Cross Sections DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER SPRING 2003 Second department alumnus to win the Nobel Prize © THE ROYAL SWEDISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Physics and Astronomy • SPRING 2003 Message from the Chair —Arie Bodek graduates, Laura Schmidt and Elizabeth tributed generously to the support of the Because of the great success of the Strychalski were awarded the Catherine department. By completing the form on sesquicentennial celebration, the Uni- Block and Janet Howell Prizes in 2002, the back cover of our newsletter, or by versity has initiated a new tradition and Jason Nordhaus and David Etlinger responding to our current drive for the of hosting a Meliora won Goldwater Scholarships. Mandel endowment, you can continue Weekend reunion every Over the years we have given high (or begin) that tradition of giving that year (see www.rochester. priority to the training of our under- will assure the future excellence of the edu/alumni/). The theme graduate and graduate students. This department. in fall 2003 is “Innova- attention has not gone unnoticed and Other ways to help our cause is to in- tion,” and we plan to has just been recognized in a nation- form any promising students about our highlight the most wide survey of U.S. graduate students summer undergraduate research program recent innovations and conducted in 2001. The Department of (REU), and to encourage students inter- discoveries in physics and astronomy. Physics and Astronomy at Rochester was ested in careers in physics or astronomy We encourage all our alumni and friends ranked second nationwide in overall to apply for graduate study at Rochester. to continue this tradition, come for the graduate student satisfaction. In summer of 2002, Professor Alice weekend, and visit us during Meliora It is a pleasure to report our success Quillen and a Rochester REU student Weekend (or anytime!). in the recent recruitments (in spring published a paper on evidence for Several of our faculty and students 2002) of Assistant Professor Alice a new extrasolar planet. Starting in have received awards during this past Quillen, an experimenter in astrophysics, summer 2003, the Department of Physics academic year. Among the faculty, Pro- and Assistant Professor John Howell, and Astronomy, in collaboration with fessor Emil Wolf, received the OSA Esther an experimenter in quantum optics. Our the Institute of Optics and the Women Hoffman Beller Award; Professor Judy most recent search in experimental in Science and Engineering Program are Pipher was awarded the Susan B. particle physics resulted in the recruit- jointly administering two REU programs, Anthony lifetime achievement award; ment of Associate Professor Regina one in physics and astronomy and one Professor Manly was appointed Distin- Demina, who will join our department in optical science and engineering. guished Brugler Teaching Professor; at the end of spring 2003. All application material for these pro- and Professor Kevin McFarland was The department suffered a major loss grams is available on our Web pages awarded an NSF Career Award. Pro- with the passing of Len Mandel, one of (www.pas.rochester.edu). If you know of fessors Das, Betti, Boyd, Foster, Meyer- the world’s leading experts in the field any exceptional undergraduates whom hofer, and Tipton were elected APS fel- of quantum optics. Len was an admired we should consider either for our REU lows in 2001/2002. Among our students, teacher and a brilliant experimenter, and program or for graduate school, we would graduate student Un Ki Yang received was elected posthumously to the National appreciate it if you would please send the 2002 URA/ Fermilab Award for best Academy of Sciences. In Mandel’s honor, their names and e-mail addresses to Ph.D. thesis (note that last year, another we are starting a fund-raising drive for Barbara Warren ([email protected]. University of Rochester student Michael a Mandel Endowment in spring 2003. edu), and we will contact them directly. Fitch was awarded the 2001 URA/ We wish to take this opportunity Any help from our alumni along these Fermilab Award). Among our under- to thank all our alumni who have con- lines would be welcomed. Cross Sections On the Cover Editors: Ashok Das and Shirley Brignall The 2002 Nobel Prize for Physics Published by the Department of Physics and Steve Chu, who is currently on the Board was awarded to three who pioneered Astronomy of the University of Rochester, and of Trustees at the University of Rochester. the fields of neutrino astrophysics distributed to alumni and friends free of charge. Koshiba was born on September 19, 1926, and X-ray astronomy. Ray Davis and Copies may be obtained by writing to CROSS in Toyohashi City Japan. He graduated Masatoshi Koshiba (Ph.D. ’55) share SECTIONS, Department of Physics and Astronomy, from the Physics