Richard Henry Dalitz

February 28, 1925 (age 80)

Dimboola, Victoria, Australia

After two years he took up a one-year post at the University of Bristol, and then joined Rudolf Peierls" group at University of Birmingham. Dalitz moved to Cornell University in 1953. He then became a professor at the Enrico Fermi Institute in Chicago from 1956 to 1963. Next, he moved to the University of Oxford as a Royal Society research professor, although keeping a connection with Chicago until 1966. He retired in 1990. In addition, he is known for other key developments in particle physics: the Dalitz plot and the Castillejo–Dalitz–Dyson (CDD) poles. The Dalitz plots were discovered in 1953, while he was at Cornell. Dalitz plots play a central role in the discovery of new particles in current high-energy physics experiments, including Higgs boson research, and are tools in exploratory efforts that might open avenues beyond the standard model. Furthermore, Dalitz was directly involved in pioneering quark research and he participated in the identification of the top quark. His various fundamental contributions have led to practitioners in the field to identify Dalitz as one of particle physics "greatest unsung scientists." Quantum mechanics Their friendship began around 1948 when Dalitz independently derived Ward"s results for the polarisation entanglement of two photons propagating in opposite directions. Dalitz was the lead author of a succinct, and yet revealing, account of Ward"s physics. While commenting on the physics sorrounding the derivation of the probability amplitude by Ward, Dalitz and Duarte wrote: "Ward and Pryce calculated, using quantum mechanics, the distribution of the azimuth angle between the planes of polarization of.. two gamma rays from positron-electron annihilation.. the two photons are entangled and according to local realism, their polarization planes should become independent.. a typical EPR situation. Already in 1948, observations.. agreed with quantum mechanics, not with local realism." Hans Bethe Frank Close F. J. Duarte Freeman Dyson Nicholas Kemmer Rudolf Peierls Christopher Llewellyn Smith John Clive Ward.

Richard Henry Dalitz

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physicist university professor

Background

Dalitz, Richard Henry was born on February 28, 1925 in Dimboola, Australia. Son of Frederick William Dalitz and Hazel Blanche Drummond.

Education

Born in the town of Dimboola, Victoria, Dalitz studied physics and mathematics at Melbourne University before moving to the United Kingdom in 1946, starting his Doctor of Philosophy research at the University of Cambridge. At Birmingham he completed his thesis demonstrating that the electrically neutral pion could decay into a photon and an electron-positron pair, now known as a Dalitz pair.

Career

After two years he took up a one-year post at the University of Bristol, and then joined Rudolf Peierls" group at University of Birmingham. Dalitz moved to Cornell University in 1953. He then became a professor at the Enrico Fermi Institute in Chicago from 1956 to 1963.

Next, he moved to the University of Oxford as a Royal Society research professor, although keeping a connection with Chicago until 1966.

He retired in 1990.

In addition, he is known for other key developments in particle physics: the Dalitz plot and the Castillejo–Dalitz–Dyson (CDD) poles. The Dalitz plots were discovered in 1953, while he was at Cornell.

Dalitz plots play a central role in the discovery of new particles in current high-energy physics experiments, including Higgs boson research, and are tools in exploratory efforts that might open avenues beyond the standard model. Furthermore, Dalitz was directly involved in pioneering quark research and he participated in the identification of the top quark.

His various fundamental contributions have led to practitioners in the field to identify Dalitz as one of particle physics "greatest unsung scientists."

Quantum mechanics

Their friendship began around 1948 when Dalitz independently derived Ward"s results for the polarisation entanglement of two photons propagating in opposite directions.

Dalitz was the lead author of a succinct, and yet revealing, account of Ward"s physics. While commenting on the physics sorrounding the derivation of the probability amplitude

by Ward, Dalitz and Duarte wrote: "Ward and Pryce calculated, using quantum mechanics, the distribution of the azimuth angle between the planes of polarization of.. two gamma rays from positron-electron annihilation.. the two photons are entangled and according to local realism, their polarization planes should become independent.. a typical EPR situation. Already in 1948, observations.. agreed with quantum mechanics, not with local realism."

Hans Bethe

Frank Close

F. J. Duarte

Freeman Dyson

Nicholas Kemmer

Rudolf Peierls

Christopher Llewellyn Smith

John Clive Ward.

Achievements

Richard Henry Dalitz has been listed as a noteworthy physicist, researcher by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Fellow: Institute Physics London (Maxwell medal 1966, Harrie Massey prize 1990), Royal Society London (Royal medal 1982, Jaffe prize 1969). Member: United States-NAS (associate).

Interests

History, travel.

Connections

Married Valda Suiter, August 9, 1946. Children: Rodric, Katrine, Heather, Ellyn.

Father:: Frederick William Dalitz
Mother:: Hazel Blanche Drummond
Spouse:: Valda Suiter
child:: Ellyn Dalitz
child:: Heather Dalitz
child:: Rodric Dalitz
child:: Katrine Dalitz

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