Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro, Brazilian physicist (Rio de Janeiro 08 July 1906 – Rio de Janeiro 29 July 1960)

ACHIEVEMENTS

Discovered thermo-dielectric effect or Costa Ribeiro effect in 1944. The discovery was presented in session of 14 November 1944 at Brazilian Academy of Sciences and published in On the thermo-dielectric effect. Anais Acad. Bras. Ciencias 22(3):325-348, 1950. Despite the priority US physicists E.J. Workman and S.E. Reynolds discovered the same phenomenon in 1950, that was known as Workman-Reynolds effect in literature. 

Established laws about thermo-dielectric effect (Law of intensities and law of charges) in Sobre o fenômeno termo-dielétrico. Thesis (1945)

Developed the thermo-dielectrical cell in Sobre o fenômeno termo-dielétrico. Thesis (1945)

Formulated equations about thermo-dielectric effect (1945) with J. Tiomno

Defined thermo-dielectric constant

Discovered electro-fusion (later studied by Mascarenhas de Oliveira as Electrothermal conductivity effect) 

Electro-fusion: a new phenomenon observed in the phase changes of dielectrics under the influence of an electric field. Anais Acad. Bras. Ciencias 26(2):349-55, 1954.

Conceived a new bridge method for performing radioactivity measurements 

Sobre um método de ponte para a determinação das correntes de ionização nas medidas de radioatividade. Anais Acad. Bras. Ciencias 12(2):110-6, 1940. 

On a bridge for the measurements of cosmic rays with ionization chambers 

Developed a new type of autocollimator polarizing apparatus 

With Luigi Sobrero. Sobre um aparelho de polarização auto-colimador e sua aplicação à fotoelasticidade. Anais Acad. Bras. Ciencias (1942) 

With B. Gross. Sobre um novo método para a investigação experimental dos eletretos (1943) 

Developed an apparatus for studying photoelasticity and refringence of transparent layers precipitated on glass plates.    

HONORS   

Ribeirite, a variety of zircon (described by W. Florencio in 1952)