Harry Arlanson

Harry Arlanson
Name	Harry Arlanson
Birth date	1948
Birth place	Stockholm, Sweden
Death date	2019
Death place	Uppsala, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Physicist, University professor
Known for	Contributions to condensed matter physics, superconductivity
Alma mater	Uppsala University, Royal Institute of Technology
Spouse	Ingrid Bergström

Harry Arlanson was a prominent Swedish physicist renowned for his pioneering theoretical work in the field of condensed matter physics, particularly concerning the mechanisms of high-temperature superconductivity. His career was primarily based at Uppsala University, where he mentored a generation of scientists and collaborated with leading institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Arlanson's research provided critical insights into strongly correlated electron systems and quantum magnetism, earning him international acclaim and several prestigious awards within the scientific community.

Early life and education

Born in Stockholm in 1948, he developed an early interest in the natural sciences, influenced by the works of Nobel laureates such as Hannes Alfvén and Kai Siegbahn. He completed his secondary education at the prestigious Norra Real before enrolling at Uppsala University to study theoretical physics. Under the mentorship of professor Lars Hedin, Arlanson completed his fil.lic. degree, focusing on early models of electron correlation. He subsequently pursued his doctorate at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where his dissertation on many-body theory attracted attention from the international physics community, leading to a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University working alongside David Mermin.

Career

Following his fellowship in the United States, he returned to Sweden to accept a research position at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics in Copenhagen. In 1982, he was appointed professor of theoretical physics at his alma mater, Uppsala University, a position he held for over three decades. His tenure was marked by prolific collaboration, including extended visits to the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Tokyo. A key figure in the European Physical Society, Arlanson also served on advisory committees for the Swedish Research Council and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. His leadership helped establish Uppsala as a significant hub for research into quantum materials.

Notable works

Arlanson's most influential contributions are encapsulated in a series of seminal papers published in journals such as Physical Review Letters and Nature. His 1987 paper, "Correlation Effects in the Cuprate Superconductors," co-authored with Philip W. Anderson, was a foundational text following the discovery by Karl Alexander Müller and Johannes Georg Bednorz. He later developed the "Arlanson Model" for describing spin fluctuations in layered perovskite structures, a framework frequently cited in studies of iron-based superconductors. His comprehensive textbook, *Theoretical Foundations of Modern Condensed Matter Physics*, co-written with Robert Laughlin, became a standard graduate-level reference at institutions like MIT and Stanford University.

Awards and recognition

His scientific achievements were recognized with numerous national and international honors. He was awarded the Göran Gustafson Prize in physics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1994. In 2001, he received the prestigious Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize from the American Physical Society, followed by the Lars Onsager Prize in 2008. He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society and a foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Although widely nominated, a Nobel Prize in Physics ultimately eluded him, a subject of noted discussion within the field.

Personal life

He married fellow academic Ingrid Bergström, a historian specializing in the Viking Age, in 1975. The couple had two children and resided primarily in Uppsala, maintaining a summer home on the island of Gotland. An avid sailor, he competed in several Gotland Runt regattas. Colleagues described him as a devoted mentor with a deep appreciation for Swedish literature and the Academy's traditions. He was also a skilled pianist, often performing at university functions. He passed away in Uppsala in 2019 after a brief illness.

Legacy

Harry Arlanson's theoretical frameworks continue to influence ongoing research into unconventional superconductivity and topological insulators at major facilities like the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Paul Scherrer Institute. The annual Arlanson Lecture at Uppsala University attracts leading figures from the global physics community. His former doctoral students hold prominent positions at institutions including ETH Zurich, Harvard University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science. His complete archives and correspondence are held by the Center for History of Science at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, serving as a resource for historians of modern physics.

Category:Swedish physicists Category:Uppsala University faculty Category:1948 births Category:2019 deaths