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The 1989 Nobel Prize in Physics Is Awarded to Norman F. Ramsey

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The 1989 Nobel Prize in Physics Is Awarded to Norman F. Ramsey .. EUGENE GARFIELD INSTITUTE FOF?SCIEVTIUC lNFORMATIOhJm !501 MARKET ST PwLAUELPHIA PA 191’0.4 Of Atomic Clocks, Ion Traps, and Quantum Leaps: The 1989 Nobel Me in Pktysks b Awarded to Norman F. RfM1’EXy,Wolfgang Paul, and Hans G. Dehmek 4 Number 35 August 27, 1991 The 1989 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Norman F. Ramsey, Hans G. Dehmelt, and Wolfgang Paul for their pathfinding efforts in the measurement of the behavior and characteristics of atomic particles. Their work has improved the accumcy of time measurement to unproxdented levels. Scientists can now quantifJ, with high precision, theories centrat to science. The teehniquea used by the laureates are described. Biographical information and citation amdysis of their papers are also provided. Afthough most of the papers date from over 20 years ago, their impact is still evident today. The 1989 Nobel Prize in physics was chding general relativity and quantum elec- awarded to Norman F. Ramsey, Harvard trodynamics (QED). University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Harts G. Dehmek, University of Washington, Seattfe; and Wolfgang Paul, University of Norman F. Ramsey antithe Measurement Born, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). of Tfme The prize recognized their studies performed in the late 1940s and 1950s that led to the One-hrdf of the 1989 physics prize went precise measurements of electrically charged to Ramsey for work stat-ted in the late particles. The research of all three scientists, 1940s. The Nobel awards committee cited who did tkeir studies independently, revolves Ramsey’s “invention of the separated oscil- around the laws of quantum mechanics, latory fields method and its use in the hy- which describe how atoms absorb and dis- drogen maser and other atomic clocks. ” I charge energy. According to the Royal Ramsey commented on the time span of his Swedish Academy of Sciences awards com- heralded work: “It is true that the separated mittee, the laureates’ work was important oscillatory fields method was invented in the “for the development of atomic precision late 1940s, but the work that established its spectroscopy. ” 1 usefuhtess and importance was carried out Atomic spectroscopy is’ ‘the technique of subsequently and is continuing. Likewise, producing spectra via streams of atoms, the hydrogen maser work was not even analyzing their constituent wavelengths, and started until after the 1940s. ”3 using them for chemical analysis or the His work provided the basis for modern determination of energy levels and molec- cesium atomic clocks, which set the inter- ular structure. ” 2 One of the 1989 physics national time standwd and are used in marry prizewinners went one step further in his applications requiring precise measurements efforts by examining individual particles, of time-that is, fractions of time that are and recording characteristics of these in ex- marry orders less than one second. These acting fashion, through the use of instrtmten- applications include digital communications, tation and techniques the laureates invented. satellite navigation, and measurements of the Their work has enabled high-precision tests creep of the continents across the ocean of severaf themies central to science, in- floor. 316 Norman F. Ramsey Huns G. Dehmelt Ramsey was born in Washington, DC, on fessor from 1947 to 1950 and a full pro- August 27, 1915, and attended Columbia fessor from 1950 onwards; he was named University, New York, where he earned his Higgins professor of physics in 1966. AB and MA. He also earned BA (1937), Ramsey continued to serve as a consultant MA (1941), and DSC (1954) degrees from to government, being a science adviser to the University of Cambridge, UK. In 1940 NATO (1958-1959) and a member of the he received a PhD in physics at Columbia. general advisory committee of the US Atomic During the 1940s, he held paitions at the Energy Commission (196@1972). In 1989 University of Illinois, Urbana; the Massa- he was cochairman of a federal committee chusetts Institute of Technology Radiation to investigate the practical significance of Laboratory, Cambridge; and Columbia. cold fusion. During World War 11, Ramsey was a con- Ramsey’s awards include the Presidential sultant to the US National Defense Research Order of Merit (1950) for his work on radar, Committee (1940-1945), an expert consul- the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Memorial tantto the US secretary of war (1942-1945), Award of the US Department of Energy and a group leader and associate division (1960), the Davisson-Germer Prize of the head at the Los Alamos Scientific Lab- American Physical Society (1974), the oratory, New Mexico. He also was deputy Columbia Award for Excellence in Science for