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Owen Chamberlain

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Owen Chamberlain
Chamberlain in 1959
Born(1920-07-10)July 10, 1920
San Francisco, California,U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 2006(2006-02-28)(aged 85)
Berkeley, California,U.S.
Alma materDartmouth College
University of California, Berkeley
University of Chicago
Known forParticle physics
AwardsNobel Prize in Physics,1959
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsLos Alamos National Laboratory
University of California, Berkeley
Doctoral advisorEnrico Fermi
Doctoral studentsPaul Grannis,Nathan Isgur,David Delano Clark

Owen Chamberlain(July 10, 1920 – February 28, 2006) was an Americanphysicistwho shared withEmilio SegrètheNobel Prize in Physicsfor the discovery of theantiproton,asub-atomicantiparticle.[1][2]

Biography

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Chamberlain with wife in Sweden in 1959

Born inSan Francisco, California,Chamberlain graduated fromGermantown Friends Schoolin Philadelphia in 1937. He studied physics atDartmouth College,where he was a member ofAlpha Thetachapter ofTheta Chifraternity, and at theUniversity of California, Berkeley.He remained in school until the start ofWorld War II,and joined theManhattan Projectin 1942, where he worked with Segrè, both at Berkeley and inLos Alamos,New Mexico.He married Beatrice Babette Copper (d. 1988) in 1943, with whom he had four children.[3]

In 1946, after the war, Chamberlain continued with his doctoral studies at theUniversity of Chicagounder physicistEnrico Fermi.[4]Fermi acted as an important guide and mentor for Chamberlain, encouraging him to leave behindtheoretical physicsforexperimental physics,for which Chamberlain had a particular aptitude. Chamberlain received hisPhDfrom the University of Chicago in 1949.

In 1948, having completed his experimental work, Chamberlain returned to Berkeley as a member of its faculty. There he, Segrè, and other physicists investigated proton-proton scattering. In 1955, a series of proton scattering experiments at Berkeley'sBevatronled to the discovery of the anti-proton, a particle like a proton but negatively charged. Chamberlain's later research work included thetime projection chamber(TPC), and work at theStanford Linear Accelerator Center(SLAC).

Chamberlain was politically active on issues of peace and social justice, and outspoken against theVietnam War.He was a member of Scientists for Sakharov, Orlov, and Shcharansky, three physicists of the formerSoviet Unionimprisoned for their political beliefs. In the 1980s, he helped found thenuclear freezemovement. In 2003 he was one of 22 Nobel Laureates who signed theHumanist Manifesto.[5]

Chamberlain was diagnosed withParkinson's diseasein 1985, and retired from teaching in 1989. He died of complications from the disease on February 28, 2006, in Berkeley at the age of 85.

Chamberlain plays a central role inJacob M. Appel'sSherwood Anderson Award-winning short story, "Measures of Sorrow".[6]

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^Jaros, John; Nagamiya, Shoji; Steiner, Herbert (August 2006)."Obituary: Owen Chamberlain".Physics Today.59(8): 70–72.Bibcode:2006PhT....59h..70J.doi:10.1063/1.2349741.
  2. ^"The Nobel Prize in Physics 1959".NobelPrize.org.RetrievedJanuary 10,2022.
  3. ^Sanders, Robert (March 1, 2006).Owen Chamberlain, Physics Nobelist, UC Berkeley professor, LBNL researcher and co-discoverer of the anti-proton, has died at 85.berkeley.edu.
  4. ^Yarris, Lynn (March 1, 2006).Berkeley Scientific Great Owen Chamberlain Has DiedArchivedFebruary 17, 2022, at theWayback Machine.lbl.gov (March 1, 2006)
  5. ^"Notable Signers".Humanism and Its Aspirations.American Humanist Association. Archived fromthe originalon November 13, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 15,2012.
  6. ^Appel, JM. (2015)Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets,Black Lawrence Press.
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