Eric J. Heller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric J. Heller
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Eric Heller (2005)
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| Born | January 10, 1946 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Known for | Quantum scars |
| Awards | National Academy of Sciences (2006), American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry (2005). |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical Chemistry Physics |
| Institutions | Harvard, UCLA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Washington |
| Doctoral advisor | William P. Reinhardt |
Eric Johnson "Rick" Heller was born on January 10, 1946. He is a well-known professor of Chemistry and Physics at Harvard University. Professor Heller is famous for his work in a field called time-dependent quantum mechanics. He also creates amazing digital art using the results from his science calculations.
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Growing Up and Learning
Eric Heller's father was Walter Heller. Walter was an important economist who helped design the first tax cut based on fiscal policy. Fiscal policy is how governments use spending and taxes to influence the economy.
Eric Heller earned his first degree from the University of Minnesota in 1968. He then got his PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard University in 1973. After that, he did more research at the University of Chicago before becoming a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
His Amazing Career
Professor Heller taught Chemistry at UCLA from 1976 to 1982. He then worked as a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1984, he became a professor at the University of Washington.
In 1993, Professor Heller returned to Harvard University. He became a Physics Professor and led a special institute for atomic and molecular physics. Since 1998, he has held a joint position at Harvard, teaching both Chemistry and Physics.
Professor Heller is a member of many important science groups. These include the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also received several awards for his work. These include the American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry in 2005. He has written over 280 scientific papers.
Exploring Quantum Mechanics
Professor Heller developed a new way to understand quantum mechanics. This is the science that studies tiny particles like atoms. His method uses something called a "wavepacket" picture. This helped scientists understand how large quantum systems behave without complex calculations. His work was very important for a field called femtochemistry. Femtochemistry studies chemical reactions that happen extremely fast.
He also helped create a method called "frozen Gaussians." This is a widely used technique to study how tiny waves of energy move.
Discoveries in Quantum Chaos
In physics, Professor Heller is known for his work on quantum chaos. This area studies how chaos can appear in quantum systems. He is especially famous for his "scar theory." This theory explains how electrons in a quantum system can leave "scars" or patterns.
More recently, Professor Heller has studied how electrons behave in two dimensions. He also looked into "quantum mirages." These are like optical illusions but for quantum particles. He has also researched how freak waves form in the ocean. Many of his studies use the time-dependent quantum mechanics ideas he developed earlier.
