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Biography
AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjectsRelationships
PeopleInstitutionsResources
Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorCarl D. Anderson
Dates
September 3, 1905 – January 11, 1991
Authorized Form of Name
Anderson, Carl D. (Carl David), 1905-1991
Additional Forms of Names
Anderson, Carl D., 1905-1991
Anderson, Carl David, 1905-1991
Biography
Abstract
Carl David Anderson was an American physicist, who received the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics. He is renowned for his discovery of the positron and the muon.
Important Dates
September 3, 1905Birth, New York (N.Y.).
1927Obtained BS in Physics and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (Calif.).
1930Obtained PhD in Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (Calif.).
1930 – 1991Research Fellow (1930-1933); Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Physics (1933-1939); Professor of Physics (1939-1976); Chair, Division of Physics Mathematics and Astronomy (1962-1970); and Emeritus Professor of Physics (1977-1991), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (Calif.).
1936Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics "for his discovery of the positron".
1937Awarded Elliott Cresson Medal, Franklin Institute.
1938Member, National Academy of Sciences.
1947Flew cloud chambers in two B-29 airplanes and collected information about the decay of primary cosmic ray particles, Office of Naval Research.
1950Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
1963 – 1966Chair, Physics Section, National Academy of Sciences.
January 11, 1991Death, San Marino (Calif.).
Occupation
Particle physicist.
Places
Birth
Undergraduate Education
Graduate Education
Employment
Death
Subjects
Relationships
People
Family
Anderson, Lorraine
Wife.
Advisors & Collaborators
Collaborated on Caltech artillery rocket project for the Navy and both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Lauritsen, Charles Christian, 1892-1968
Collaborated on Caltech artillery rocket project for the Navy and both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Millikan, Robert Andrews, 1868-1953
Ph.D. advisor at California Institute of Technology, "Space Distribution of X-Ray Photo-Electric Cells." Both also employed there.
Neddermeyer, Seth H. (Seth Henry), 1907-1988
Advised by Anderson at California Institute of Technology; co-discovered the muon; and both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Colleagues
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Bacher, Robert F. (Robert Fox), 1905-2004
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Barish, B. C. (Barry Clark), 1936-
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Bonner, Tom Wilkerson, 1910-1961
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Crane, H. R. (Horace Richard), 1907-2007
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
DuBridge, Lee A. (Lee Alvin), 1901-1994
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
DuMond, Jesse W. M. (Jesse William Monroe), 1892-1976
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Epstein, Paul S. (Paul Sophus), 1883-1966
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Feynman, Richard P. (Richard Phillips), 1918-1988
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Furry, W. H. (Wendell Hinkle), 1907-
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Gould, Roy W. (Roy Walter), 1927-
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Hellwarth, Robert Willis, 1930-2021
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Houston, W. V. (William Vermillion), 1900-
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Kimble, H. Jeff (Harry Jeffrey), 1949-
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Panofsky, Wolfgang K. H. (Wolfgang Kurt Hermann), 1919-2007
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Robertson, H. P. (Howard Percy), 1903-1961
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Schiff, Leonard I. (Leonard Isaac), 1915-1971
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Slichter, Louis B. (Louis Byrne), 1896-1978
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Teukolsky, Saul A. (Saul Arno), 1947-
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Tolman, Richard C. (Richard Chace), 1881-1948
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Von Kármán, Theodore, 1881-1963
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Both employed at California Institute of Technology.
Additional
Babcock, Horace W.
Blackett, P. M. S. (Patrick Maynard Stuart), Baron Blackett, 1897-1974
Darrow, Karl K. (Karl Kelchner), 1891-
Dirac, P. A. M. (Paul Adrien Maurice), 1902-1984
Evans, Robley Dunglison, 1907-
Hess, Victor Francis, 1883-1964
Split the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Nierenberg, William Aaron, 1919-2000
Occhialini, Giuseppe, 1907-1993
Oppenheimer, Frank, 1912-1985
Shapiro, Maurice M. (Maurice Mandel), 1915-
Wheeler, John Archibald, 1911-2008
Institutions
Major Positions
California Institute of Technology. Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy
Obtained BS in 1927 and PhD in Physics in 1930; Research Fellow; Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Physics; Professor of Physics; Chair, Division of Physics Mathematics and Astronomy; and Emeritus Professor of Physics.
Professional Activities & Affiliations
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellow.
Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Awarded Elliott Cresson Medal in 1937.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Chair, Physics Section.
University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics
Other
United States. Office of Naval Research
Anderson received support from the Office of Naval Research to fly cloud chambers in two B-29 airplanes and collect information about the decay of primary cosmic ray particles.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Nobel laureates on scientific research project : oral history, 1964.
Oral History Research Office
Columbia University
Box 20, Room 801 Butler Library, New York, NY 10027, USA
Oral history interview with Carl Anderson, 1966 June 30.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Carl Anderson, 1979 January 9 -February 8.
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Reminiscences of Carl D. Anderson : oral history, 1964.
Oral History Research Office
Columbia University
Box 20, Room 801 Butler Library, New York, NY 10027, USA
The search for an elementary particle [sound recording], 1968 January 31.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Subject
History of physics I [sound recording], 2011 May 1.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Lee A. DuBridge papers, 1932-1986.
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Oral history interview with Charles Christian Lauritsen, 1966 June 27.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Frank Oppenheimer, 1973 February 9 and May 21.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Giuseppe Occhialini, 1971 April 5, 6, May 16, 17, and November 18.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with H. R. Crane, 1973 March 28 and 1974 June 18.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Horace W. Babcock, 1977, July 25.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with John Archibald Wheeler, 1962 March 24.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Luis Alvarez, 1967 February 14 and 15.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Maurice Mandel Shapiro, 1978 May 30.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robert Benjamin Leighton, 1977 July 29 and August 5.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Robley D. Evans, 1972 May 2, 3, 1974 May 5 and 1978 June 14.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Seth H. Neddermeyer, 1984 May 7.
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Oral history interview with Seth Neddermeyer, 1972 May 30 and 31.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with William Aaron Nierenberg, 1986 February 6 and June 26, 30.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interview with Wolfgang Kurt Hermann Panofsky, 1973 May 15 and 1974 March 6 and June 3.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Rochester Conference on High Energy Nuclear Physics proceedings, 1952 and 1955.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Scientific apparatus collection.
Institute Archives
California Institute of Technology
1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA