Albert Overhauser

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Albert Overhauser
Born	(1925-08-17)August 17, 1925 San Diego, California, United States
Died	December 10, 2011(2011-12-10) (aged 86) West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley (BA, PhD)
Known for	Overhauser effect
Awards	Oliver E. Buckley Prize (1975) National Medal of Science (1994)
Scientific career
Fields	Condensed matter physics
Institutions	Cornell University, Purdue University
Thesis	Studies in the electron theory of metals (1952)
Doctoral advisor	Charles Kittel
Doctoral students	John Hopfield

Albert W. Overhauser (August 17, 1925 – December 10, 2011) was an American physicist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is best known for his theory of the Overhauser effect in nuclear magnetic resonance. The Overhauser effect was the first example of dynamic nuclear polarization whereby spin polarization is transferred from unpaired electrons in paramagnetic metals to nuclei resulting in a dramatic increase in their NMR intensity.^[1][2] The Nuclear Overhauser Effect, which follows the same mechanism, is also widely used in nuclear magnetic resonance and formed the basis for early protein structure determinations, for which Kurt Wüthrich was ultimately awarded the Nobel prize in Chemsitry.