Virtual International Microscopy Lecture Series - Professor Archie Howie

Archie Howie

University of Cambridge

Archie Howie is best known for his early joint contributions with Peter Hirsch and Mike Whelan to diffraction contrast imaging through the Howie Whelan equations and channelling effects.  He also explained the surprising observation that inelastically scattered electrons could still show interference contrast.  With the development of HREM and direct imaging methods he then tested the widely used 2-d projection approach in a critical but unsuccessful attempt to unravel the structure of amorphous materials. The students who took part in this struggle (Krivanek, Gibson and Rodenburg) nevertheless went on to do great things on their own.  Following Crewe’s revolutionary work,   Archie and Mick Brown were lucky to acquire one of the first VG STEMS.  Thanks to the involvement of more brilliant students (e.g. Craven, Treacy and Pennycook) major new techniques such as HAADF imaging were pioneered.  ALOOF beam electron spectroscopy, another STEM  technique demonstrated  by Marks, became a fertile topic for extended theoretical investigation by Archie with Rufus Ritchie, Pedro Echenique and colleagues in San Sebastian.  Now that spatially localised electron spectroscopy has moved down to the optical and even infrared regions, this work has taken on new impetus.
Archie’s career was mainly spent as a lecturer in Cambridge, eventually as Professor of Physics and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory.  His work has been recognised by several awards.  He was honoured to serve as President of the RMS 1984-86 and of IFSM (1999-2002).