
| doctoral_advisor = ] | doctoral_advisor = ]
| thesis_title = Etude aux rayons X des dimensions des domaines de Bragg dans les poudres polycristallines. Application à l'étude de la texture et structure de poudres de fer pyrophoriques et de leurs propriétés magnétiques
⚫ | known_for = ]<br>]
| thesis_url = https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/nrI50AEACAAJ?hl=en
| thesis_year = 1953
⚫ | known_for = magnetic crystallography<br>]<br>]
| awards = Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, Commandeur de l’Ordre national du mérite | awards = Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, Commandeur de l’Ordre national du mérite
}} }}
'''Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut''' (9 February 1913 – 6 November 2003), also known separately as '''Erwin Lewy''' and '''Félix Bertaut''', or '''E. F. Bertaut''', was a French scientist renowned internationally for his work in the fields of ] and ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=De Bergevin |first=F. |last2=Hodeau |first2=J. L. |last3=Schweizer |first3=J. |date=2004-04-01 |title=Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut (1913–2003) |url=https://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0021889804004376 |journal=Journal of Applied Crystallography |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=349–350 |doi=10.1107/S0021889804004376 |issn=0021-8898}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Férey |first=Gérard |last2=Hodeau |first2=Jean-Louis |date=2015-02-01 |title=The life and achievements of Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut (1913–2003) |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-8949/90/2/028001 |journal=Physica Scripta |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=028001 |doi=10.1088/0031-8949/90/2/028001 |issn=0031-8949}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CTHS - LEWY Erwin dit Félix BERTAUT |url=https://cths.fr/an/savant.php?id=111797 |website=cths.fr}}</ref> '''Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut''' (9 February 1913 – 6 November 2003), also known separately as '''Erwin Lewy''', '''Félix Bertaut''', and '''E. F. Bertaut''', or '''Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut''', was a German-born French materials scientist who led a former life as a law school student in ]. He was renowned internationally for his work in magnetic crystallography,<ref name=magrev>{{Cite journal |last=Perez-Mato |first=J.M. |last2=Gallego |first2=S.V. |last3=Tasci |first3=E.S. |last4=Elcoro |first4=L. |last5=de la Flor |first5=G. |last6=Aroyo |first6=M.I. |date=2015-07-01 |title=Symmetry-Based Computational Tools for Magnetic Crystallography |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-matsci-070214-021008 |journal=Annual Review of Materials Research |language=en |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=217–248 |doi=10.1146/annurev-matsci-070214-021008 |issn=1531-7331}}</ref> ], and ]. He was a research director at ], a member of the ] and played an important role in the creation of ], a leading neutron research facility in the world.<ref name=iucr>{{Cite journal |last=De Bergevin |first=F. |last2=Hodeau |first2=J. L. |last3=Schweizer |first3=J. |date=2004-04-01 |title=Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut (1913–2003) |url=https://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0021889804004376 |journal=Journal of Applied Crystallography |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=349–350 |doi=10.1107/S0021889804004376 |issn=0021-8898}}</ref><ref name=physcript>{{Cite journal |last=Férey |first=Gérard |last2=Hodeau |first2=Jean-Louis |date=2015-02-01 |title=The life and achievements of Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut (1913–2003) |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-8949/90/2/028001 |journal=Physica Scripta |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=028001 |doi=10.1088/0031-8949/90/2/028001 |issn=0031-8949}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CTHS - LEWY Erwin dit Félix BERTAUT |url=https://cths.fr/an/savant.php?id=111797 |website=cths.fr}}</ref>

As his family was Jewish, when the Nazis came to power he left Germany for France, becoming a French citizen in 1936 and starting a scientific career as a chemical engineer. At the start of the Second World War, he joined the French army and, following the defeat of 1940, his military commander gave him the papers of a deceased soldier and a new identity: Félix Bertaut. His family, whom he had brought to Bordeaux, were arrested and disappeared into the camps in Germany. He then went to Paris and Grenoble to work with ], where he learned about ] and ] and became a crystallographer and a physicist of magnetism. He also became a pioneer in ] and, with Louis Néel, played a leading role in the creation of the European research institute ] (Institut Laue-Langevin). He held positions of responsibility in the main international crystallography and physics organisations. He was a member of the French ].


