WYDER,PETER AND HIS FRIENDS IN THE VILLA-VESTA 1952-1970 - SCIENTIFICAND OTHER REMINISCENCES

Work at the low temperature laboratory of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich during the period 1952-1970 is described. This covers the following: current carrying capacity of superconducting wi res in magnetic fields; the difference of moduli of rigidity and of vo lumes in the normal and superconducting states; pulsed high magnetic f ields, and magneto-resistance; low temperature engineering projects on the hardness of solidified gas mixtures; heat transfer between cryoge nic liquid and gas; superconducting switching elements and current rec tifiers; thermal expansion of metals at low temperatures; magnetoresis tance and its size effects; size effect in the thermal and electrical resistance in normal metals and superconductors; surface superconducti vity; pressure effect in superconductors of the first and second kind; isotope effect; magnetostriction; Hall effect and scattering anisotro py.