Torleif Ericson Explained

Torleif Erik Oskar Ericson
Fields:Nuclear physics
Particle physics
Known For:Ericson-Ericson Lorentz-Lorenz correction
Ericson fluctuations
Awards:Professors namn (Title of Professor), Sweden, 1976
Foreign member of the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, 1990
Honorary professor, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1990
Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 1993
Member of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala, 1994
Workplaces:Lund University
Nordita
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
UC Berkeley
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
Uppsala University
Alma Mater:Lund University
Spouse:Magda Ericson
Birth Place:Lund, Sweden

Torleif Erik Oskar Ericson (born November 2, 1930) is a Swedish nuclear theoretical physicist.[1] [2] He is known for 'Ericson fluctuations' and the 'Ericson-Ericson Lorentz-Lorenz effect'. His research has nurtured the link between nuclear and particle physics.

Biography

Career

Ericson studied physics at Lund University, from where he obtained his PhD,[3] under the supervision of Ben Mottelson at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (Nordita), in 1958.

Ericson held positions as a postdoctoral researcher and an instructor at MIT[4] [5] [6] and as Visiting scientist at Berkeley[7] from 1959 to 1960.

Following he joined CERN’s Theory Division,[8] first as a fellow, and then as a staff member in 1962.[9] He was recruited by the Director-General, V. F. Weisskopf, as the theoretical interface between particle and nuclear physics.

Sabbatical year 1969/70 at MIT.

Invited guest professor at Geneva, Lausanne, Louvain, Tokyo and Uppsala.

Adjunct professor at Uppsala University from 1993 within the framework of CERN's collaboration with Member States.

Official retirement from CERN in 1995,[10] but still emeritus (honorary member of the personnel).[11]

Research contributions

Moving from MIT to Berkeley he wrote two papers in which he predicted what later became known as 'Ericson fluctuations' and today is considered a prime example of quantum chaos.[12] Initially the idea was met with resistance. However, the prediction stimulated in a large number of nuclear reaction studies, as reviewed a few years later with Mayer-Kuckuk,[13] and Ericson continued to develop the consequences in depth in a series of articles.[14]

In 1963, Ericson, after an initiative by A. de-Shalit and V.F. Weisskopf, organised an international conference on high-energy physics and nuclear structure.[15] The meeting turned out to be of significant importance both for Ericson's own career and the development of this field, as a new branch of nuclear physics.[16] The conference series, later generally referred to as PANIC, was the start of the field interfacing nuclear and particle physics and has developed into a triennial event. The series is sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and has been going on since then.[17]

In the 1960's much information in this field came from exotic atoms. This was limited but precise information. In this context Ericson studied how nuclei and particles manifest dielectric constants and magnetic susceptibilities in external fields. Furthermore, Ericson, together with his wife Magda Ericson, were among the first to focus on the interaction of pions with nuclei and to study a regime that was intermediate between the low energies of traditional nuclear physics and elementary particles of higher energies.[18] In particular the Ericsons realized that the pion behavior in nuclei is changed and that this produces major effects. This became known as the 'Ericson-Ericson Lorentz-Lorenz effect' and has later influenced other areas of many-body physics.

His interest in the quantitatively limits of pion physics in nuclei produced some of the most accurate and parameter-free descriptions of observables in the entire nuclear physics.[19]

He took interest in many different areas of physics. Together with J. Bernabeu and C. Jarlskog, he realized that neutral currents imply parity violations, which are strongly enhanced in certain muonic atoms.[20] [21] He also developed an accurate test of T-violation in nuclei based on fluctuations, as well as an accurate empirical bound for anti-gravity.[22]

The activity on the interface between nuclear and particle physics led to that CERN set up various scientific committees,[23] in which Ericson was deeply involved.

Administrative activities

In his role as chairman of the Nuclear Structure Committee, Ericson proposed in 1964, to build an on-line isotope separator, which later has become known as ISOLDE.[24] [25] [26] CERN eventually established its ultrarelativistic heavy-ion programme[27] that over the years has attracted a large number of experimental physicists to the laboratory.[28] [29]

In addition to carry out his research, Ericson has taken on a series of managerial tasks. For several periods he filled the role as deputy leader for the CERN Theory Division, he chaired the CERN Nuclear Structure Committee, served as a member of the CERN Physics III Committee, Swedish Program Committee for Physics and in the IUPAP body International Committee for High Intensity Accelerators (ICHIA). Furthermore, Ericson was associated editor in the journal Nuclear Physics A, with responsibility for intermediate energy, from 1976 to 2000.[30] [31] Since 1991 he is one of the general editors of the series Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology.[32] [33] Ericson has also been editor for a large number of conference proceedings.

