Willem Hendrik Keesom


Willem Hendrik Keesom was a Dutch physicist who, in 1926, invented a method to freeze liquid helium.
He also developed the first mathematical description of dipole–dipole interactions in 1921. Thus, dipole–dipole interactions are also known as Keesom interactions.
He was previously a student of Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, who had discovered superconductivity.
He also discovered the lambda point transition specific-heat maximum between Helium-I and Helium-II in 1930.
In 1924 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1966, the minor planet
was named after him.