Wondering who Arturo Duperier Vallesa was? Let’s unravel the story behind this plaque. This tablet commemorates the life and work of Arturo Duperier Vallesa. He was an illustrious scientist in cosmic rays. The community of owners placed it here in 1959.
Arturo Duperier Vallesa was born in Pedro Bernardo Ávila on November 12 1896. He died in Madrid on February 10 1959. Duperier was a prominent Spanish physicist. He was especially noted for his study of cosmic radiation.
From 1924 Duperier trained under Blas Cabrera. He was Cabrera’s favorite disciple. They worked together at the Laboratory of Physical Investigations. Later they moved to the Department of Electricity and Magnetism at the National Institute of Physics and Chemistry. Both institutions were under the Board for the Extension of Studies and Scientific Research. With Blas Cabrera he formulated what became known as the Cabrera-Duperier law.
Thanks to a JAE pension Duperier studied in Strasbourg in 1929. He worked with Pierre Weiss. In 1932 he worked in Paris with Charles Maurin. In late 1935 he conducted Spain’s first scientific research on cosmic radiation at the Central Meteorological Institute.
After the civil war ended in 1939 Duperier went into exile in England. He worked as a professor at the University of Birmingham and Imperial College London. During this time it became crucial to understand the variations in cosmic ray intensity at sea level. He joined a project at the Department of Physics of the University of Manchester. P. M. S. Blackett led the project. He would later win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1948. Duperier became a world authority on cosmic rays. This specialty led to modern particle physics.
Duperier was removed from his university chair. This was part of the radical purge at the end of the war. Blas Cabrera Enrique Moles and Cándido Bolívar also lost their professorships. The main charge against him was that he did not desert the Republic. He had been in Paris in July 1937. He was representing Spain at the International Conference on Chronometry and Metrology.
In 1953 Duperier returned to Spain permanently. He began teaching cosmic radiation at the University of Madrid. He also presented important studies at international conferences. Despite efforts he was not allowed to bring a laboratory donated by British physicists into the country. Duperier could not continue his empirical research. He was limited to teaching theoretical courses.
Duperier was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Exact Physical and Natural Sciences on February 5 1958. He was appointed to the same seat as Miguel Catalán Sañudo. Sadly like Catalán he died without taking possession. In 1959 he was posthumously awarded the Juan March Prize in Science.
So the next time you pass the Arturo Duperier Vallesa Plaque take a moment. Remember a brilliant mind that illuminated the world of cosmic rays. His work continues to inspire scientists today.