== Biography == == Biography ==
Lewy-Bertaut was born with the name Erwin Lewy to Jewish parents in ] of ] (then in Germany). The year 1930 marked a significant shift as his mother passed away, prompting their entire family's relocation to ] amidst an era of economic turmoil and the ascent of Nazism. Following this, in 1931, Lewy embarked on his legal studies first at the ] and subsequently in ] (now ]). As Hitler's ascendancy to power unfurled in Germany, instituting a "]" that effectively precluded Jewish individuals from university access, Lewy-Bertaut left for ]. There, the Rothschild Foundation bestowed upon him a scholarship, facilitating his enrollment at the university. In Bordeaux, Lewy not only achieved a degree in chemical engineering but also secured degrees in physics and mathematics. Noteworthy among his instructors was the eventual Nobel laureate, ]<ref>Alfred Kastler, Nobel laureate for physics in 1994 “”.</ref>. To bolster his financial resources, Lewy undertook roles as a mathematics and German tutor. Among his pupils was the future ] ]. Lewy-Bertaut was born with the name Erwin Lewy to Jewish parents in ] of ] (then in Germany). The year 1930 marked a significant shift as his mother passed away, prompting their entire family's relocation to ] amidst an era of economic turmoil and the ascent of Nazism. Following this, in 1931, Lewy embarked on his legal studies first at the ] and subsequently in ] (now ]). As Hitler's ascendancy to power unfurled in Germany, instituting a "]" that effectively precluded Jewish individuals from university access, Lewy-Bertaut left for ]. There, the Rothschild Foundation awarded him a scholarship, facilitating his enrollment at the ], where Lewy-Bertaut studied chemical engineering, physics, and mathematics. After graduation, Lewy-Bertaut undertook roles as a mathematics and German tutor and acquired French citizenship in 1936. In 1938, Lewy-Bertaut worked as an engineer at Institut du pin and joined the French army as a ] near Bordeaux. At the onset of the conflict in 1940, Colonel Faure entrusted him with the military records of a missing soldier, Félix Bertaut, and he adopted this name permanently.<ref name=iucr></ref><ref name=hom>{{Cite journal |last=Sayetat |first=Françoise |date=2006 |title=Hommage à E.-F. Bertaut |url=http://www.refletsdelaphysique.fr/10.1051/refdp/200615504 |journal=Bulletin de la Société Française de Physique |issue=155 |pages=24–25 |doi=10.1051/refdp/200615504 |issn=0037-9360}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-11-13 |title=Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, cristallographe |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2003/11/13/erwin-felix-lewy-bertaut-cristallographe_341796_1819218.html |website=Le Monde |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=who></ref>


Lewy-Bertaut acquired French citizenship in 1936. In February 1939, fully aware of the peril of Nazism, he relocated his family to ], near Bordeaux and voluntarily join the French army. At the onset of the conflict in 1940, Colonel Faure entrusted him with the military records of a missing soldier, Félix Bertaut, and he adopted this name permanently. Lewy-Bertaut was later employed as a chemical engineer in the unoccupied region in ], where he focused on enhancing the durability of bicycle brakes crafted from agglomerated cork. To elude police inspections and evade mandatory labor service, he went to Paris, where he collaborated with Marcel Mathieu at the Central Laboratory for Powders (L.C.P.). Subsequently, he partnered with Emmanuel Grison, who tutored him in the utilization of the ]. Regrettably, a bicycle registration check by the police led to his summons to the Paris Prefecture. Adhering to Marcel Mathieu's counsel, he embarked on a train journey the next day, armed with a mission directive endorsed by the L.C.P.'s director, bound for Grenoble in the Italian-occupied zone. His purpose was to meet Louis Néel,<ref>Louis Néel, Nobel laureate for physics in 1970 “”.</ref> the future Nobel laureate, who was temporarily withdrawn from the ] and remained engrossed in magnetic research<ref>* {{cite journal |last1=Néel |first1=L. |year=1932 |title=Influence des fluctuations du champ moléculaire sur les propriétés magnétiques des corps |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02888373/file/anphys19321018p5.pdf |journal=Annales de Physique |volume=10 |issue=18 |pages=5–105 |bibcode=1932AnPh...10....5N |doi=10.1051/anphys/193210180005}} Lewy-Bertaut worked as a chemical engineer between 1941 and 1943 to enhance the durability of bicycle brakes crafted from agglomerated cork. To elude police inspections and evade mandatory labor service, he went to Paris, where he collaborated with Marcel Mathieu at the Laboratoire Central des Poudres.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marbach |first=Christian |date=2016-06-01 |title=Pour les sciences |url=http://journals.openedition.org/sabix/1660 |journal=Bulletin de la Sabix |issue=59 |pages=25–36 |doi=10.4000/sabix.1660 |issn=2114-2130}}</ref> Subsequently, he partnered with Emmanuel Grison, who tutored him in the utilization of the ]. Regrettably, a bicycle registration check by the police led to his summons to the Paris Prefecture. Lewy-Bertaut moved to Grenoble in the Italian-occupied zone to meet Louis Néel, who was temporarily withdrawn from the ] and has founded the ] (LEPM, now Institut Néel) in 1946, which was the first ] laboratory outside the Paris region. Lewy-Bertaut also took over Erwin Lewy's qualifications in 1946 and obtained a research grant from the ] under his wartime identity, "Félix Bertaut". Lewy-Bertaut eventually finished his thesis under Louis Néel in 1953 and ] was also an examiner. His thesis involves X-ray diffraction studies of powder granulometry, which later became known as the Bertaut-Warren-Averbach method.<ref name=hahn>{{Cite journal |last=Hahn |first=Theo |date=2004-04-01 |title=Félix Bertaut, space groups and the International Tables for Crystallography |url=https://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0021889804004443 |journal=Journal of Applied Crystallography |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=350–351 |doi=10.1107/S0021889804004443 |issn=0021-8898}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leoni |first=M. |date=2019 |title=The Warren–Averbach method and its variations |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/iucr/itc/Ha/ch3o6v0001/sec3o6o2o3/ |journal=urn:isbn:978-1-118-41628-0 |language=en |volume=H |pages=288–303 |doi=10.1107/97809553602060000951}}</ref> Immediately after his thesis, Lewy-Bertaut started establishing his group at the LEPM that formed the basis of the X-ray department to carry out research in ], along with Francis Forrat and Professor René Pauthenet, distinguished themselves with their work on garnet ferrites, from which the theory of antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism was built up.<ref name=hom></ref>
* {{cite journal |last1=Néel |first1=L. |year=1936 |title=Propriétés magnétiques de l'état métallique et énergie d'interaction entre atomes magnétiques |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02888365/file/N%C3%A9el%20-%201936%20-%20Propri%C3%A9t%C3%A9s%20magn%C3%A9tiques%20de%20l%27%C3%A9tat%20m%C3%A9tallique%20et%20%C3%A9ne.pdf |journal=Annales de Physique |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=232–279 |bibcode=1936AnPh...11..232N |doi=10.1051/anphys/193611050232}}</ref> that had originated in ]'s laboratory. After the war, Louis Néel founded the ] (now Institut Néel) in 1946, which was the first ] laboratory outside the Paris region. It included electrostatics under Noël Felici, very low temperatures under Louis Weil, magnetism under ], and X-ray diffraction under Lewy-Bertaut. Lewy-Bertaut also took over Erwin Lewy's qualifications in 1946 and obtained a research grant from the ] (CNRS) under his wartime identity, "Félix Bertaut".


