Hans A. Bethe

Hans Bethe, in full Hans Albrecht Bethe (born July 2, 1906, Strassburg, Ger. [now Strasbourg, France]—died March 6, 2005, Ithaca, N.Y., U.S.), German-born American theoretical physicist who helped shape quantum physics and increased the understanding of the atomic processes responsible for the properties of matter and of the forces governing the structures of atomic nuclei. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1967 for his work on the production of energy in stars. Moreover, he was a leader in emphasizing the social responsibility of science.