Gerald E. Brown
Encyclopedia
Gerald Edward "Gerry" Brown (born July 22, 1926 in Brookings, South Dakota
) is an American theoretical physicist who works on nuclear physics and astrophysics. Since 1968 he has been a professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
. He is currently a distinguished professor emeritus of the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
at Stony Brook.
, where in 1950 he earned his PhD. In 1957 he earned his D.Sc. from the University of Birmingham
in England (under Rudolf Peierls
), where he was from 1955 docent and in 1959/60 was professor for theoretical physics. From 1960 to 1985 he was a professor at NORDITA in Copenhagen
and concurrently from 1964 to 1968 Professor at Princeton
and since 1968 a professor at the State University of New York in Stony Brook
, where he is since 1988 Distinguished Professor of Physics.
Brown worked first in theoretical atomic physics (self-ionization of the vacuum with Geoff Ravenhall in 1951, Lamb shift in heavy atoms, electron-electron interactions, precise calculation of Rayleigh scattering
). In nuclear physics, where he has been for decades one of the leading theorists of nuclear many body problems in particle physics
, he worked, for example, with Mark Bolsteri on the giant dipole resonance, with Tom Kuo on effective interactions of nucleons in atomic nuclei, as well on chiral invariant theories of the atomic nucleus (with Mannque Rho
and Dan Olaf Riska), that is to say, field theories with pion
s and other meson
s. Starting in the 1970s he worked frequently in collaboration with Hans Bethe
on the nuclear-physics-derived equations of state in the theory of compact stars (gravitational collapse
, supernova
e, double stars with compact stars as partners, development of black hole
s, gamma ray burst
s). Brown worked since the end of the 1970s on bag models of nucleons (Chiral bag model). Toward the end of Bethe's life, Bethe told Brown to explain his work to the rest of the world.
(1982), Birmingham
(1990) and Copenhagen
(1998).
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher...
) is an American theoretical physicist who works on nuclear physics and astrophysics. Since 1968 he has been a professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
. He is currently a distinguished professor emeritus of the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics
The C. N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics is a research center at Stony Brook University. In 1965, it was the vision of then University President J.S. Toll and Physics Department chair T.A...
at Stony Brook.
Life and work
Brown received his bachelor's degree in physics in 1946 from the University of Wisconsin and in 1948 his master's degree from Yale UniversityYale 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...
, where in 1950 he earned his PhD. In 1957 he earned his D.Sc. from the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in England (under Rudolf Peierls
Rudolf Peierls
Sir Rudolf Ernst Peierls, CBE was a German-born British physicist. Rudolf Peierls had a major role in Britain's nuclear program, but he also had a role in many modern sciences...
), where he was from 1955 docent and in 1959/60 was professor for theoretical physics. From 1960 to 1985 he was a professor at NORDITA in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and concurrently from 1964 to 1968 Professor at Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and since 1968 a professor at the State University of New York in Stony Brook
Stony Brook
Stony Brook, Stonybrook or Stoney Brook may refer to:In California* Farwell, California, once known as StonybrookIn Massachusetts* Stony Brook , a tributary of the Charles River in Boston...
, where he is since 1988 Distinguished Professor of Physics.
Brown worked first in theoretical atomic physics (self-ionization of the vacuum with Geoff Ravenhall in 1951, Lamb shift in heavy atoms, electron-electron interactions, precise calculation of Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering
Rayleigh scattering, named after the British physicist Lord Rayleigh, is the elastic scattering of light or other electromagnetic radiation by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light. The particles may be individual atoms or molecules. It can occur when light travels through...
