Electronics and radio research
After wartime radar work, Hewish graduated from Cambridge in 1948 and joined Ryle’s group, completing his doctorate in 1952. He initially used the scintillation of radio sources to investigate plasma structure in the ionosphere.
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From a scintillation survey to pulsars
Hewish designed and organised a large phased array for interplanetary-scintillation surveys, beginning observations in 1967. Bell helped construct it and analysed chart recordings, noticing an unusual signal. Further observations revealed regular pulses, leading to the team’s pulsar discovery.
Research and shared recognition
Hewish continued using scintillation to investigate the solar wind and held leadership roles in Cambridge radio astronomy. His share of the 1974 Nobel Prize specifically recognised his decisive role in the discovery of pulsars.