Richter , Burton

Richter , Burton
(1931––) American physicist
Richter was joint winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize for physics. A New Yorker by birth, he studied first at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gaining his BS in 1952 and his PhD in physics in 1956. His interest in the physics of elementary particles took him subsequently to Stanford University's high-energy physics laboratory where he became a member of the group building the first pair of electron- storage rings. In this machine, intense beams of particles were made to collide with each other in order to study the validity of quantum electrodynamic theory.
In the 1960s, Richter designed the Stanford Positron Electron Accelerating Ring (SPEAR), which was capable of engineering collisions of much more energetic particles. It was on this machine that, in November 1974, Richter and his collaborators created and detected a new kind of heavy elementary particle, which they labeled psi (ψ). The discovery was announced in a 35-author paper (typical of today's high-energy-research teams) in the journal Physical Review Letters. The particle is a hadron with a lifetime about one thousand times greater than could be expected from its observed mass. Its discovery was important as its properties are consistent with the idea that it is formed from a fourth type of quark, thus supporting Sheldon Glashow's concept of ‘charm’.
Almost simultaneously, another group led by Samuel Ting 2000 miles away at the Brookhaven Laboratory, Long Island, made the same discovery independently in a very diffferent experiment. Richter and Ting met to discuss their findings, and confirmation came quickly from other laboratories when they knew the energy of the new particle and were able to tune their own machines accordingly. Ting called the new particle J; it is now usually referred to as the J/psi in recognition of the simultaneity of its discovery. The discovery led to the finding of many other similar particles as a ‘family’ and has stimulated new attempts to rationalize the underlying structure of matter. Within only two years, Richter and Ting were to be the recipients of the Nobel Prize for physics.
Richter has been a full professor at Stanford University since 1967, taking a sabbatical year at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva (1975–76). He became director of the Linear Accelerator Center in 1984.

Scientists. . 2011.

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  • RICHTER, BURTON — (1931– ), U.S. physicist and Nobel prize winner. Born in New York, Richter received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956. In the same year he joined Stanford University as a research associate, becoming assistant… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Richter, Burton — ▪ American physicist born March 22, 1931, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.       American physicist who was jointly awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize for Physics with Samuel C.C. Ting (Ting, Samuel C.C.) for the discovery of a new subatomic particle, the J/psi… …   Universalium

  • Richter,Burton — Rich·ter (rĭkʹtər), Burton. Born 1931. American physicist. He shared a 1976 Nobel Prize for the discovery of a subatomic particle. * * * …   Universalium

  • Richter, Burton — ► (n. 1931) Físico estadounidense. Fue premio Nobel de Física en 1976, compartido con Samuel C. Ting, por descubir una nueva partícula de características extraordinarias a la que llamó Ψ (psi) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Richter — Burton …   Scientists

  • Burton Richter — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Burton Richter Burton Richter (22 de marzo de 1931) es un físico estadounidense ganador del Premio Nobel de Física. Nació en New York, y estudió en el MIT, donde se licenció en 1952 y se doctoró en 1956. Fue director …   Wikipedia Español

  • Burton Richter — (* 22. März 1931 in New York) ist ein US amerikanischer Physiker. Richter studierte ab 1948 Physik am Massachusetts Institute of Technology, unter anderem bei Francis Bitter im Magnetismus Labor. Er wechselte aber bald zur Teilchenphysik und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Richter — Richter, Burton Richter, Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, Jeremias Benjamin Richter, escala de * * * (as used in expressions) Richter, Conrad (Michael) Richter, Curt Paul Richter, escala de Richter, Gerhard …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Burton Richter — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Richter. Burton Richter. Burton Richter (22 mars 1931) est un physicien américain. Samuel Ting et lui sont colauréats du …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Richter (Familienname) — Richter ist ein deutscher Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Der Familienname Richter stammt von der Berufsbezeichnung „Richter“. Nur in einigen Fällen war damit der Beruf gemeint, den wir heute unter dem Berufsnamen Richter verstehen. Im Osten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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