Donald Arthur Glaser is an American physicist and neurobiologist who received the 1960 physics prize for his invention of the bubble chamber, a device used to observe subatomic particles. At 34, Glaser was one of the younger scientists to be awarded a Nobel Prize.
He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1926, and was educated in the public schools of Cleveland Heights. He progressed to the Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, to study physics and mathematics, gaining his BSc in 1946. His bachelor’s thesis involved electron diffraction study of the properties of thin metallic films. After a brief period teaching at Case, he went on to Caltech, earning his PhD in 1949. His thesis involved an experimental study of the momentum of cosmic rays and mesons at sea level. Glaser then took a teaching and research post at the University of Michigan, rising to the rank of professor in 1957 before moving in 1959 to the University of California, Berkeley, as physics professor. Glaser’s main research interest was the elementary particles of physics. He built several diffusion cloud chambers, spark plates and other instruments before developing the bubble chamber in 1952.
The bubble chamber is a sealed vessel filled with a superheated liquid used to detect high-energy electrically charged particles (ions) moving through it. Pressurisation increases the liquid’s boiling point to the extent that it becomes hypersensitive to change. The ion deposits enough energy that the liquid begins to boil along its path, forming a string of vapour bubbles. The whole chamber is subjected to a constant magnetic field which causes the particles to travel in helical paths whose radii are determined by the ratio of charge to mass of the particles. The patterns are recorded and measured, allowing the particle masses to be calculated. Bubble chambers have largely been replaced by wire chambers, which allow particle energies to be measured at the same time.
In 1962 Glaser turned his attention to the new field of molecular biology, studying the control of DNA synthesis in bacteria, and cancer research. Around 1970, Glaser and two friends co-founded the first biotechnology company, effectively starting the GM industry in medicine and agriculture. More recently he has moved into the field of neurobiology, particularly involving the visual system. In the years since 1960, Glaser has been a consultant and advisor to many governmental organizations, industrial boards of directors, non-profit groups, and a member of the editorial boards of several scientific publications. He has been married twice – first to Ruth Thompson in 1960, with whom he has two children and several grandchildren. In 1975 he married Lynn Bercovitz, a painter.
This text and the picture of the Nobel Laureate were taken from the book: "NOBELS. Nobel Laureates photographed by Peter Badge" (WILEY-VCH, 2008).
Picture: © Peter Badge/ Foundation Lindau Nobelprizewinners Meetings at Lake Constance |