Robert Hofstadter

Profession: Physicist

Nationality:

Biography: Robert Hofstadter was an American physicist best known for his research on electron scattering in atomic nuclei that provided important insights into the structure of protons and neutrons. This work earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1961, which he shared with Rudolf Mössbauer.

Hofstadter was born in 1915 in New York City to a Jewish family of Polish immigrants. He excelled academically from a young age, graduating magna cum laude from City College of New York at just 20 years old. He then earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Princeton University by the age of 23.

After completing his education, Hofstadter worked as a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and taught at Princeton. In 1950, he joined the faculty at Stanford University, where he would remain until 1985. During his time at Stanford, he continued his research in nuclear physics.

In addition to his Nobel Prize-winning work, Hofstadter made other notable contributions to science. In 1948, he patented the thallium-activated sodium iodide gamma ray detector, which became a widely used tool in gamma ray detection. He also coined the term "fermi" as a unit of measurement in honor of the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi.

Later in his career, Hofstadter developed an interest in astrophysics. He applied his expertise to help design the EGRET gamma-ray telescope for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, named after another Nobel laureate, Arthur Holly Compton.

Hofstadter was married to Nancy Givan, with whom he had three children: Laura, Molly, and Douglas. His son Douglas Hofstadter would go on to become a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and cognitive scientist.

Throughout his life, Hofstadter received numerous honors and awards, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. The annual Robert Hofstadter Memorial Lectures were also established at Stanford University in his honor.

Born: February 5, 1915
Birthplace: NYC, New York, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Tiger
Star Sign: Aquarius

Died: November 17, 1990 (aged 75)