In 1949, Lewy-Bertaut read a one-page publication<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shull |first1=C. G. |last2=Smart |first2=J. S. |year=1949 |title=Detection of Antiferromagnetism by Neutron Diffraction |journal=Physical Review |volume=76 |issue=8 |pages=1256–1257 |bibcode=1949PhRv...76.1256S |doi=10.1103/PhysRev.76.1256.2}}</ref> by ] and J. Samuel Smart, which recovered the magnetic structure of ] from ] and validated Louis Néel's work on ]. In 1953, Lewy-Bertaut secured a Fulbright grant to visit Raymond Pepinski's laboratory at ] and accessed the neutron diffraction facilities at the ], where he acquainted himself with neutron experiments under the guidance of Lester Corliss and Julius Hastings. Upon returning to Grenoble, Lewy-Bertaut was placed in charge of the development of the military facility Polygone d'Artillerie (now ]) into a neutron research center, which later became the ], an international research facility collaboratively funded by the French and German governmental agencies.<ref name=iucr></ref> Lewy-Bertaut was CNRS research director in 1956 and the scientific director of CNRS in 1961.<ref name=who>{{Cite web |title=Biographie de Erwin Lewy-bertaut pseudo.*: BERTAUT, Chercheur scientifique, Membre de l´Institut - Who's Who |url=https://www.whoswho.fr/biographie/erwin-lewy-bertaut-15912 |website=www.whoswho.fr |language=fr}}</ref>
In 1946, Lewy-Bertaut chose a new subject for his doctoral thesis: "X-ray studies of the dimensions of Bragg domains in polycrystalline powders. - Application to the study of the texture and structure of pyrophoric iron powders and their magnetic properties". In this thesis work, he first distinguished between the size of the grains themselves and their distribution. This knowledge of the grain size of iron powders was necessary for Louis Néel's magnetism studies, as Louis Weil had just succeeded in synthesising iron powders with small particles that are good materials for permanent magnets. Part of this thesis had an industrial outlet because these excellent iron-based magnets, produced by the local industry UGINE using waste from the buttons of the company ARaymond, were used in particular in bicycle dynamos.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hahn |first=Theo |date=2004-04-01 |title=Félix Bertaut, space groups and the International Tables for Crystallography |url=https://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0021889804004443 |journal=Journal of Applied Crystallography |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=350–351 |doi=10.1107/S0021889804004443 |issn=0021-8898}}</ref> Lewy-Bertaut submitted his thesis in 1949 with the great crystallographer ] as examiner. At the time, this work was a highly original application of X-ray diffraction, and this type of X-ray diffraction studies of powder granulometry has since developed considerably, but the method established by Bertaut and at the same time by Warren and Averbach<ref>
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1063/1.1699713 |title=The Effect of Cold-Work Distortion on X-Ray Patterns |year=1950 |last1=Warren |first1=B. E. |last2=Averbach |first2=B. L. |journal=Journal of Applied Physics |volume=21 |issue=6 |pages=595–599 |bibcode=1950JAP....21..595W }}
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1063/1.1702234 |title=The Separation of Cold-Work Distortion and Particle Size Broadening in X-Ray Patterns |year=1952 |last1=Warren |first1=B. E. |last2=Averbach |first2=B. L. |journal=Journal of Applied Physics |volume=23 |issue=4 |page=497 |bibcode=1952JAP....23Q.497W }}</ref>, known as the Bertaut-Warren-Averbach method, remains a classic and a cornerstone of this discipline. Immediately after his thesis, Lewy-Bertaut developed the group at the L.E.P.M. that formed the basis of the X-ray department to carry out research in ], a science that enables the atomic arrangements in solids to be determined using X-ray diffraction, with the aim of establishing the relationship between crystalline structure and magnetic properties. Next, Félix Bertaut and his group, along with Francis Forrat and Professor René Pauthenet, distinguished themselves with their work on garnet ferrites, from which the theory of antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism was built up. These garnets were the symbol of the joint work of L. Néel, F. Bertaut and R. Pauthenet: this is why E.F. Lewy-Bertaut had them engraved on his sword as an Academician. These ferrites are currently important materials for ] and ] (such as mobile phones).