). In nuclear physics, where he has been for decades one of the leading theorists of nuclear many body problems in particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
, he worked, for example, with Mark Bolsteri on the giant dipole resonance, with Tom Kuo on effective interactions of nucleons in atomic nuclei, as well on chiral invariant theories of the atomic nucleus (with Mannque Rho
Mannque Rho
Mannque Rho is a Korean theoretical physicist.He has been contributed to theoretical nuclear/hadron physics and suggested Brown-Rho Scaling with Gerald E. Brown which predicts how the masses of the hadrons disappear in hot and dense environments.-Birth and education:Mannque Rho was born in...
and Dan Olaf Riska), that is to say, field theories with pion
Pion
In particle physics, a pion is any of three subatomic particles: , , and . Pions are the lightest mesons and they play an important role in explaining the low-energy properties of the strong nuclear force....
s and other meson
Meson
In particle physics, mesons are subatomic particles composed of one quark and one antiquark, bound together by the strong interaction. Because mesons are composed of sub-particles, they have a physical size, with a radius roughly one femtometer: 10−15 m, which is about the size of a proton...
s. Starting in the 1970s he worked frequently in collaboration with Hans Bethe
Hans Bethe
Hans Albrecht Bethe was a German-American nuclear physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. A versatile theoretical physicist, Bethe also made important contributions to quantum electrodynamics, nuclear physics, solid-state physics and...
on the nuclear-physics-derived equations of state in the theory of compact stars (gravitational collapse
Gravitational collapse
Gravitational collapse is the inward fall of a body due to the influence of its own gravity. In any stable body, this gravitational force is counterbalanced by the internal pressure of the body, in the opposite direction to the force of gravity...
, supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
e, double stars with compact stars as partners, development of black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
s, gamma ray burst
Gamma ray burst
Gamma-ray bursts are flashes of gamma rays associated with extremely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most luminous electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. Bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several minutes, although a typical...
s). Brown worked since the end of the 1970s on bag models of nucleons (Chiral bag model). Toward the end of Bethe's life, Bethe told Brown to explain his work to the rest of the world.
Recognitions and awards
Brown received an honorary doctorate from the HelsinkiUniversity of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
(1982), Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
(1990) and Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
(1998).
- 1975 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- 1976 Boris Pregel Award of the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
- 1982 Tom W. Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics of the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
- 1992 John Price Wetherill Medal of the Franklin InstituteFranklin InstituteThe Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
- 1997 Max Planck MedalMax Planck medalThe Max Planck medal is an award for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. It is awarded annually by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft , the world's largest organization of physicists.-List of recipients:...
of the Deutschen Physikalischen GesellschaftDeutsche Physikalische GesellschaftThe Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft is the world's largest organization of physicists. The DPG's worldwide membership is cited as 60,000, as of 2011... - 2001 Hans A. Bethe PrizeHans Bethe PrizeThe Hans A. Bethe Prize, is presented annually by the American Physical Society.The prize honors outstanding work in theory, experiment or observation in the areas of astrophysics, nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, or closely related fields...
of the American Physical Society - Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and LettersNorwegian Academy of Science and LettersThe Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
.
Selected works
- "Unified theory of nuclear models", North Holland, Interscience 1964, new edition entitled Unified theory of nuclear models and forces", North Holland 1967, 1971
- with A. D. Jackson "The Nucleon Nucleon Interaction", North Holland 1976
- "Many body problems", North Holland 1972
- with Ravenhall "On the interaction of two electrons", Proceedings of the Royal Society A 208, 1951, 552
- with Bolsteri "Dipole state in nuclei", Physical Review Letters, Bd.3, 1959, 472
- "Die Entdeckung der Multipol-Riesenresonanzen in Atomkernen", Physikalische Blätter 1997, S.710 (Vortrag aus Anlass der Verleihung der Max Planck Medaille der DPG)
- with Kuo "Structure of finite nuclei and the free Nucleon-Nucleon interaction: an application to O18 and F18", Nuclear Physics A, Bd.85, 1966, S.40-86
- with Rho "Towards a basis in QCD for nuclear physics", Comments on Nuclear and Particle Physics Bd. 16, 1986, 245
- "The structure of the Nucleon", Physics Today January 1983
- with Zahed "The Skyrme Model", Physics Reports, Bd.142, 1986, S.1-102
- with Weise, Baym, Speth "Relativistic effects in nuclear physics", Comments on Nuclear and Particle Physics, Bd. 17, 1987, 37
- with Bethe, Applegate, Lattimer "Evolution of state in the gravitational collapse of stars", Nuclear Physics A 324, 1979, S.487
- with Bethe "How a Supernova explodes", Scientific American Mai 1985