Maurice Goldhaber

Maurice Goldhaber
Name	Maurice Goldhaber
Caption	Maurice Goldhaber in 1966
Birth date	18 April 1911
Birth place	Lemberg, Austria-Hungary (now Lviv, Ukraine)
Death date	11 May 2011
Death place	East Setauket, New York, United States
Fields	Nuclear physics, Particle physics
Workplaces	University of Cambridge, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (PhD), Humboldt University of Berlin
Doctoral advisor	James Chadwick
Known for	Neutrino helicity, Goldhaber triangle, Photodisintegration of the deuteron
Awards	Tom W. Bonner Prize (1971), National Medal of Science (1983), Wolf Prize in Physics (1991), Enrico Fermi Award (1998)
Spouse	Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber

Maurice Goldhaber was a pioneering Austro-Hungarian-born American physicist whose fundamental experiments shaped modern nuclear physics and particle physics. His career, spanning over six decades, included landmark discoveries such as the determination of neutrino helicity and key insights into nuclear structure. He served as director of the Brookhaven National Laboratory and was a recipient of the National Medal of Science and the Wolf Prize in Physics.

Early life and education

Born in Lemberg, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he pursued his early education amidst the political turmoil of interwar Europe. He studied at the Humboldt University of Berlin before fleeing the rise of the Nazi Party, continuing his studies at the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, he earned his PhD under the supervision of Nobel laureate James Chadwick, the discoverer of the neutron. This formative period immersed him in the forefront of experimental physics alongside other luminaries at the Cavendish Laboratory.

Scientific career and research

After completing his doctorate, he conducted research at the University of Cambridge before moving to the United States in 1938. He held a position at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign before joining the nascent Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island in 1950. He rose to become director of Brookhaven from 1961 to 1973, overseeing a period of major expansion including the construction of the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron. His own research encompassed photodisintegration, beta decay, and the properties of fundamental particles, often conducted in collaboration with his wife, physicist Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber.

Neutrino helicity experiment

In 1957, he led a brilliant and elegant experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory with colleagues Lee Grodzins and Andrew Sunyar that definitively established the helicity of the neutrino. The experiment involved the capture of orbital electrons by europium-152 nuclei, producing a cascade that emitted a neutrino and a photon. By analyzing the circular polarization of the photon, the team proved the neutrino is exclusively left-handed, a finding of profound importance for the V-A theory of weak interactions and the Standard Model of particle physics.

Goldhaber triangle and other contributions

He is also renowned for the conceptual Goldhaber triangle, which relates the masses of particles involved in reactions mediated by the weak nuclear force, providing a fundamental constraint on neutrino properties. With his wife, he performed pioneering studies on the photodisintegration of the deuteron, revealing key details about the neutron-proton interaction. His broad curiosity led to contributions in understanding nuclear isomerism, double beta decay, and the idea that the proton might be stable while the neutron is not.

Awards and honors

His seminal work earned him numerous prestigious accolades throughout his career. These included the Tom W. Bonner Prize from the American Physical Society, the U.S. government's highest scientific honor, the National Medal of Science, and the international Wolf Prize in Physics. He was also a recipient of the Enrico Fermi Award and was elected to esteemed institutions like the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.

Personal life and legacy

He was married for over fifty years to fellow physicist Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber, with whom he frequently collaborated; they had two sons. Known for his deep physical intuition and clarity of thought, he remained an active researcher and influential figure at Brookhaven National Laboratory long after his formal retirement. His legacy endures in the fundamental laws of particle physics, the institutions he helped build, and the generations of scientists he mentored.

Category:American nuclear physicists Category:Wolf Prize in Physics laureates Category:National Medal of Science laureates