Dublin and Cambridge
Walton entered Trinity College Dublin in 1922, studying mathematics and experimental science. A research scholarship took him to Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory in 1927, where he investigated particle-acceleration methods under Rutherford.
High voltage and lithium nuclei
After exploring methods including linear acceleration, Walton worked with Cockcroft on directly accelerating protons through high voltages. Their apparatus provided a controllable source of particles energetic enough to induce nuclear reactions.
In 1932 they bombarded lithium and identified helium nuclei among the products. The experiment connected artificial particle acceleration with observable nuclear transformation and led to their joint 1951 Nobel Prize.
Teaching and research in Dublin
Walton returned to Trinity College Dublin as a Fellow in 1934 and became Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy in 1946. Alongside teaching, his publications addressed nuclear physics, hydrodynamics and microwaves, and he served several Irish scientific institutions.
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