== Research ==
Lewy-Bertaut was involved in several other aspects of crystallography. He solved the structure of complex compounds such as the non-stoichiometric pyrrhotite, Fe<sub>1-x</sub>S<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0365110X53001502 |title=Contribution à l'étude des structures lacunaires: La pyrrhotine |year=1953 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica |volume=6 |issue=6 |pages=557–561 |bibcode=1953AcCry...6..557B }}</ref>. He developed what is known as structure factor algebra<ref>
⚫ Lewy-Bertaut made an enormous contributions to magnetic and neutron crystallography, including the use of group theory in describing magnetic structures<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0567739468000306 |title=Representation analysis of magnetic structures |year=1968 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica Section A |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=217–231 |bibcode=1968AcCrA..24..217B }}</ref>. When the ] (IUCr) decided to finalize the volume on the symmetry of space groups in the International Tables of Crystallography, he was a member of the ad hoc committee and contributed in particular to the definition of magnetic groups<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S056773947100069X |title=Ordering scheme for general positions in ''International Tables'' |year=1971 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |last2=Wondratschek |first2=H. |journal=Acta Crystallographica Section A |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=298–300 |bibcode=1971AcCrA..27..298B }}</ref>. He used the symmetry of crystals to propose all possible magnetic structures. This "Bertaut method" was very useful for complex structures.<ref name=magrev></reF><ref>{{Cite web |title=A walk through of the maths behind Bertaut’s method of representational analysis of magnetic structures – Wills Group |url=http://fermat.chem.ucl.ac.uk/spaces/willsgroup/magnetic-structures/a-walk-through-of-the-maths-behind-bertauts-method-of-representational-analysis-of-magnetic-structures/ |website=fermat.chem.ucl.ac.uk}}</ref><ref name=hahn></ref> Lewy-Bertaut also developed what is known as structure factor algebra<ref name=iucr></ref> and solved the structure of complex compounds such as the non-stoichiometric ].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0365110X53001502 |title=Contribution à l'étude des structures lacunaires: La pyrrhotine |year=1953 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica |volume=6 |issue=6 |pages=557–561 |bibcode=1953AcCry...6..557B }}</ref>
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0365110X56002096 |title=Algèbre des facteurs de structure |year=1956 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica |volume=9 |issue=9 |pages=769–770 |bibcode=1956AcCry...9..769B }}
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0365110X57002169 |title=Structure factor algebra. II |year=1957 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |last2=Waser |first2=J. |journal=Acta Crystallographica |volume=10 |issue=9 |pages=606–607 |bibcode=1957AcCry..10..606B }}
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0365110X5900161X |title=IV. Algèbre des facteurs de structure |year=1959 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=541–549 |bibcode=1959AcCry..12..541B }}
*{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0365110X59001682 |title=V. Algèbre des facteurs de structure |year=1959 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica |volume=12 |issue=8 |pages=570–574 |bibcode=1959AcCry..12..570B }}
⚫ </ref>. He made an enormous contribution to neutron crystallography. He extended the use of group theory in crystallography, particularly for magnetic structures<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S0567739468000306 |title=Representation analysis of magnetic structures |year=1968 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |journal=Acta Crystallographica Section A |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=217–231 |bibcode=1968AcCrA..24..217B }}</ref>. When the ] (IUCr) decided to finalise the volume on the symmetry of space groups in the International Tables of Crystallography, he was a member of the ad hoc committee and contributed in particular to the definition of magnetic groups<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1107/S056773947100069X |title=Ordering scheme for general positions in ''International Tables'' |year=1971 |last1=Bertaut |first1=E. F. |last2=Wondratschek |first2=H. |journal=Acta Crystallographica Section A |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=298–300 |bibcode=1971AcCrA..27..298B }}</ref>. He used the symmetry of crystals to propose all possible magnetic structures. This "Bertaut method" was very useful for complex structures, and even more so before the availability of computers. Of course, his students had to apply this method anyway. At the same time, he did not forget his training as a chemist and, in 'his' two laboratories, chemical syntheses of new materials continually fed into crystallographic studies, mainly for a better understanding of magnetism. One of his merits is that he was able to maintain close contact between theory and experimental applications. Guiding its trajectory from 1971 to 1982 was E.F. Bertaut, who initially assumed the role of Maître de Recherche and later ascended to the position of Directeur de Recherches at the CNRS. In 2007, in conjunction with the Centre de Recherche sur les Très Basses Températures (CRTBT), the Laboratoire de Magnétisme, and the Laboratoire d'Etudes des propriétés Electroniques (LEPES), this laboratory focused on crystallography became an important component of the Institut Néel at the C.N.R.S. - U.G.A.