Department at the Uni- half the prize for “pioneering contribu- University of Rochester, Rochester, New York versity of Tokyo, and received his Ph.D. tions to astrophysics, in particular for 14627-0171 USA. from the University of Rochester in 1955 the detection of cosmic neutrinos.” (under the supervision of Professor M. F. Riccardo Giacconi receives the other Kaplon). Koshiba was a professor at the Important notices: Department phone: (585) half of the prize for “pioneering con- University of Tokyo until his retirement 275-4344 and fax: (585) 273-3237. tributions to astrophysics, which have on March 31, 1987. He created the under- If you change your mailing address, please led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray ground facility Kamiokande to initiate contact Bob Knox with your new whereabouts sources.” Koshiba is the second Depart- neutrino physics. His many honors ([email protected]). Also let him know ment of Physics and Astronomy alum- include the Order of Cultural Merit from your current e-mail address. nus to have won a Nobel Prize. The first the Emperor of Japan and the Wolf Prize University of Rochester Physics and As- from the President of Israel. tronomy alumnus to win a Nobel is 2 SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS Physics and Astronomy • SPRING 2003 New Extrasolar Planet Discovered Using a new technique, Alice Quillen, of certain planets in five years instead those methods watch for the effect a assistant professor of physics and as- of the two centuries it would otherwise planet has on its parent star, and low- tronomy, has discovered a previously take.” The new planet was discovered mass planets or those in very large unknown planet. Planets around other orbiting the star Epsilon orbits do not dramatically affect their stars have been previously detected only Eridani about 10 light star. The method that has detected by the effect they have on their parent years from Earth. It is most of the 100+ extrasolar planets so star, limiting the observations to large, one of the lowest mass far measures how much the parent star Jupiter-like planets and those in very planets yet discovered “wobbles” as the planet’s gravity tugs high orbits. The new method uses the around another star on it throughout its orbit. A newer patterns created in the dust surrounding and has by far the method watches for planets as they a star to discern the presence of a planet longest, largest orbit pass in front of a star and slightly that could be as small as Earth or in an of any yet discovered. Epsilon Eridani dim its light. Unlike current methods, orbit so wide that it would take hundreds already has one discovered planet, the Alice’s technique does not use direct of years to observe its effect on its star. size of Jupiter (our solar system’s largest light from the star, but rather light The research by Alice, and undergrad- planet) orbiting around the star about radiating from the dust surrounding it. uate Stephen Thorndike, appears in the every five years. By contrast, the new Not all stars have large concentrations October issue of the Astrophysical Jour- planet is roughly a 10th of Jupiter’s of dust, but those that do, like Epsilon nal Letters. “We’re very excited because mass and completes an orbit once every Eridani, can display certain telltale this will open up the possibility of find- 280 years. patterns in their dust fields. These ing planets that we’d probably never Traditional planet-detection methods patterns can betray the existence of a detect just looking at the parent star,” cannot reveal the new planet, tentatively planet. says Alice. “We can confirm the presence named “Epsilon Eridani C,” because The west side of the Bausch & Lomb wing, the site of the de- partment graduation luncheon, where the cherry trees are just beginning to bloom. 3 SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS Physics and Astronomy • SPRING 2003 Physicists Study the El Niño and La Niña Climate Effects David Douglass and colleagues at the “southern oscillation index”—the dif- Niño event detected in the climate data, University of Rochester and David Clader ference in atmospheric pressure be- together with some that have not yet at the State University of New York at tween certain points in the Pacific— been seen. The physicists—who point Geneseo have shown is also closely linked to El Niño and La out that they are not climate experts— that climate data col- Niña. Climatologists had previously believe that climatologists could use lected on El Niño and noticed that adjacent El Niños and La these results to establish the nature of La Niña since 1967 Niñas had similar intensities. This the force that drives the oscillations, closely fit a “resonant prompted David’s team to study these and to predict forthcoming El Niños and function” with a period effects over a longer period, and they La Niñas.