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John L. Hall of CU and NIST Awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics
John L. Hall, a fellow and senior research associate at JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Theodor W. Hänsch of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics and a professor of physics at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, and Roy J. Glauber, a professor of physics at Harvard University. Hall and Hänsch were awarded half the Nobel Prize for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique. The other half of the prize was awarded to Glauber for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence.
According to the announcement, the important contributions by Hall and Hänsch have made it possible to measure frequencies with an accuracy of 15 digits. Lasers with extremely sharp colors can now be constructed, and with the frequency comb technique precise readings can be made of light of all colors. For example, this technique makes it possible to study the stability of the constants of nature over time and to develop extremely accurate clocks and improved global positioning system (GPS) technology.
Hall began his career at NIST as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow in 1961. He joined the NIST staff as a physicist in 1962, and was named a senior scientist in 1971. In 1964, he became a fellow of JILA, which is a joint institute of NIST and CU-Boulder. Hall retired from NIST in 2004 and currently is a senior research associate at JILA, located on the CU-Boulder campus. He has received many honors during his career, including the Department of Commerce Gold Medal (individually in 1969 and as part of a group in 1974 and 2002). He has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 1984.
Interim CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano said: “This awarding of the Nobel Prize in physics to John Hall brings great honor to his research, his colleagues at JILA and NIST, to the university and to the citizens of Colorado. It is another example of the prestige and quality of CU-Boulder scientists and the opportunities available for students to work with faculty of Nobel quality."
For more information, visit the Nobel Prize web site at http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/2005/press.html.
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