Awards and honors

Private life

Ericson is married to the French physicist Magda Ericson since 1957. Together they have two adult children. The Ericsons reside in Geneva, Switzerland.[37]

Bibliography

Books

Articles

External links and further reading

Notes and References

  1. Feshbach. Herman. 1991. Torleif Ericson on his sixtieth birthday. Nuclear Physics News. en. 1. 3. 6. 10.1080/10506899108260750. 1061-9127.
  2. Weisskopf. Victor F.. 1990. Foreword to the Festschrift for Torleif Ericson. Nuclear Physics A. en. 518. 1–2. ix. 10.1016/0375-9474(90)90529-U. 1990NuPhA.518D...9W.
  3. Book: Ericson, Torleif . Some statistical properties of excited nuclei . Lund University . 1958 . English.
  4. Ericson. Torleif. 1960. The statistical model and nuclear level densities. Advances in Physics. en. 9. 36. 425–511. 10.1080/00018736000101239. 1960AdPhy...9..425E. 0001-8732.
  5. Ericson. Torleif. 1960-11-01. Fluctuations of Nuclear Cross Sections in the "Continuum" Region. Physical Review Letters. en. 5. 9. 430–431. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.5.430. 1960PhRvL...5..430E. 0031-9007.
  6. 16 March 1981. This week's citation classic. 2021-10-29. Current Contents. 11.
  7. Book: Krige, J.. https://books.google.com/books?id=gQbgQrYlpIoC&pg=306. History of CERN, III. Elsevier. 1996. 978-0-08-053403-9. 306. en. Physics in the CERN Theory Division: CERN, the centre of Europe.
  8. Book: Krige, J. . History of CERN, III . Elsevier . 1996 . 978-0-08-053403-9 . 293 . en . Physics in the CERN Theory Division: moving to Geneva . https://books.google.com/books?id=gQbgQrYlpIoC&pg=293.
  9. Web site: INSPIRE: Torleif Ericson's author profile . 2021-10-25 . inspirehep.net.
  10. Book: CERN lays on birthday treat for the Ericsons . December 2010 . CERN Courier . 2010 . 41.
  11. Web site: People Department of Theoretical Physics . 2021-10-25 . theory.cern.
  12. Book: Casten. Richard F.. https://books.google.com/books?id=zujUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA197. Nuclear structure physics: Celebrating the career of Peter Von Brentano. Jolie. Jan. Kneissl. Ulrich. Lieb. Klaus-peter. World Scientific. 2001. 978-981-4490-82-5. 197. en. Generic and non-generic features of chaotic systems: billiards and nuclei.
  13. Ericson. T. Mayer-Kuckuk. T. 1966. Fluctuations in Nuclear Reactions. Annual Review of Nuclear Science. en. 16. 1. 183–206. 10.1146/annurev.ns.16.120166.001151. 5334731. 1966ARNPS..16..183E. 0066-4243. free.
  14. Richter . Achim . Weise . Wolfram . 1990 . Preface and biographical note . Nuclear Physics A . en . 518 . 1–2 . i–viii . 10.1016/0375-9474(90)90528-T.
  15. Book: 1963 International Conference on High-energy Physics and Nuclear Structure: CERN, Geneva, Switzerland 25 Feb - 1 Mar 1963. 1963. CERN. Ericson. Torleif Eric Oskar. CERN Yellow Reports: Conference Proceedings. Geneva.
  16. Book: Pascolini, Alessandro. PAN XIII: Particles and Nuclei - Proceedings of the XIII International Conference. World Scientific. 1994. 978-981-4550-75-8. xv. en.
  17. Web site: Particles and Nuclei International Conference 2021. 2021-10-29. pos.sissa.it.
  18. Ericson. M. Ericson. T. E. O. 1966-02-18. Optical properties of low-energy pions in nuclei. Annals of Physics. en. 36. 3. 323–362. 10.1016/0003-4916(66)90302-2. 1966AnPhy..36..323E. 0003-4916.
