Martin Lewis Perl
Martin Lewis Perl
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
Martin Lewis Perl was an American physicist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of particle physics. He is also known as Marty Perl.
#### Birth and Death Dates
Born on June 24, 1927, in New York City, USA, Martin Lewis Perl passed away on March 17, 2019, at the age of 91.
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
Perl was an American national and worked primarily as a physicist. He held positions at various institutions, including Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
#### Early Life and Background
Martin Lewis Perl grew up in New York City during the Great Depression. His early interest in science and mathematics laid the foundation for his future career. After completing high school, he attended Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Physics. He then pursued his graduate studies at Columbia, earning his Ph.D. in 1955.
#### Major Accomplishments
Perl's most significant contribution to physics was the discovery of the tau lepton, a subatomic particle that plays a crucial role in understanding the fundamental nature of matter and energy. This achievement earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995, along with Frederick Reines, who discovered the muon neutrino.
#### Notable Works or Actions
Perl's work at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory was instrumental in advancing our understanding of particle physics. He led a team that developed the Mark I detector, which played a pivotal role in detecting the tau lepton and other subatomic particles. Throughout his career, Perl published numerous papers on various topics related to particle physics.
#### Impact and Legacy
Martin Lewis Perl's contributions have had a lasting impact on the field of particle physics. His discovery of the tau lepton has led to a deeper understanding of the fundamental forces of nature and has opened up new avenues for research in this area. Today, his work continues to inspire scientists around the world.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Martin Lewis Perl is widely remembered for his groundbreaking contributions to particle physics. His discovery of the tau lepton was a significant achievement that earned him international recognition and accolades. As a result, he is frequently quoted in scientific literature and is remembered as one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century.
Quotes by Martin Lewis Perl
Naturally, I have compensated in my adult years by owning very large numbers of books.
This was good training for research, because large parts of experimental work are sometimes boring or involve the use of skills in which one is not particularly gifted.
As Jews, their families left Russia to escape the poverty and the antisemitism.
Whatever the course, whether the course was boring or interesting to me, whether I was talented in mathematics or not talented in languages, my parents expected A’s.
Their educations ended with high school – my father going to work as a clerk and then salesman in a company dealing in printing and stationary, and my mother working as a secretary and then bookkeeper in a firm of wool merchants.
I learned quickly, as I tell my graduate students now, there are no answers in the back of the book when the equipment doesn’t work or the measurements look strange.
Along with my parents insistence, soon internalized, that I do very well in school, went my love of reading and my love of mechanics.
A parent being called to the school because their child had misbehaved was as serious as a parent being called to the police station because their child had robbed a bank.