Eric Allin Cornell

Biography

Abstract

2001 Nobel Prize in Physics. Born 1961 in Palo Alto, California (US citizen). PhD 1990 at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Cambridge, Massachusetts. Senior scientist at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), Professor Adjunct, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.

Important Dates

December 19, 1961Birth, Palo Alto (Calif.).

1985Obtained BS, Stanford University, Stanford (Calif.).

1990Obtained PhD in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1990 – presentPostdoctoral Fellow, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (1990-1992); Adjoint Assistant Professor of Physics (1992-1995); and Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics Fellow and Adjoint Professor (1994-present), University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder (Colo.).

1992 – presentSenior Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder (Colo.).

1997Awarded I. I. Rabi Prize in Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics, American Physical Society.

2000Member, National Academy of Sciences.

2001Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics with Wolfgang Ketterle and Carl Wieman "for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates".

Occupation

Quantum physicist.

Places

Birth

Palo Alto (Calif.)

Undergraduate Education

Stanford (Calif.)

Graduate Education

Cambridge (England)

Employment

Boulder (Colo.)

Subjects

Bose-Einstein condensation.

Quantum theory.

Relationships

People

Family

Cornell, Celeste Landry

Wife.

Cornell, Eliza

Daughter.

Cornell, Sophia

Daughter.

Advisors & Collaborators

Jin, Deborah S.

Advised by Cornell as post-doc at JILA/University of Colorado and both employed at Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics.

Ketterle, Wolfgang

Shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Carl Wieman "for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates."

Pritchard, David E. (David Edward), 1941-

PhD advisor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), "Mass spectroscopy using single ion cyclotron resonance."

Wieman, C. E. (Carl Edwin)

Shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Wolfgang Ketterle "for the achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates." Both employed at Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics and University of Colorado, Boulder.

Colleagues

Bergquist, James Charles

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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

Both employed at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Dunn, G. H. (Gordon H.), 1932-

Both employed at Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA).

Greene, Christopher Henry

Both employed at University of Colorado, Boulder and Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA).

Hall, J. L. (John L.), 1934-

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder.

Julienne, Paul S.

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Klebanoff, P. S.

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Murnane, Margaret

Both employed at Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics and the University of Colorado, Boulder.

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

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Wineland, David J.

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Ye, Jun, 1967-

Both employed at National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder.

Institutions

Major Positions

Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics

Postdoctoral Fellow and Fellow.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.)

Senior Scientist.

University of Colorado Boulder. Department of Physics

Adjoint Assistant Professor of Physics and Adjoint Professor.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

Received 1997 I. I. Rabi Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Obtained PhD (1990).

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Stanford University. Department of Physics

Obtained BS (1985).

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Stone cold science [videorecording] : Bose-Einstein condensation and the weird world of physics a billionth of a degree from absolute zero.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Published Resources

Author

Nobel Prize Autobiography.