⚫ == Honors and distinctions ==
In 1949, Félix Bertaut's research encountered a transformative moment, triggered by a one-page publication<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shull |first1=C. G. |last2=Smart |first2=J. S. |year=1949 |title=Detection of Antiferromagnetism by Neutron Diffraction |journal=Physical Review |volume=76 |issue=8 |pages=1256–1257 |bibcode=1949PhRv...76.1256S |doi=10.1103/PhysRev.76.1256.2}}</ref> in "]" authored by two Americans: Shull (later a Nobel Prize laureate<ref>B.N. Brockhouse & C.G. Shull, Nobel laureate for physics in 1994 ""</ref> for this work) and Smart. Their work unveiled the inaugural magnetic structure derived from neutron diffraction, specifically in manganese oxide MnO. The notions proposed 15 years earlier by Louis Néel concerning antiferromagnetism underwent validation, as magnetic order could be observed on neutron diffraction images. Néel's fervor was palpable, fueling his aspiration to construct a neutron reactor in Grenoble. Félix Bertaut embarked on a 1951 journey to the United States to realize these ideas. After navigating prolonged procedures necessitated by ], he secured a Fulbright grant in 1953, allowing him to conduct research for a year in the U.S. Joining Ray Pepinski's laboratory at State College, Pennsylvania, Bertaut accessed the neutron diffraction facilities at the Brookhaven atomic center. Here, he acquainted himself with neutron methodologies under the guidance of Lester Corliss and Julius Hastings.
⚫ Lewy-Bertaut was a member of the IUCr executive committee between 1975 and 1981. He was co-founder of its "Neutron Diffraction" commission and co-founder and chairman of its "International Tables" and "Charge, Spin and Momentum Density" commissions. He was the IUCr representative on the Solid State Commission of the ] (IUPAP) between 1966 and 1972 and was secretary and then chairman of the Solid State Physics Section. He was editor or co-editor of numerous scientific journals. From 1958 to 1982, he was scientific advisor to various institutes, including the ] (CEA), CNRS, ILL, and the ] in Stuttgart.<ref name=iucr></ref><ref name=who></ref>


Lewy-Bertaut received the ] in 1959.<ref name=physcript></ref> He received the ] and Commander of the National Order of Merit. In 1979, Lewy-Bertaut was elected a full member of the ]. In 1986, Lewy-Bertaut received the ] from the ].<ref name=hom></ref><ref name=who></ref>
For a considerable duration, France, led by General De Gaulle, advocated for the establishment of a nuclear research center. In 1955, Louis Néel, a reserved admiral endowed with the confidence of the French Army, presented compelling rationale (both in terms of scientific themes and techniques) that substantiated the foundation of the Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires à Grenoble (C.E.N.G.) at the "Polygone" site. Néel procured the military land within the Polygone d'Artillerie for the nominal sum of 1 franc, a gesture that facilitated the inception of the Nuclear Research Centre, which he was entrusted to lead. He entrusted E.F. Bertaut with the task of establishing a Neutron Diffraction Laboratory dedicated to crystallographic inquiries through neutron beams. Bertaut helmed this initiative from 1958 to 1976, enlisting the expertise of W. Koehler and L. Corliss in 1958 to familiarize Grenoble researchers with neutron diffraction techniques and to design the inaugural diffractometer. These instruments found homes at the Mélusine reactor (8 MW), later joined by two more at the Siloe reactor (35 MW). This laboratory functioned as a crucible, shaping a generation of scientists adept in neutron manipulation, many of whom collaborated with the Centre de Saclay. Concurrently, E.F. Bertaut, F. Forrat, P. Blum, and R. Pauthenet achieved prominence through their exploration and examination of garnet ferrites — a class of materials pivotal in magnetic memory and high-frequency electronics. In the realm of crystallography, neutron diffraction, and magnetism, E.F. Bertaut and his laboratories garnered international acclaim.

