Roy J. Glauber
Facts
Photo: J.Reed
Roy J. Glauber
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2005
Born: 1 September 1925, New York, NY, USA
Died: 26 December 2018, Newton, MA, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Prize motivation: “for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence”
Prize share: 1/2
Work
According to quantum physics, which was developed at the beginning of the 20th century, light and other electromagnetic radiation appear in the form of quanta, packets with fixed energies, which can be described as both waves and as particles, photons. However, no real in-depth theory of light based on quantum theory existed before Roy Glauber established the foundation for quantum optics in 1963. This required the development of the laser. Its concentrated and coherent light gave rise to more quantum physical phenomena than regular light.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
