David Pritchard (physicist)
Encyclopedia
David E. Pritchard is physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). Professor Pritchard carried out pioneering experiments on the interaction of atom
s with light that led to the creation of the field of atom optics
. His demonstration of the diffraction
of a beam of atoms by a grating made of light waves opened the way to studies of the diffraction, reflection
, and focusing of matter waves, similar to those with light waves. He has applied atom optics to basic studies of quantum theory
, to new methods for studying the properties of atoms, and to the creation of devices such as the atom interferometer and atom wave gyroscope
.
In 1990, he brought Wolfgang Ketterle
to MIT as a postdoctoral researcher to work on atom cooling, and stepped aside from that field to allow Ketterle to be appointed to the faculty in 1992. Ketterle pursued atom cooling to achieve Bose-Einstein condensation in 1995, a discovery for which Ketterle was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 2001, along with Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman
of JILA, Boulder, CO. Professor Pritchard also mentored Eric Cornell, who was his graduate student.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT). Professor Pritchard carried out pioneering experiments on the interaction of atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
s with light that led to the creation of the field of atom optics
Atom optics
Atom optics is the area of physics which deals with beams of cold, slowly moving neutral atoms, as a special case of a particle beam....
. His demonstration of the diffraction
Diffraction
Diffraction refers to various phenomena which occur when a wave encounters an obstacle. Italian scientist Francesco Maria Grimaldi coined the word "diffraction" and was the first to record accurate observations of the phenomenon in 1665...
of a beam of atoms by a grating made of light waves opened the way to studies of the diffraction, reflection
Reflection (physics)
Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two differentmedia so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves...
, and focusing of matter waves, similar to those with light waves. He has applied atom optics to basic studies of quantum theory
Quantum optics
Quantum optics is a field of research in physics, dealing with the application of quantum mechanics to phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter.- History of quantum optics :...
, to new methods for studying the properties of atoms, and to the creation of devices such as the atom interferometer and atom wave gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
.
In 1990, he brought Wolfgang Ketterle
Wolfgang Ketterle
Wolfgang Ketterle is a German physicist and professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . His research has focused on experiments that trap and cool atoms to temperatures close to absolute zero, and he led one of the first groups to realize Bose-Einstein condensation in these...
to MIT as a postdoctoral researcher to work on atom cooling, and stepped aside from that field to allow Ketterle to be appointed to the faculty in 1992. Ketterle pursued atom cooling to achieve Bose-Einstein condensation in 1995, a discovery for which Ketterle was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
in 2001, along with Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman
Carl Wieman
Carl Edwin Wieman is an American physicist at the University of British Columbia and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics for the production, in 1995 with Eric Allin Cornell, of the first true Bose–Einstein condensate.-Biography:...
of JILA, Boulder, CO. Professor Pritchard also mentored Eric Cornell, who was his graduate student.