Robert W. Field
Encyclopedia
Robert W. Field is the Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, where he has been a professor since 1974. His AB degree is in chemistry from Amherst College
, and his PhD is in chemistry from Harvard University
, where he worked with Bill Klemperer
. He was a postdoc with Herbert Broida at the University of California, Santa Barbara
.
He is a physical chemist, specializing in spectroscopy of small molecules in the gas phase
. He performed the first microwave-optical and optical-optical double resonance experiments on small molecules, and invented the Stimulated Emission Pumping (SEP, or "PUMP and DUMP") spectroscopic method. He is also particularly known for studies of the molecules acetylene
(C2H2) and calcium monofluoride (CaF).
He is the recipient of the Broida Prize, the Plyler Prize, the Lippincott Award, and the Nobel Laureate Signature Award. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
His active research group at MIT includes about ten graduate students
and postdocs working on experimental, theoretical and computational physical chemistry
of small molecules in the gas phase.
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...
, where he has been a professor since 1974. His AB degree is in chemistry from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, and his PhD is in chemistry from 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...
, where he worked with Bill Klemperer
William Klemperer
William A. Klemperer is a prominent and accomplished American chemist who was one of the most influential Chemical Physicists and Molecular Spectroscopists in the second half of the 20'th century. Klemperer is most widely known for: Introducing Molecular beam methods into Chemical Physics Research...
. He was a postdoc with Herbert Broida at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
.
He is a physical chemist, specializing in spectroscopy of small molecules in the gas phase
Phase (matter)
In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of space , throughout which all physical properties of a material are essentially uniform. Examples of physical properties include density, index of refraction, and chemical composition...
. He performed the first microwave-optical and optical-optical double resonance experiments on small molecules, and invented the Stimulated Emission Pumping (SEP, or "PUMP and DUMP") spectroscopic method. He is also particularly known for studies of the molecules acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
(C2H2) and calcium monofluoride (CaF).
He is the recipient of the Broida Prize, the Plyler Prize, the Lippincott Award, and the Nobel Laureate Signature Award. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The 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...
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The 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...
.
His active research group at MIT includes about ten graduate students
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
and postdocs working on experimental, theoretical and computational physical chemistry
Physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts...
of small molecules in the gas phase.
Sources
- http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/www/faculty/field.html
- H. Lefebvre-Brion and R.W. Field, Perturbations in the Spectra of Diatomic MoleculesDiatomicDiatomic molecules are molecules composed only of two atoms, of either the same or different chemical elements. The prefix di- means two in Greek. Common diatomic molecules are hydrogen , nitrogen , oxygen , and carbon monoxide . Seven elements exist in the diatomic state in the liquid and solid...
, Academic PressAcademic PressAcademic Press is an academic book publisher. Originally independent, it was acquired by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1969. Reed Elsevier bought Harcourt in 2000, and Academic Press is now an imprint of Elsevier....
, 1986.