  19. Ericson . T E O . Rosa-Clot . M . 1985 . D-State Admixture and Tensor Forces in Light Nuclei . Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science . en . 35 . 1 . 271–294 . 1985ARNPS..35..271E . 10.1146/annurev.ns.35.120185.001415 . 0163-8998. free .
  20. Bernabeu . J. . Ericson . T.E.O. . Jarlskog . C. . 1974 . Parity violations by neutral currents in muonic atoms . Physics Letters B . en . 50 . 4 . 467–471 . 10.1016/0370-2693(74)90262-7.
  21. Web site: Bernabeu . Jose . 17 September 2010 . Electroweak interactions: Celebration in Honour of Magda and Torleif Ericson's 80th Birthday . CERN Document Server . See lecture after 28 minutes and 48 seconds.
  22. Ericson . T. E. O . Richter . A . 1990-02-15 . Empirical Limits to Antigravity . Europhysics Letters (EPL) . 11 . 4 . 295–300 . 10.1209/0295-5075/11/4/001 . 0295-5075.
  23. Book: Krige, J.. https://books.google.com/books?id=gQbgQrYlpIoC&pg=333. History of CERN, III. Elsevier. 1996. 978-0-08-053403-9. 333–334. en. The early interest in nuclear physics at CERN: CERN’s Nuclear Structure Committee (NSC) and other scientific committees.
  24. Web site: ISOLDE timeline.web.cern.ch. 2021-11-03. timeline.web.cern.ch.
  25. Book: Krige, J.. https://books.google.com/books?id=gQbgQrYlpIoC&pg=353. History of CERN, III. Elsevier. 1996. 978-0-08-053403-9. 353–358. en. The SC: ISOLDE and Nuclear Structure: The ISOLDE collaboration is formed.
  26. Book: Ericson, Torleif . Memorandum to the members of the NPRC on proposal of an isotope separator "on line" for the SC . CERN . 1964 . CERN-NSC-64-2 . Geneva.
  27. Web site: 2017-03-17. A 30-year adventure with heavy ions. 2021-10-26. CERN Courier. en-GB.
  28. Jacob. Maurice. 1990. Getting to know nuclear physics. Nuclear Physics A. en. 518. 1–2. xi–xv. 10.1016/0375-9474(90)90530-Y.
  29. Book: Krige, J.. https://books.google.com/books?id=gQbgQrYlpIoC&pg=351. History of CERN, III. Elsevier. 1996. 978-0-08-053403-9. 351. en. The SC: ISOLDE and nuclear structure: the early ISOLDE.
  30. 1976. Editorial Board. Nuclear Physics A. en. 258. 1. iii. 10.1016/0375-9474(76)90520-0.
  31. 2000. Editorial board. Nuclear Physics A. en. 663-664. IFC. 10.1016/S0375-9474(00)80002-0.
  32. Web site: Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology. 2021-11-01. Cambridge Core. en.
  33. Book: Donoghue. John F.. Dynamics of the Standard Model. Golowich. Eugene. Holstein. Barry R.. 1992-07-23. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-36288-7. 1. 10.1017/cbo9780511524370. 119579852 .
  34. Richter. Achim. Weise. Wolfram. 1990. Preface [to the Festschrift for Torleif Ericson]]. Nuclear Physics A. en. 518. 1–2. i–viii. 10.1016/0375-9474(90)90528-T.
  35. Web site: Members – Finska Vetenskaps-Societeten. 2021-10-25. scientiarum.fi.
  36. Web site: Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Torleif Ericson . 2023-03-13 . Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien . en-GB.
  37. Web site: Profs. Ericson Torleif and Magda (-Galula) . 2022-05-20 . www.local.ch . en.
  38. Book: Ericson. Torleif E. O.. The Meson Factories. Ericson. Torleif Erik Oskar. Hughes. Vernon W.. Nagle. Darragh E.. 1991-01-01. University of California Press. 978-0-520-07549-8. en.
  39. Book: Ericson, Torleif Erik Oskar, Weise, Wolfram . Piony i jadra . 1991 . Nauka . 978-5-02-014513-9 . Moskva . Russian . 751262334.
  40. Book: Ericson. Torleif Erik Oskar. Pions and Nuclei. Weise. Wolfram. Clarendon Press. 1988. 978-0-19-852008-5. International Series of Monographs on Physics. Oxford. en.

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