Becquerel, Henri

[person]

French physicist, born in Paris (1852-1908). Becquerel's most famous work is his study of uranium salts, which he discovered produced rays that caused gas to ionize. This type of radiation was termed Becquerel radiation. In 1903, he was awarded half a Nobel Prize for his discovery of radiation; the other half was awarded to Pierre and Marie Curie for their work on Becquerel radiation.