N. Bloembergen

Biography

Abstract

Nicolaas Bloembergen is a Dutch-American physicist, who shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics with Arthur Schawlow and Kai Siegbahn. His research interests include nuclear and electronic magnetic resonance; solid state masers and lasers; nonlinear optics; and spectroscopy.

Important Dates

March 11, 1920Birth, Dordrecht (Netherlands).

1941Obtained Phil. Cand., University of Utrecht (Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht), Utrecht (Netherlands).

1943Obtained Phil. Drs., University of Utrecht (Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht), Utrecht (Netherlands).

1946 – presentAssistant in Physics (1946-1947); Junior Fellow, Society of Fellows (1949-1951); Associate Professor of Applied Physics (1951-1957); Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics (1957-1980); Rumford Professor of Physics (1974-1980); Gerhard Gade University Professor (1980-1990); and Emeritus Professor of Physics (1990-present), Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).

1948Obtained Ph.D. in Physics, State University of Leiden (Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden), Leiden (Netherlands).

1957Guggenheim Fellow and Visiting Professor, École Normale Supérieure.

1958Awarded Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, American Physical Society.

1960Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1965Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley.

1973Lorentz Guest Professor, University of Leiden, Leiden (Netherlands).

1974Awarded National Medal of Science.

1979Raman Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

1980Senior Von Humboldt Scientist, Garching, Institute of Quantum Optics (Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik).

1980Visiting Professor, Collège de France.

1981Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics with Arthur L. Schawlow "for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy".

1984Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar, California Institute of Technology.

1987Senior Von Humboldt Scientist, Garching, Institute of Quantum Optics.

1991President, American Physical Society.

1995Visiting Scientist, CREOL (Center for Research in Electro-optics and Lasers), University of Central Florida.

2001 – presentProfessor of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson (Ariz.).

September 05, 2017Death, Tucson (Ariz.).

Occupation

Optical physicist.

Places

Birth

Dordrecht (Netherlands)

Undergraduate Education

Utrecht (Netherlands)

Graduate Education

Utrecht (Netherlands)

Leiden (Netherlands)

Employment

Cambridge (Mass.)

Tucson (Ariz.)

Death

Tucson (Ariz.)

Subjects

Condensed matter.

Electron paramagnetic resonance.

Lasers.

Masers.

Microwaves.

Optics.

Relaxation (Nuclear physics).

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Purcell, Edward M.

PhD advisor at Harvard University, and both employed at Harvard University.

Schawlow, Arthur L., 1921-1999

Shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics "for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy."

Shen, Y. R.

Advised by Bloembergen at Harvard University, "Faraday rotation of rare-earth ions in CaF₂."

Colleagues

Adler, Stephen L.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Bainbridge, Kenneth T. (Kenneth Tompkins), 1904-1996

Both employed at Harvard University.

Beasley, Malcolm

Both employed at Harvard University.

Benedek, George Bernard, 1928-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Branscomb, Lewis M., 1926-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Brewer, Richard G.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Bridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams), 1882-1961

Both employed at Harvard University.

Brillouin, Léon, 1889-1969

Both employed at Harvard University.

Brooks, Harvey

Both employed at Harvard University.

Callan, Curtis G.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Clark, N. A. (Noel Anthony), 1940-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Coleman, Sidney, 1937-2007

Both employed at Harvard University.

Conant, James Bryant, 1893-1978

Both employed at Harvard University.

Deser, S. (Stanley)

Both employed at Harvard University.

Emmons, H. W. (Howard W.)

Both employed at Harvard University.

Fisk, James B. (James Brown), 1910-1981

Both employed at Harvard University.

Furry, W. H. (Wendell Hinkle), 1907-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Gabrielse, Gerald

Both employed at Harvard University.

Gallagher, Thomas F., 1944-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Gates, S. James

Both employed at Harvard University.

Georgi, Howard

Both employed at Harvard University.

Glashow, Sheldon L.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Glauber, Roy J., 1925-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Gross, David J. (David Jonathan)

Both employed at Harvard University.

Halperin, Bertrand I.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Haroche, S.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Hooft, G. 't

Both employed at Harvard University.

Huth, John Edward

Both employed at Harvard University.

Jackiw, Roman W.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Jaffe, Arthur, 1937-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Kastner, Marc A.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Kemble, Edwin C. (Edwin Crawford), 1889-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Kleppner, Daniel

Both employed at Harvard University.

Kohn, Walter, 1923-2016

Both employed at Harvard University.

Leggett, A. J. (Anthony J.)

Both employed at Harvard University.

Lyman, Theodore, 1874-1954

Both employed at Harvard University.

Maldacena, Juan Martin, 1968-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Martin, Paul Cecil, 1931-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Meyer, Robert B.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Nelson, Ann E. (Ann Elizabeth)

Both employed at Harvard University.

Nelson, David R., 1951-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Pierce, George Washington, 1872-1956

Both employed at Harvard University.

Polchinski, Joseph Gerard

Both employed at Harvard University.

Politzer, H. David, 1949-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Pound, Robert V.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Quinn, Helen R.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Ramsey, Norman, 1915-2011

Both employed at Harvard University.

Randall, Lisa

Both employed at Harvard University.

Raney, William P.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Schwinger, Julian, 1918-1994

Both employed at Harvard University.

Shapiro, Marjorie

Both employed at Harvard University.

