Hans Albrecht Bethe was a German-American theoretical physicist who made major contributions to nuclear physics, astrophysics, quantum electrodynamics, and solid-state physics, and who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. For most of his career, Bethe was a professor at Cornell University.
Hans Bethe
Hans Bethe, aged 12, with his parents
Bethe's Los Alamos Laboratory ID badge
Hans Bethe lecturing at Dalhousie University, 1978
In particle physics, quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics. In essence, it describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved. QED mathematically describes all phenomena involving electrically charged particles interacting by means of exchange of photons and represents the quantum counterpart of classical electromagnetism giving a complete account of matter and light interaction.
Paul Dirac
Hans Bethe
Feynman (center) and Oppenheimer (right) at Los Alamos.
Image: Qed rules