scientific and technical matters for (1980), and the National Medal of Science “Project A,” which coordinated all ac- (1988). He was elected to the American tivities concerned with the first use of Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) in nuclear weapons.1 1950 and to the US National Academy of After the war Ramsey was executive Sciences (NAS) in 1952. secretary of the group of scientists who established the Brookhaven National Labo- ratory, Upton, New York. He was the The Separated Oscillatory Fields Method first chairman of its physics department (1946- 1947). From there, Ramsey went to Following two years of postgraduate Harvard, where he was an associate pro- studies at the University of Cambridge, 317 Ramsey went to work at Columbia in the matches one of the atom’s electron orbital summer of 1937with Isidor I. Rabi. The two levels.T were beginning to perform research in the Ramsey eventually Iefi Rabi’s laboratory field of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to work on the war effort. By 1949 he had s~tiOSCOpY. This was a new and powfxfidmoved to Harvard, where he became inter- method of determining molectdm structure ested in irnprovir~ rhe accuracy of the Rabi where not ordy the presence of a nucleus cars method, In so doing, he invented the method be revealed, but also the atomic nucleus’s of separated oscillatory fields. interactions with nearby nuclei.5 Ramsey Ramsey’s method involves first passing recalled the remarks he included in Colum- a beam of molecules or atoms through an bia’s A Tribute to Professor I.I. Rabi, electric or magnetic field, which allows par- published in 1970: ticles in a specific quantum state to pass through.g Then, a radio frequency (micro- The first advice I received from Rabi wave) field is applied to the beam at two in 1937 when I applied to hint to begin separate places a few meters apart. This my research was that I should not go into induces the particle to move to another the field of molecular beams since the energy level. A second elwtric or magnetic interesting problems amenable to that technique had already been solved and field then selectively routes those particles there was little future in the field. I have that have made the transition to a detector. otien wondered how I.. had the temerity (In the Rabi method, the magnetic field is to disregard this bit of advice from the only applied at one site. ) master. However, I am gratetid that I did The two fields cycle at the same frequency since the advice was given only a few and are in phase, producing a very freely months before Rabi’s great invention of the mokctk beam resonance method.6 tuned interference pattern band. As a result the method enables scientists to make a titter, more accurate examination of the Rabi received the 1944 Nobel Prize in structure of particles that make it to the physics for this technique, in which a beam detector. g of atoms is passed through both a uniform Ramsey’s 1949 and 1950Physical Review magnetic field and a single oscillatory mag- papers that describe this procedure are en- netic field. The oscillating magnetic field in- titled’ ‘A new molemdar beam magnetic res- duces the atom to jump from one energy onance method,’ ‘gand “A molecular beam level to another if the frequency of the field resonance method with separated oscillating Figure 1: Year-by-year distribution of citations lo the most<ited works of Norman F. Ramsey. Wolfgang Paul, and Hans G, Dehmelt. –-—–– FwI%=19yNF,19SC — F-ail w #l#l,, 195s 2C- . C18?,mlt HG,l W7 II 1$ ? ,’~ 11 ,! ,{ \ g 25: ? ~’, ,1 t, l! \\ ( ‘\ *, I /\, \ r ~..... ,p\ 1 i, , .,, , \ . \,,fi\ ,’ ~ J... \ “.., ~ 20+ r-./ ,;..,..: \ ,. ‘ L-’ \ /[ “7; $, 1 “\ -?: I , ,A\ t v z ,, ~J ; ..!,.,!: :, :; \f 15; , \ ,“ I ig,~.,)‘-l ,,’‘ .:.,..,.;b:’:..”’ z,vi \., /,..........~. /............,.’” L~..5%$.-----53&,-,-,-dTmi-nn%’iigE&g&#&&g.,-,---,-,---,-r.---r..---,-,---iiiii...r.Si!l Yea 318 Table 1: Norman F. Ramsey’s 10 most-cited papers, based on the SCP, 1945-19$9, mrrtiorra Bibliographic Data 729 Ramsey N F. Magnetic. shielding of nuclei in molecules. Phys. Rev. 78:699-703, 1950. 489 Ramsey N F. Electron coupled irrtemctions between nuclcsr spins in molecules, Pfiys. Rsv, 91:303-7, 1953. 302 Ramsey N F. Chemicsf effects in nuclear magnetic resonance and in diamagnetic susceptibility. Phys, Rev. 86:243-6, 1952. 158 Ramsey N F & Pssrcdf E M. Interactions hctween nuclear spins in molecules. Phys. Rev. 85:143-4, 1952. 157 Kteppner D, GoIdmsberg H M & Ramsey N F. Themy of the hydrogen maser. Phy$. Rev, 126:603-15, 1%2. 136 Ramsey N F. Letter to editor. (llre internsf diamagnetic field correction in measurements of the proton magnetic moment.) Phys. Rev. 77:567, 1950. 109 Dress W B, Mifler P D, Perdtebrsry J M, Perrlrt P & Ramsey N F. Search for an electric dipnle moment of the neutron. Phys. Rev. D–Part. Fields 15:9-21, 1977. 108 Chmr L H, CharI K W, Dutut&g J R, Ramsey N F, Waker J K & Wifaon W.
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