Benjamin Lax

Biography

Abstract

Benjamin Lax was Professor of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (1965-1986). He was also on staff at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory (1951-1965) and director of MIT's Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory (1960-1981). In his research, he made major contributions to the understanding of semiconductors, particularly through studies of their energy band structure using cyclotron resonance.

Important Dates

December 29, 1915Birth, Miskolc (Hungary).

1941Obtained BS in Mechanical Engineering, Cooper Union, New York (N.Y.).

1944 – 1946Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Radiation Laboratory, Cambridge (Mass.).

1946 – 1951Researcher, Cambridge Research Center, United States Air Force.

1949Obtained PhD in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1951 – 1965Researcher (1951-1953); Head, Ferrites Group (1953-1955); Head, Solid State Group (1955-1957); Associate Head (1957-1958); Head, Solid State Division (1958-1964); and Associate Director (1964-1965), Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1960Awarded Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize.

1960 – 2015Director (1960-1981) and Director Emeritus (1981-2015), Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1963 – 1967Member, Council, American Physical Society.

1964 – 1981Member (1964-1981) and Chair (1966-1968), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)-APS (American Physical Society)-OSA (Optical Society of America) Joint Council on Quantum Electronics.

1965 – 2015Professor of Physics (1965-1986) and Professor Emeritus of Physics (1986-2015), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1969Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1970 – 1981Member, Solid State Science Panel, National Research Council.

April 21, 2015Death, Newton (Mass.).

Occupation

Solid state physicist.

Places

Birth

Miskolc (Hungary)

Undergraduate Education

New York (N.Y.)

Graduate Education

Cambridge (Mass.)

Employment

Cambridge (Mass.)

Death

Newton (Mass.)

Subjects

Cyclotrons.

Plasma physics.

Semiconductors.

Solid state physics.

Relationships

People

Family

Lax, Blossom Cohen

Wife.

Lax, Daniel R.

Son.

Lax, Robert M.

Son.

Advisors & Collaborators

Brown, Sanborn C. (Sanborn Conner), 1913-1981

PhD advisor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), "The effect of magnetic field on the breakdown of gases at high frequencies."

Colleagues

Al'tshuler, B. L.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Benedek, George Bernard, 1928-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bertsch, George F.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Birgeneau, Robert J. (Robert Joseph), 1942-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bitter, Francis, 1902-1967

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Coppi, B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Deutsch, Martin, 1917-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Dresselhaus, M. S.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Edwards, David F. (David Franklin)

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lincoln Laboratory.

Enge, Harald A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Feshbach, Herman

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Friedman, Jerome I. (Jerome Isaac), 1930-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Goldstone, Jeffrey

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Goodenough, John B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lincoln Laboratory.

Guth, Alan H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Haroche, S.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jackiw, Roman W.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Javan, Ali, 1926-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Joannopoulos, J. D. (John D.), 1947-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kaspi, Victoria Michelle, 1967-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kastner, Marc A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kendall, Henry W. (Henry Way), 1926-1999

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ketterle, Wolfgang

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kleppner, Daniel

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kraushaar, William L.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lee, P. A. (Patrick A.), 1946-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lieb, Elliott H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Livingston, M. Stanley (Milton Stanley)

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Low, Francis E. (Francis Eugene), 1921-2007

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Meservey, Robert, 1921-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory.

Morrison, Philip

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Morse, Philip M. (Philip McCord), 1903-1985

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Orowan, E. (Egon), 1902-1989

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Page, Lyman A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Phillips, William D. (William Daniel), 1948-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Porkolab, Miklos

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Randall, Lisa

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Read, Nicholas

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Rossi, Bruno, 1905-1993

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Shull, Clifford Glenwood

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Slater, John C. (John Clarke), 1900-1976

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Stanley, H. Eugene (Harry Eugene), 1941-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Stratton, Julius Adams, 1901-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Tedrow, Paul, 1940-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory.

Ting, S. C. C. (Samuel Chao-chung), 1936-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Townes, Charles H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Webb, M. B. (Maurice Barnett), 1926-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lincoln Laboratory.

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Weiss, Rainer

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Weisskopf, Victor Frederick, 1908-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Wiesner, Jerome B. (Jerome Bert), 1915-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Wilczek, Frank

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Zacharias, Jerrold Reinach, 1905-1986

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Additional

Basov, N. G. (Nikolaĭ Gennadievich), 1922-2001

Institutions

Major Positions

Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory

Director and Director Emeritus.

Lincoln Laboratory

Researcher; Head, Ferrites Group; Head, Solid State Group; Associate Head; Head, Solid State Division; Associate Director.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Obtained PhD (1949). Professor of Physics and Professor Emeritus of Physics.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Radiation Laboratory

Researcher.

United States. Air Force

Researcher, Cambridge Research Center.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

Member, Council and received 1960 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize.

Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Obtained BS in Mechanical Engineering (1941).

Joint Council on Quantum Electronics

Member and Chair.

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

National Research Council (U.S.)

Member, Solid State Science Panel.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Benjamin Lax memoir [sound recording], 1998-2000.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Benjamin Lax papers, 1925-1975.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Oral history interview with Benjamin Lax, 1986 May 15.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Benjamin Lax, 1991 June 13.

IEEE History Center

Stevens Institute of Technology

Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA

Subject

Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory records, 1957-1987.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Oral history interview with Nikolai Gennadievich Basov, 1984 September 14.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Published Resources

Author

Physics of quantum electronics; conference proceedings / Edited by P.L. Kelley, B. Lax [and] P.E. Tannenwald.

Subject

Benjamin Lax Physics Today obituary.