Oeschger was trained as an experimental physicist at ETH Zürich, and learned to appreciate the simplicity of physical laws. But he also recognized the limitations of the classical method in trying to dissect a system into its components, whereby processes fundamental to understanding the system in its entirety are lost. In F. G. Houtermans in Bern he found the right mentor for his dissertation: “Oeschger wanted to become a musician. However, since I do physics much like an artist, he now feels quite comfortable in physics”.
The goal of Oeschger's dissertation was to build a β-counter to measure ultra-low radioactivity by counting the electrons emitted during decay. In 1955 he completed this device, now known as the Oeschger counter. It had a lower background than any other available instrument, due to a clever anti-coincidence technique which dismissed counts that were not caused by the decaying sample, and became for many years the leading instrument in radiocarbon laboratories. In 1959, using this device, Oeschger, Suess and Rakestraw were the first to succeed in radiocarbon-dating Pacific deep water. They went on to measure the activity of a variety of naturally occurring radioisotopes, and embarked on a long journey to quantify the numerous exchange processes between different components of the Earth system.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
