With great respect and deep sadness, we bid farewell to our friend and former colleague in the nuclear chemistry at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Dr. Gerhard Wirth (1940-2024).
Photo: private
Our highly esteemed friend and former colleague passed away on September 18, 2024, in Idstein, at the age of 84 because of a serious illness.
Born in Berlin on August 31, 1940, as a teenager Gerhard Wirth went to school in Idstein, where he graduated in 1960. After his military service, as of 1962 Gerhard studied physics at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, graduated in 1969 and changed to the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry. Under the supervision of Prof. Günter Herrmann and as a member of Dr. Norbert Kaffrell’s work group, Gerhard carried out nuclear spectroscopic studies on the decay of all three 152Pm isomers. They were produced at the TRIGA Mark II Reactor and at the 14-MeV Cockroft-Walton accelerator. Gerhard earned his doctoral degree in 1973 and, in 1975, changed to GSI, Darmstadt, to become a member of the nuclear chemistry.
Gerhard Wirth shaped the research program of the nuclear chemistry (now SHE Chemistry) at GSI, directed by Prof. Günter Herrmann (until 1990), from the early days of experiments at the UNILAC until his retirement from GSI in 2004. As a physicist embedded in a group of chemists, he contributed significantly to the success of the group's scientific program through his always sharp and critical view of the experiments, the results obtained and their interpretation.
Gerhard provided an important basis for the success of the group through his commitment to setting up and supervising the nuclear radiation detectors and measuring systems for nuclear spectroscopy, including data acquisition and programs for data evaluation. This concerned both the search for superheavy elements formed in multinucleon transfer reactions, the central topic of the nuclear chemistry group until the 1980s, and the nuclear chemistry investigations of a large number of nuclear reactions.
Gerhard provided an important basis for the success of the group through his commitment to setting up and supervising the nuclear radiation detectors and measuring systems for nuclear spectroscopy, including data acquisition and tools for data evaluation. This contributed significantly to the search for superheavy elements formed in multinucleon transfer reactions, the central topic of the nuclear chemistry group until the 1980s, as well as to a large number of nuclear reaction studies. Gerhard took the leading role in those U + U experiments, which were carried out below the Coulomb barrier, and in experiments detecting spontaneously-fissioning nuclei with half-lives between one millisecond and one year in fission track detectors using rapidly rotating wheels.
In the mid-1980s, Gerhard Wirth expanded the topics of his research. In addition to a link to the material research department, he began, in international collaborations, very successful experimental investigations concerning the behavior and understanding of high-temperature superconductors after bombardment with heavy ions.
Gerhard was also involved in setting up the high-dose measuring station at the newly built SIS 18 ring accelerator and the first experiments carried out there. These included the search initiated by Prof. Sergei Polikanov (at that time a member of the nuclear chemistry department at GSI) for lambda hypernuclei, formed in the bombardment of 238U targets with 1.7 A·GeV 20Ne ions. The aim was to detect lambda hypernuclei by the delayed fission of recoil nuclei in flight. In supplementary studies, the partitioning between electromagnetic and nuclear fission of 238U was measured after interaction with 208Pb ions. On the other hand, measurements on the electromagnetic dissociation of Au when bombarded with Ne, Kr, Au and Bi ions provided important information on the excitation of giant resonances.
In addition to his work in his house and garden, Gerhard's private activities were characterized by his enjoyment of a variety of sports. Like his scientific work, he pursued these activities, including his beloved tennis and golf, with great dedication and the perpetual goal of perfection.
For those who had the privilege to work together with Gerhard Wirth or spend their recreational time with him, it was always a great pleasure and a wonderful enrichment. With our greatest appreciation and gratitude, we say goodbye.
Matthias Schädel, Klaus Sümmerer, Christoph E. Düllmann (all GSI)
for the former colleagues and friends of Gerhard Wirth.
- Obituary in the "GSI Kurier"; issue 43-2024 | 21.10. - 27.10. (pdf-file; english / german )