The international reputation of Grenoble's laboratories and that of E.F. Bertaut in the domains of crystallography, neutron diffraction, and magnetism culminated in the inauguration of the inaugural international conference on neutron scattering in 1963. Within the convivial atmosphere of the conference banquet, a monumental proposal was unveiled: Louis Néel, through a speech meticulously crafted by E.F. Bertaut, introduced the idea of constructing a high-flux neutron reactor on a European scale.

Harnessing the backing of Néel and driven by his persuasive prowess, E.F. Bertaut championed the initiative and garnered the support of his German counterparts. His persuasion bore fruit, timely aligning with the rapprochement between the French and German populations under the leadership of De Gaulle and Adenauer. In the backdrop of this diplomatic atmosphere, the "]," signed on 22 January 1963 by Federal Chancellor ] and French President ], launched a new era of Franco-German cooperation. E.F. Bertaut's gratification was profound, and he tirelessly toiled to weave stronger bonds with German crystallographers and chemists. He emerged as a fervent advocate for the High Flux Reactor project, not only endowing it with scientific purpose but also fostering a Franco-German community of support. This concerted endeavor culminated in the realization of the Franco-German High Flux Reactor (ILL) in Grenoble, a monumental achievement facilitated by the triumph of neutron techniques pioneered by Louis Néel and E.F. Bertaut.

This milestone marked the inception of the high-flux neutron reactor. With Grenoble already established as a prominent hub for magnetism under Néel's guidance and a focal point for neutron diffraction under Bertaut's influence, the logical site for the institute's establishment was Grenoble itself. This entity was christened the "Institut Laue-Langevin" (ILL), symbolizing the confluence of crystallography and magnetism. What began as a Franco-German initiative later evolved into a pan-European endeavor, with ILL playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble. The ESRF, a source of synchrotron radiation, finds application across an array of disciplines including biology, medicine, chemistry, magnetism, high pressure studies, and materials science encompassing crystallography, and notably, magnetic nanostructures.

As the ILL succeeded Grenoble's earlier reactors, Bertaut's intellectual legacy has been perpetuated through successive generations of his students and their disciples who continue to advance this invaluable knowledge.

⚫ == Honors and distinctions ==
⚫ E.F. Bertaut's scientific reputation is international. He was a member of the IUCr executive committee between 1975 and 1981. He was co-founder of its "Neutron Diffraction" commission and co-founder and chairman of its "International Tables" and "Charge, Spin and Momentum Density" commissions. He was the IUCr representative on the Solid State Commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) between 1966 and 1972 and was secretary and then chairman of the Solid State Physics Section. He was editor or co-editor of numerous scientific journals. From 1958 to 1982, he was scientific advisor to various institutes: ] (CEA), CNRS, ILL, and Max Planck Institut - Stuttgart). Knight of the Legion of Honour and Commander of the National Order of Merit, he has received several awards and has been appointed Professor honoris causa of various universities: Geneva, Frankfurt, Uppsala, Helsinki and Xanthi. He was elected a full member of the ] in 1979.


== Further reading == == Further reading ==
*Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, Notice nécrologique de l’Académie des Sciences, J. Villain (2004). *Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, Notice nécrologique de l’Académie des Sciences, J. Villain (2004).
* - Les Membres de l'Académie des sciences (academie-sciences.fr) *{{Cite web |date=2018-02-15 |title=Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut - Les Membres de l'Académie des sciences |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215030116/https://www.academie-sciences.fr/archivage_site/academie/membre/LewyBertaud_Erwin.htm |website=web.archive.org}}
*, Séance publique Académie des Sciences du 8 novembre 2005, J-Cl. Pecker (2005) *, Séance publique Académie des Sciences du 8 novembre 2005, J-Cl. Pecker (2005)
* May 2006, CNRS-Polygone, Grenoble. * May 2006, CNRS-Polygone, Grenoble.
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== References == == References ==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}

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Latest revision as of 09:31, 28 December 2024

