Inspirational Quotes by Polykarp Kusch (German Physicist)

Polykarp Kusch (1911–93) was a German-American physicist best known for precisely measuring the electron’s magnetic moment, advancing quantum electrodynamics. He shared the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics with Willis Eugene Lamb for contributions to atomic physics.

Born in Blankenburg, Germany, he immigrated to the United States in 1912, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1922. He studied physics at Case Western Reserve University (B.S., 1931) and the University of Illinois (M.S., 1933; PhD, 1936,) researching molecular spectroscopy.

Kusch joined Columbia University in 1937, working under I.I. Rabi on molecular beam resonance studies. His discovery of the electron’s anomalous magnetic moment refined quantum mechanics. He later expanded research into chemical physics and molecular beams.

In 1949, Kusch became a Columbia professor, later serving as provost. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1956) and received honorary degrees from Case Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, and the University of Illinois.

Notable publications include The Molecular Spectra of Caesium and Rubidium (1936,) a key contribution to atomic spectroscopy.

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