Daniel C. Tsui facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel C. Tsui
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| 崔琦 | |
Daniel C. Tsui at a dinner honoring Nobel Prize laureates
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| Born | February 28, 1939 Baofeng, Henan, Republic of China
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Augustana College (BS) University of Chicago (PhD) |
| Known for | Fractional quantum Hall effect |
| Spouse(s) | Linda Varland |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize (1984) Nobel Prize in Physics (1998) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Experimental physics Electrical engineering |
| Institutions | Princeton University Columbia University Bell Laboratories Boston University |
Daniel Chee Tsui (Chinese: 崔琦; pinyin: Cuī Qí, born February 28, 1939) is an American physicist. He is a professor of electrical engineering, now retired, at Princeton University. Dr. Tsui studies how electricity works in very thin materials. He also researches tiny parts of semiconductors, which are materials used in electronics.
In 1998, Dr. Tsui won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He shared this award with Robert B. Laughlin and Horst L. Störmer. They won for finding a new type of "quantum fluid." This special fluid has tiny particles with unusual electric charges.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Daniel Tsui was born on February 28, 1939, in a small village in China. His parents were farmers and did not know how to read or write. He grew up during a difficult time, with droughts, floods, and war affecting his village.
In 1951, when he was 12, Tsui moved to Hong Kong. He started formal schooling there at Pui Ching Middle School. He found it challenging at first because he was not used to the local language.
Journey to the United States
After finishing high school in 1957, Tsui had a chance to study medicine in Taiwan. However, he decided to stay in Hong Kong. He joined a special program to prepare for university. In 1958, he received a full scholarship to attend Augustana College in the United States. He arrived in the U.S. in the fall of 1958.
Tsui studied at Augustana College for three years. He was the only student of Chinese background there. He graduated in 1961 with high honors. He then continued his studies in physics at the University of Chicago. He earned his Ph.D. in physics in 1967. He was inspired by famous Chinese physicists who had also studied at the University of Chicago.
Family Life
While at the University of Chicago, Daniel Tsui met Linda Varland. They got married after she graduated. Tsui later became a citizen of the United States. He and Linda have two daughters, Aileen and Judith. Judith is now a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Scientific Discoveries
After getting his Ph.D., Tsui worked at Bell Laboratories starting in 1968. He focused on a new area of physics: the study of two-dimensional electrons. These are electrons that can only move in a very thin, flat layer.
The Fractional Quantum Hall Effect
In 1982, Daniel Tsui and Horst Störmer made a very important discovery. They found something called the fractional quantum Hall effect. This was a new and unexpected behavior of electrons in very strong magnetic fields. The next year, Robert Laughlin explained why this effect happened.
This discovery was a huge breakthrough in physics. It showed that electrons could act as if they had only a fraction of their normal electric charge. This is why Tsui, Störmer, and Laughlin won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Career at Princeton University
Soon after his big discovery, Tsui left Bell Laboratories. In 1982, he joined the faculty at Princeton University. He worked there for 28 years, teaching and doing research. He retired from Princeton in 2010.
He also held research positions at Columbia University and Boston University.
Awards and Honors
Daniel Tsui has received many awards for his important work in physics.
- Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, 1984
- Fellow of the American Physical Society, elected 1985
- Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, elected 1987
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, elected 1991
- Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, 1998
- Nobel Prize in Physics, 1998
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, elected 2000
- Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, elected 2004
- Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, elected 2000
- Academician of Academia Sinica, Taipei
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Chee Tsui para niños
- Quantum hall effect
