John L. Hall
Encyclopedia
John Lewis "Jan" Hall (born August 21, 1934) is an American physicist
, and Nobel laureate in physics. He shared one half of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics
with Theodor W. Hänsch for his work in precision spectroscopy
.
, Hall holds three degrees from Carnegie Institute of Technology
, a B.S.
in 1956, an M.S.
in 1958, and a Ph.D.
in 1961. He completed his postdoctoral studies at the Department of Commerce's National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), where he remained from 1962 until his retirement in 2004. He has lectured at the University of Colorado at Boulder
since 1967.
Hall is currently a NIST Senior Fellow, Emeritus and remains a Fellow at JILA, formerly the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, and Lecturer at the CU Boulder Physics Department. JILA is a research institute managed jointly by CU Boulder and NIST.
Hall's Nobel prize was awarded for his work on laser-based precision spectroscopy, and the optical frequency comb
technique. The other half of the prize was awarded to Roy J. Glauber
.
Hall has received many other honors for his pioneering work, including the Optical Society of America
's Max Born Award "for pioneering the field of stable lasers, including their applications in fundamental physics and, most recently, in the stabilization of femtosecond lasers to provide dramatic advances in optical frequency metrology."
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...
, and Nobel laureate in physics. He shared one half of the 2005 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...
with Theodor W. Hänsch for his work in precision spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
.
Biography
Born in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Hall holds three degrees from Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
, a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1956, an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1958, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1961. He completed his postdoctoral studies at the Department of Commerce's National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
(NIST), where he remained from 1962 until his retirement in 2004. He has lectured at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
since 1967.
Hall is currently a NIST Senior Fellow, Emeritus and remains a Fellow at JILA, formerly the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, and Lecturer at the CU Boulder Physics Department. JILA is a research institute managed jointly by CU Boulder and NIST.
Hall's Nobel prize was awarded for his work on laser-based precision spectroscopy, and the optical frequency comb
Frequency comb
A frequency comb is the graphic representation of the spectrum of a mode locked laser. An octave spanning comb can be used for mapping radio frequencies into the optical frequency range or it can be used to steer a piezoelectric mirror within a carrier envelope phase correcting feedback loop...
technique. The other half of the prize was awarded to Roy J. Glauber
Roy J. Glauber
Roy Jay Glauber is an American theoretical physicist. He is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University and Adjunct Professor of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona...
.
Hall has received many other honors for his pioneering work, including the Optical Society of America
Optical Society of America
The Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...
's Max Born Award "for pioneering the field of stable lasers, including their applications in fundamental physics and, most recently, in the stabilization of femtosecond lasers to provide dramatic advances in optical frequency metrology."
Honours and awards
- National Carbon Company Fellow in Physics, 1957–1961
- Department of Commerce Gold Medal, 1969
- Samuel W. Stratton Award, 1971
- Department of Commerce Gold Medal, 1974 (group awards)
- IR-100: Laser stabilizer selected as one of “100 best new products of the year,” 1975
- IR-100: Laser wavelength meter (“Lambdameter”) selected as one of “100 best new products of the year,” 1977
- E. U. Condon Award, 1979
- Charles Hard Townes Award of the Optical Society of America, 1984, jointly with V. P. Chebotayev (Academy of Sciences, USSR)
- Davisson-Germer Prize of the American Physical Society, 1988
- Docteur Honoris Causa de l’Universite Paris Nord, 1989
- Frederic Ives Medal of the Optical Society of America, 1991
- Arthur L. Shawlow Prize of the American Physical Society, 1993
- Allen V. Astin Measurement Science Award, 2000
- Max Born AwardMax Born AwardThe Max Born Award is given by the Optical Society for "outstanding contributions to physical optics", and is named after Max Born.-Recipients:* 2011 Carlton M. Caves* 2010 Vladimir M. Shalaev* 2009 Mordechai Segev...
of the Optical Society of AmericaOptical Society of AmericaThe Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...
, 2002 - Presidential Rank Award from the Office of Personnel Management, 2002
- Department of Commerce Gold Medal, 2002 (group awards)
- Rabi Award of the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society, 2004
- Légion d’Honneur Membership, 2004
- Nobel Prize in Physics, 2005
- Doctor of Science, honoris causa, University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, 2007
External links
- Hall's website
- Group photograph including, right to left, Marlan ScullyMarlan ScullyMarlan Orvil Scully is a physicist best known for his work in theoretical quantum optics. He is currently a professor at Texas A&M University and Princeton University. He has authored over 700 scientific articles, as well as standard textbooks such as “Laser Physics” and “Quantum Optics” ...
, Willis LambWillis LambWillis Eugene Lamb, Jr. was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1955 together with Polykarp Kusch "for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum". Lamb and Kusch were able to precisely determine certain electromagnetic properties of the electron...
, John L. Hall, and F. J. DuarteF. J. DuarteF. J. Duarte is a laser physicist and author/editor of several well-known books on tunable lasers. He introduced the generalized multiple-prism dispersion theory and has discovered various multiple-prism grating oscillator laser configurations...
.