Nico van Kampen

{{Short description|Dutch theoretical physicist (1921–2013)}}

{{Family name hatnote|Van Kampen|Kampen|lang=Dutch}}

{{Dutch name capitalization|Van Kampen}}

{{Infobox scientist

| birth_name = Nicolaas Godfried van Kampen

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|6|22|df=y}}

| birth_place = Leiden, Netherlands

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|10|06|1921|6|22|df=y}}

| death_place = Nieuwegein, Netherlands

| field = Theoretical physics

| work_institution = Utrecht University

| alma_mater = Leiden University

| thesis_title = Contributions to the quantum theory of light scattering

| doctoral_advisor = Hendrik Anthony Kramers

| known_for = Van Kampen expansion
Van Kampen modes

}}

Nicolaas 'Nico' Godfried van Kampen (22 June 1921 – 6 October 2013) was a Dutch theoretical physicist, who worked mainly on statistical mechanics and non-equilibrium thermodynamics.{{cite web|url=http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/224/BINNENLAND/article/detail/3523364/2013/10/08/Emeritus-hoogleraar-Nico-van-Kampen-overleden.dhtml |title=Emeritus-hoogleraar Nico van Kampen overleden – BINNENLAND – PAROOL |publisher=Parool.nl |date=2013-06-13 |access-date=2013-10-09 |lang=Dutch}}

Van Kampen was born in Leiden, and was a nephew of Frits Zernike. He studied physics at Leiden University, where in 1952 under the direction of Hendrik Anthony Kramers he earned his PhD with thesis Contributions to the quantum theory of light scattering.{{cite web |author=Nico van Kampen |url=http://ilorentz.org/history/proefschriften/sources/VanKampen_1952.pdf |title=Contribution to the quantum theory of light scattering |year=1952 |website=ilorentz.org |publisher=Lorentz Institute for theoretical physics, Leiden University|lccn=a52006862}} He showed in his thesis how to deal with singularities in quantum mechanical scattering processes, an important step in the development of renormalization, according to Kramers.{{cite web |url=http://www.ilorentz.org/IL-publications/dissertations/kramers_laudatios/vankampen.txt |website=ilorentz.org |publisher=Lorentz Institute for theoretical physics, Leiden University |title=Laudatio uitgesproken door H.A. Kramers op 16 januari 1952, bij de promotie van Nicolaas Godfried van Kampen |date=16 January 1952 |last=Kramers |first=H.A. |lang=Dutch |access-date=14 September 2023}} Van Kampen made fundamental contributions to non-equilibrium processes (in particular on the master equation) and in many-body theory (especially in plasma physics). His work on non-equilibrium processes began in 1953 in the research group of Sybren Ruurds de Groot (the successor to Kramers) in Leiden. In 1955 Van Kampen joined the Institute of Theoretical Physics at Utrecht University, where he later became full professor and professor emeritus after his retirement.Rosalio F. Rodriguez, Nicholas G. van Kampen: brief biography, in: Alfredo Macías et al. (eds.), Developments in Mathematical and Experimental Physics: Cosmology and gravitation, Springer, 2002, p. 295 e.v.Alberto Giovannini (ed.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=8FbVCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA489 The legacy of Léon Van Hove], World Scientific, 2000, p. 489. {{LCCN|00046280}} {{isbn|981-02-4330-8}}

His monograph Stochastic processes in physics and chemistry (1981) is considered a classic. In his 2002 book Waanwetenschap (Science), Van Kampen condemned what he saw as pseudoscience, even within the scientific community; the book met with a mixed reaction—five scientists, including {{ill|Vincent Icke|nl}}, Floris Takens and Dennis Dieks, wrote a commentary on his book.{{Cite web |url=http://www.delta.tudelft.nl/nl/archief/artikel/waanwetenschapls-achterhoedegevecht/9185 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222172903/http://www.delta.tudelft.nl/nl/archief/artikel/waanwetenschapls-achterhoedegevecht/9185 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-22 |website=delta.tudelft.nl |title=Waanwetenschap als achterhoedegevecht |date=29 January 2004 |publisher=TUDelta, weekly magazine Technical University Delft |lang=Dutch |access-date=14 September 2023 |first=Christiaan |last=Jongeneel}} Van Kampen had 15 Dutch-type PhD students, including Ubbo Felderhof (1963), John Tjon (1964) and Johannes Roerdink (1983).{{MathGenealogy|id=110576|name=Nicolaas Godfried van Kampen}}

Van Kampen was an uncle of the Dutch theoretical physicist and Nobel prize winner Gerard 't Hooft, and encouraged 't Hooft to study physics in Utrecht.{{Cite web

|first=G. |last='t Hooft

|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1999/thooft-autobio.html

|title=Gerardus 't Hooft – Autobiography

|publisher=Nobel web

|year=1999

|access-date=2012-08-14

}} Van Kampen was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1973.{{cite web|url=http://www.dwc.knaw.nl/biografie/pmknaw/?pagetype=authorDetail&aId=PE00018139 |title=N.G. (Nico) van Kampen (1921 - 2013) |language=nl |publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |access-date=18 March 2016}} He died, aged 92, in Nieuwegein.