French crystallographer and neutron scientist (1913-2003)
Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut
BornErwin Lewy
(1913-02-09)February 9, 1913
Leobschütz, Germany
DiedNovember 6, 2003(2003-11-06) (aged 90)
Grenoble, France
NationalityFrench
EducationUniversity of Freiburg
University of Breslau
University of Bordeaux
University of Grenoble
Known formagnetic crystallography
granulometry
neutron scattering
AwardsChevalier de la Légion d’honneur, Commandeur de l’Ordre national du mérite
Scientific career
InstitutionsCNRS
Institut Laue–Langevin
ThesisEtude aux rayons X des dimensions des domaines de Bragg dans les poudres polycristallines. Application à l'étude de la texture et structure de poudres de fer pyrophoriques et de leurs propriétés magnétiques (1953)
Doctoral advisorLouis Néel

Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut (9 February 1913 – 6 November 2003), also known separately as Erwin Lewy, Félix Bertaut, and E. F. Bertaut, or Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, was a German-born French materials scientist who led a former life as a law school student in Nazi Germany. He was renowned internationally for his work in magnetic crystallography, X-ray diffraction, and neutron scattering. He was a research director at CNRS, a member of the French Academy of Sciences and played an important role in the creation of Institut Laue–Langevin, a leading neutron research facility in the world.

Biography

Lewy-Bertaut was born with the name Erwin Lewy to Jewish parents in Leobschütz of Silesia (then in Germany). The year 1930 marked a significant shift as his mother passed away, prompting their entire family's relocation to Gleiwitz amidst an era of economic turmoil and the ascent of Nazism. Following this, in 1931, Lewy embarked on his legal studies first at the University of Freiburg and subsequently in University of Breslau (now Wrocław). As Hitler's ascendancy to power unfurled in Germany, instituting a "numerus clausus" that effectively precluded Jewish individuals from university access, Lewy-Bertaut left for Bordeaux, France. There, the Rothschild Foundation awarded him a scholarship, facilitating his enrollment at the University of Bordeaux, where Lewy-Bertaut studied chemical engineering, physics, and mathematics. After graduation, Lewy-Bertaut undertook roles as a mathematics and German tutor and acquired French citizenship in 1936. In 1938, Lewy-Bertaut worked as an engineer at Institut du pin and joined the French army as a military volunteer near Bordeaux. At the onset of the conflict in 1940, Colonel Faure entrusted him with the military records of a missing soldier, Félix Bertaut, and he adopted this name permanently.

Lewy-Bertaut worked as a chemical engineer between 1941 and 1943 to enhance the durability of bicycle brakes crafted from agglomerated cork. To elude police inspections and evade mandatory labor service, he went to Paris, where he collaborated with Marcel Mathieu at the Laboratoire Central des Poudres. Subsequently, he partnered with Emmanuel Grison, who tutored him in the utilization of the International Tables for Crystallography. Regrettably, a bicycle registration check by the police led to his summons to the Paris Prefecture. Lewy-Bertaut moved to Grenoble in the Italian-occupied zone to meet Louis Néel, who was temporarily withdrawn from the University of Strasbourg and has founded the Laboratoire d'Electrostatique et de Physique du Métal (LEPM, now Institut Néel) in 1946, which was the first CNRS laboratory outside the Paris region. Lewy-Bertaut also took over Erwin Lewy's qualifications in 1946 and obtained a research grant from the CNRS under his wartime identity, "Félix Bertaut". Lewy-Bertaut eventually finished his thesis under Louis Néel in 1953 and André Guinier was also an examiner. His thesis involves X-ray diffraction studies of powder granulometry, which later became known as the Bertaut-Warren-Averbach method. Immediately after his thesis, Lewy-Bertaut started establishing his group at the LEPM that formed the basis of the X-ray department to carry out research in cristallography, along with Francis Forrat and Professor René Pauthenet, distinguished themselves with their work on garnet ferrites, from which the theory of antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism was built up.

In 1949, Lewy-Bertaut read a one-page publication by Clifford G. Shull and J. Samuel Smart, which recovered the magnetic structure of MnO from neutron diffraction and validated Louis Néel's work on antiferromagnetism. In 1953, Lewy-Bertaut secured a Fulbright grant to visit Raymond Pepinski's laboratory at State College, Pennsylvania and accessed the neutron diffraction facilities at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he acquainted himself with neutron experiments under the guidance of Lester Corliss and Julius Hastings. Upon returning to Grenoble, Lewy-Bertaut was placed in charge of the development of the military facility Polygone d'Artillerie (now Polygone Scientifique) into a neutron research center, which later became the Institut Laue-Langevin, an international research facility collaboratively funded by the French and German governmental agencies. Lewy-Bertaut was CNRS research director in 1956 and the scientific director of CNRS in 1961.

