Shop cart   Archives Biographies: Henry Boot  Biographical
information on Henry `Harry' Boot and his work on radar.  H A H
('Harry') Boot was born on 27 July 1917 in Birmingham. Educated
at King Edward's School, Boot went to Birmingham University to
study physics and was awarded a BSc in 1938 and a PhD in 1941. 
Centrimetric radar  After the outbreak of war, Boot worked in
the physics department under M L E Oliphaunt on the development
of centimetric radar. Radar at that time was based on long
wavelengths and required bulky equipment. This meant that the
search area had to be 'flooded' in order to detect any moving
objects. Boot and his colleague, J A Randall, were trying to
produce wavelengths of 10cm or less for use in a radar 'beam'
which would be more accurate.  Boot and Randall's pioneering
work  Initially, Boot and Randall were using the klystron, an
American invention, but were not able to produce short enough
waves. In 1940 they turned instead to the magnetron and after a
few months were able to prod