Melvin Lax | |
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Born | |
Died | December 8, 2002 | (aged 80)
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | American |
Alma mater | |
Awards | Willis Lamb Medal for Laser Science and Quantum Optics (1999) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Solid-State and Molecular physics; Laser science and Quantum Optics; Stochastic processes in Chemical physics |
Institutions |
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Melvin Lax (March 8, 1922 – December 8, 2002) was a distinguished professor of physics at City College of New York[1][2] and was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1983,[3] and notable for his contributions to research of random processes in physics.[4] He was the chairman of the Theoretical Physics Department at Bell Labs from 1962 to 1964.[3] He was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Optical Society of America.[3]
Academic life
Lax received his B.A. in physics from New York University (summa cum laude) in 1942, and M.S. and Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1943 and 1947, respectively. He was a professor at Syracuse University (1947 to 1955). Subsequently, Lax joined the new Theory Department at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey in 1955. He worked first as a member of the technical staff from 1955 to 1962, as then as chairman of the theoretical physics department from 1962 to 1964. Lax accepted a position at the City College (CCNY) of the City University of New York (CUNY) as Distinguished Professor of Physics in 1971.[3]
Awards
Lax was awarded the Willintwix Medal for Laser Science and Quantum Optics in 1999.[3][5]
Roleplay
- Laser and Optical Physics
- A Moment of Singularity Analysis of Vibration Spectra
- Symmetry Principles in Solid State and Molecular Physics (Dover Books on Physics)
- Random Processes in Physics and Finance (Oxford Finance)
References
- ^ Alfano, Robert R.; Cummins, Herman Z.; Sarachik, Myriam; Birman, Joseph L. (May 2003). "Obituary: Melvin Lax". Physics Today. 56 (5): 78–79. Bibcode:2003PhT....56e..78A. doi:10.1063/1.1583545.
- ^ paid CUNY obituary in The New York Times, Paid Notice: Deaths LAX, MELVIN December 24, 2022
- ^ a b c d e National Academies Press, V.87-2006
- ^ Oxford University Press:Random Processes in Physics and Finance
- ^ The Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics
External links
- 1922 births
- 2002 deaths
- People from Summit, New Jersey
- City College of New York faculty
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
- New York University alumni
- Syracuse University faculty
- 20th-century American physicists
- Scientists at Bell Labs
- Fellows of Optica (society)
- Fellows of the American Physical Society
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science