Douglas Osheroff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas Osheroff
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Osheroff in 2011
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| Born |
Douglas Dean Osheroff
August 1, 1945 Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.
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| Alma mater | California Institute of Technology (B.S.), Cornell University (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Discovering superfluidity in Helium-3 |
| Spouse(s) |
Phyllis Liu
(m. 1970) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physics (1996) Simon Memorial Prize (1976) Buckley Prize (1981) MacArthur Fellowship Program (1981) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Experimental Physics, Condensed Matter Physics |
| Institutions | Stanford University Bell Labs |
| Doctoral advisor | David Lee |
Douglas Dean Osheroff (born August 1, 1945) is an American physicist. He is famous for his work in experimental condensed matter physics. This field studies how matter behaves, especially at extreme conditions.
Osheroff is best known for helping discover superfluidity in Helium-3. Superfluidity is a strange state where a liquid flows without any friction. For this important discovery, he shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics. He won the award with his colleagues David Lee and Robert C. Richardson. Today, Osheroff is a professor of physics at Stanford University.
Contents
Life and Discoveries
Douglas Osheroff was born in Aberdeen, Washington. His father's family came from Russia, and his mother's family came from Slovakia.
Early Education and Research
Osheroff earned his first degree in 1967 from Caltech. There, he learned from famous scientists like Richard Feynman. He also did early research as a student.
After Caltech, Osheroff went to Cornell University for his advanced studies. He joined a lab that focused on very low temperatures.
The Superfluid Discovery
At Cornell, Douglas Osheroff worked with David Lee and Robert C. Richardson. They used a special device called a Pomeranchuk cooler to study Helium-3 gas. They cooled it down to temperatures just a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero. Absolute zero is the coldest possible temperature.
During their experiments, they noticed some very strange things happening. They eventually realized that Helium-3 was changing into a new state. This new state was a "superfluid." In a superfluid, the liquid can flow forever without any resistance. Imagine water flowing without ever slowing down!
This amazing discovery earned Lee, Richardson, and Osheroff the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996.
Career and Later Work
Osheroff received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1973. After that, he worked at Bell Labs for 15 years. He continued to study how materials behave at extremely cold temperatures.
In 1987, he moved to Stanford University. He became a professor and even led the physics department for a few years. His research still focuses on the amazing things that happen when matter gets super cold.
Osheroff also helped investigate the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. He played a role similar to what Richard Feynman did for the Space Shuttle Challenger accident.
He is also part of Scientists and Engineers for America. This group works to make sure that science is used wisely in the American government.
Douglas Osheroff is left-handed. He enjoys photography and even teaches a class at Stanford about it. He has also taught introductory physics courses to college students.
He loves sharing science with young people. He has participated in science festivals for middle and high school students. He was also a special guest at the International Young Physicists' Tournament in 2013.
He married Phyllis Liu-Osheroff, a biochemist, in 1970.
Osheroff has also used his voice to support science. In 2008, he and other Nobel Prize winners wrote a letter to President George W. Bush. They asked for more funding for basic science research in the United States.
Awards and Honors
- Nobel Prize in Physics (1996)
- Simon Memorial Prize (1976)
- Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize (1981)
- MacArthur Fellowship Program (1981)
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1997)
See also
In Spanish: Douglas Dean Osheroff para niños
- Timeline of low-temperature technology
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