Steinhardt, Paul J.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Street, Jabez Curry, 1906-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Stubbs, Christopher

Both employed at Harvard University.

Tinkham, Michael

Both employed at Harvard University.

Vafa, Cumrun

Both employed at Harvard University.

Van Vleck, J. H. (John Hasbrouck), 1899-1980

Both employed at Harvard University.

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Wilson, Kenneth G. (Kenneth Geddes), 1936-2013

Both employed at Harvard University.

Wilson, Robert R., 1914-2000

Both employed at Harvard University.

Wise, Mark B., 1953-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Witten, E.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Wu, Tai Tsun

Both employed at Harvard University.

Additional

Armstrong, J. A. (John A.)

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

Bass, Michael, 1939-

Bitter, Francis, 1902-1967

Bloch, Felix, 1905-

Breit, Gregory, 1899-1981

Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974

Clogston, Albert McCavour

DeMaria, Anthony J.

Dicke, Robert H. (Robert Henry)

Frauenfelder, Hans, 1922-

Gross, Evgenii Fedorovich, 1897-1972

Hahn, E. L. (Erwin Louis), 1921-

Hansen, W. W. (William Webster), 1909-1949

Hecht, Jeff

Kamerlingh Onnes, Heike, 1853-1926

Kompfner, Rudolf, 1909-1977

Kroll, Norman Myles, 1922-

MacDonald, Gordon J. (Gordon James), 1929-2002

Rabi, I. I. (Isidor Isaac), 1898-1988

Townes, Charles H.

Wittke, James P.

Institutions

Major Positions

California Institute of Technology. Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy

Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar.

Collège de France

Visiting Professor.

CREOL (Research center)

Visiting Scientist.

École normale supérieure (France). Laboratoire de physique

Guggenheim Fellow and Visiting Professor.

Harvard University. Department of Physics

Assistant in Physics; Junior Fellow, Society of Fellows; Rumford Professor of Physics; Gerhard Gade University Professor; and Emeritus Professor of Physics.

Harvard University. Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Associate Professor of Applied Physics and Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics.

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Raman Visiting Professor.

Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik

Senior Von Humboldt Scientist,

Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden

Obtained Ph.D. in Physics and Lorentz Guest Professor.

University of Arizona. Optical Sciences Center

Professor of Optical Sciences.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Visiting Professor.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

President and 1958 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize recipient.

Bell Telephone Laboratories

IBM Research

Lawrence Radiation Laboratory

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Optical Society of America

Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht

Obtained Phil. Cand. and Phil. Drs.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Distinguished speakers session [sound recording] 1982 April 27.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

J. H. Van Vleck: quantum theory and magnetism [sound recording], 2011 March 22.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

N. Bloembergen papers, circa 1940-1992.

Archives. Pusey Library

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Oral history interview with Nicolaas Bloembergen, 1977 March 22.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Nicolaas Bloembergen, 1983 June 27.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral-History: Nicolaas Bloembergen

IEEE Global History Center

IEEE

Panel discussion on the development of the laser and nonlinear optics [sound recording], 1982 October 20.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Sessions from the annual meeting of Corporate Associates [sound recording], 1969 September 30.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

Evgenii F. Gross papers, 1918-1972.

St. Petersburg Branch. Archive Universitetskaia hab.

Russian Academy of Sciences

1, Korp. 2, St. Petersburg 199034

Hans Frauenfelder response to survey on the impact of immigration on U.S. physics, 1999.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Jeff Hecht laser pioneer interviews, 1984-1991.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Anthony John DeMaria, 1984 April 13.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Edward M. Purcell, 1976 November 23.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Erwin Louis Hahn, 1986 August 21.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Gordon J. MacDonald, 1986 April 16.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with James Pleister Wittke, 1983 September 13.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with John A. Armstrong, 1984 October 17.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with John Allan Armstrong, 2004 March 2 and 3.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Michael Bass, 1985 May 29.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, 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

Oral history interview with Norman M. Kroll, 1987 March 29.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Robert V. Pound, 1976 November 30.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral History interview with Robert V. Pound, 2003 May 22 and 23.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Video Interviews with Nobel Prize Winners in Physics, 2004-2006.

Sussex Innovation Centre, Science Park Square

Vega Science Trust

Brighton BN1 9SB, England UK

Published Resources

Author

Encounters in magnetic resonances : selected papers of Nicolaas Bloembergen : with commentary / editor Nicholaas Bloembergen.

Encounters in nonlinear optics : selected papers of Nicolaas Bloembergen, with commentary / editor Nicholaas Bloembergen.

Nelineinaia optika / N. Blombergen ; perevod S angl. pod red. C.A. Akhmanova I R. V. Khokhlova.

Nicolaas Bloembergen - Biographical

Nonlinear optics / Nicholaas Bleombergen.

Nonlinear optics : a lecture note and reprint volume / [by] N. Bloembergen.

Nuclear magnetic relaxation / by N. Bloembergen.

Resonances : a volume in honor of the 70th birthday of Nicolaas Bloembergen editors: M.D. Levenson ... [et al.].

Science and technology of directed energy weapons : report of the American Physical Society Study Group : April 1987 / N. Bloembergen ... [et al.].

Subject

Lasers & Applications, "Nicolaas Bloembergen: Masers and Nonlinear Optics," in Laser Pioneer Interviews (Torrance, CA: High Tech Publications: 1985), 63-72

Nicolaas Bloembergen Physics Today obituary