Jerome Friedman is a distinguished American physicist known for his significant contributions to particle physics, particularly in the field of deep inelastic scattering experiments that led to the discovery of the quark substructure of protons and neutrons. Here is an in-depth look at his life and career:
Early Life and Education
- Born on March 28, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois.
- Graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.S. in 1953.
- Earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1956 under the supervision of Enrico Fermi.
Scientific Career
- Joined MIT as a research associate in 1956, eventually becoming a full professor.
- Notable for his work at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), where he was involved in experiments that provided evidence for quarks.
- Collaborated with Henry Kendall and Richard Taylor in experiments that led to the discovery of the quark model, for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990.
Key Contributions
- His experiments at SLAC involved scattering electrons off protons and deuterons, revealing the existence of point-like particles within the nucleons, which were later identified as quarks.
- These findings were crucial in establishing the Standard Model of particle physics, providing experimental evidence for the quark-gluon structure of matter.
Awards and Recognition
Later Years
- Retired from MIT in 2005 but continued to engage in scientific discourse and occasionally served on various committees.
- Has been involved in promoting science education and public understanding of physics.
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