# Wolfgang Paul

_German physicist (1913–1993)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/wolfgang-paul
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Wolfgang Paul was a German physicist, who co-developed the non-magnetic quadrupole mass filter which laid the foundation for what is now called an ion trap. He shared one-half of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1989 for this work with Hans Georg Dehmelt; the other half of the Prize in that year was awarded to Norman Foster Ramsey, Jr.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 10 August 1913 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Lorenzkirch ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P19))
- **Died:** 7 December 1993 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P570))
- **Place of death:** Bonn ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Germany ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P106))
- **Education:** Technische Universität Berlin; Technical University of Munich ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P69))
- **Spouse:** Doris Paul ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P26))
- **Official website:** nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1989/paul/facts ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P856))
- **Awards:** Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order; Nobel Prize in Physics; Robert Wichard Pohl Prize; Dirac Medal for the Advancement of Physics; honorary doctor of the University of Uppsala; honorary doctor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227#P166))

## Questions

**When was Wolfgang Paul born?**  
Wolfgang Paul was born on 10 August 1913 in Lorenzkirch.

**Where did Wolfgang Paul study?**  
Wolfgang Paul was educated at Technische Universität Berlin, Technical University of Munich.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Wolfgang Paul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Paul) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q57227](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57227) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Bonner-koepfe-friedrichstrasse-wolfgang-paul-07-2009-03.JPG by Axel Kirch (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bonner-koepfe-friedrichstrasse-wolfgang-paul-07-2009-03.JPG)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Wolfgang Paul, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Bonner-koepfe-friedrichstrasse-wolfgang-paul-07-2009-03.JPG — Axel Kirch, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Wolfgang Paul". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/wolfgang-paul. Retrieved 6 November 2026.