Glen Rebka
Encyclopedia
Glen Anderson Rebka, Jr. (born 1931) is an American physicist
.
Rebka attained a doctorate 1961 at Harvard
, where he began study in 1953. Starting from 1961 he was at Yale University
and starting from 1970 at the University of Wyoming
, where he was from 1983 to 1991 department head of the physics faculty and is since 1997 professor emeritus. In addition to his academic career he did much work as an experimental elementary-particle physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory
. At the University of Wyoming he built up the astrophysics faculty.
In 1960 Robert Pound
carried out together with his assistant Glen Rebka an experiment, the Pound-Rebka experiment
, using the Mössbauer effect
to measure the gravitational redshift
of the radiation from a gamma source in the gravitation
field of planet Earth. Pound and Rebka used at Harvard University
the Jefferson tower, which is only 22.6 meters tall. The work was part of Rebka's thesis with Pound as thesis advisor.
Pound and Rebka received in 1965 the Eddington medal
of the Royal Astronomical Society
.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
.
Rebka attained a doctorate 1961 at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he began study in 1953. Starting from 1961 he was at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and starting from 1970 at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
, where he was from 1983 to 1991 department head of the physics faculty and is since 1997 professor emeritus. In addition to his academic career he did much work as an experimental elementary-particle physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
. At the University of Wyoming he built up the astrophysics faculty.
In 1960 Robert Pound
Robert Pound
Robert Vivian Pound was an American physicist who helped discover nuclear magnetic resonance and who devised the famous Pound-Rebka experiment supporting general relativity .Pound was born in Ridgeway, Ontario....
carried out together with his assistant Glen Rebka an experiment, the Pound-Rebka experiment
Pound-Rebka experiment
The Pound–Rebka experiment is a well known experiment to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. It was proposed by Robert Pound and his graduate student Glen A. Rebka Jr. in 1959, and was the last of the classical tests of general relativity to be verified...
, using the Mössbauer effect
Mössbauer effect
The Mössbauer effect, or recoilless nuclear resonance fluorescence, is a physical phenomenon discovered by Rudolf Mössbauer in 1958. It involves the resonant and recoil-free emission and absorption of γ radiation by atomic nuclei bound in a solid...
to measure the gravitational redshift
Gravitational redshift
In astrophysics, gravitational redshift or Einstein shift describes light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation of certain wavelengths that originate from a source that is in a region of a stronger gravitational field that appear to be of longer wavelength, or redshifted, when seen or...
of the radiation from a gamma source in the gravitation
Gravitation
Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...
field of planet Earth. Pound and Rebka used at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
the Jefferson tower, which is only 22.6 meters tall. The work was part of Rebka's thesis with Pound as thesis advisor.
Pound and Rebka received in 1965 the Eddington medal
Eddington Medal
The Eddington Medal, named after Sir Arthur Eddington, is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society nominally once every two years for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics.- Recipients :* 1953 Georges Lemaître...
of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
.
External links
- David Lindley: The Weight of Light
- Group photo with Glen Rebka (2006)
- Brief biography