Research

Lewy-Bertaut made an enormous contributions to magnetic and neutron crystallography, including the use of group theory in describing magnetic structures. When the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) decided to finalize the volume on the symmetry of space groups in the International Tables of Crystallography, he was a member of the ad hoc committee and contributed in particular to the definition of magnetic groups. He used the symmetry of crystals to propose all possible magnetic structures. This "Bertaut method" was very useful for complex structures. Lewy-Bertaut also developed what is known as structure factor algebra and solved the structure of complex compounds such as the non-stoichiometric pyrrhotite.

Honors and distinctions

Lewy-Bertaut was a member of the IUCr executive committee between 1975 and 1981. He was co-founder of its "Neutron Diffraction" commission and co-founder and chairman of its "International Tables" and "Charge, Spin and Momentum Density" commissions. He was the IUCr representative on the Solid State Commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) between 1966 and 1972 and was secretary and then chairman of the Solid State Physics Section. He was editor or co-editor of numerous scientific journals. From 1958 to 1982, he was scientific advisor to various institutes, including the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), CNRS, ILL, and the Max Planck Institute for Metal Research in Stuttgart.

Lewy-Bertaut received the CNRS Silver Medal in 1959. He received the Knight of the Legion of Honour and Commander of the National Order of Merit. In 1979, Lewy-Bertaut was elected a full member of the Académie des Sciences. In 1986, Lewy-Bertaut received the Gregori Aminoff Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Perez-Mato, J.M.; Gallego, S.V.; Tasci, E.S.; Elcoro, L.; de la Flor, G.; Aroyo, M.I. (2015-07-01). "Symmetry-Based Computational Tools for Magnetic Crystallography". Annual Review of Materials Research. 45 (1): 217–248. doi:10.1146/annurev-matsci-070214-021008. ISSN 1531-7331.
  2. ^ De Bergevin, F.; Hodeau, J. L.; Schweizer, J. (2004-04-01). "Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut (1913–2003)". Journal of Applied Crystallography. 37 (2): 349–350. doi:10.1107/S0021889804004376. ISSN 0021-8898.
  3. ^ Férey, Gérard; Hodeau, Jean-Louis (2015-02-01). "The life and achievements of Erwin-Félix Lewy-Bertaut (1913–2003)". Physica Scripta. 90 (2): 028001. doi:10.1088/0031-8949/90/2/028001. ISSN 0031-8949.
  4. "CTHS - LEWY Erwin dit Félix BERTAUT". cths.fr.
  5. ^ Sayetat, Françoise (2006). "Hommage à E.-F. Bertaut". Bulletin de la Société Française de Physique (155): 24–25. doi:10.1051/refdp/200615504. ISSN 0037-9360.
  6. "Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, cristallographe". Le Monde (in French). 2003-11-13.
  7. ^ "Biographie de Erwin Lewy-bertaut pseudo.*: BERTAUT, Chercheur scientifique, Membre de l´Institut - Who's Who". www.whoswho.fr (in French).
  8. Marbach, Christian (2016-06-01). "Pour les sciences". Bulletin de la Sabix (59): 25–36. doi:10.4000/sabix.1660. ISSN 2114-2130.
  9. ^ Hahn, Theo (2004-04-01). "Félix Bertaut, space groups and the International Tables for Crystallography". Journal of Applied Crystallography. 37 (2): 350–351. doi:10.1107/S0021889804004443. ISSN 0021-8898.
  10. Leoni, M. (2019). "The Warren–Averbach method and its variations". urn:isbn:978-1-118-41628-0. H: 288–303. doi:10.1107/97809553602060000951.
  11. Shull, C. G.; Smart, J. S. (1949). "Detection of Antiferromagnetism by Neutron Diffraction". Physical Review. 76 (8): 1256–1257. Bibcode:1949PhRv...76.1256S. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.76.1256.2.
  12. Bertaut, E. F. (1968). "Representation analysis of magnetic structures". Acta Crystallographica Section A. 24 (1): 217–231. Bibcode:1968AcCrA..24..217B. doi:10.1107/S0567739468000306.
  13. Bertaut, E. F.; Wondratschek, H. (1971). "Ordering scheme for general positions in International Tables". Acta Crystallographica Section A. 27 (3): 298–300. Bibcode:1971AcCrA..27..298B. doi:10.1107/S056773947100069X.
  14. "A walk through of the maths behind Bertaut's method of representational analysis of magnetic structures – Wills Group". fermat.chem.ucl.ac.uk.
  15. Bertaut, E. F. (1953). "Contribution à l'étude des structures lacunaires: La pyrrhotine". Acta Crystallographica. 6 (6): 557–561. Bibcode:1953AcCry...6..557B. doi:10.1107/S0365110X53001502.
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