Contents
Burton Richter
Co-discovering the J/psi particle and advancing particle accelerators.
SPEAR · Psi particle
- Born
- 22 March 1931
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Died
- 18 July 2018
More people
Burton Richter
American experimental physicist who combined major particle discoveries with leadership of Stanford’s accelerator laboratory.
Early life
New York upbringing
Grew up in Queens and attended Far Rockaway High School.
MIT education
Completed undergraduate and doctoral study in physics at MIT.
Career
- 1950s–1960s
Stanford research
Joined Stanford and worked on electron-positron accelerator experiments.
- 1970s
SPEAR discovery
Led work using the new storage ring to investigate subatomic particles.
- 1984–1999
Laboratory director
Directed SLAC and helped shape its scientific programme.
Contributions
SPEAR
Led construction of the electron-positron storage ring at Stanford.
Psi particle
His group discovered the particle independently identified by Samuel Ting’s team.
Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
A book examining energy choices and climate change.
Beyond physics
Science policy
Advised on research policy and advocated sustained support for basic science.
Energy
Applied his scientific experience to public debate about energy and environmental risks.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Burton_Richter_NSF.jpg : NSF derivative work: Materialscientist ( talk ). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
