Nobel Prizes and Laureates

Simon van der Meer - Facts

Simon van der Meer

Born: 24 November 1925, the Hague, the Netherlands

Died: 4 March 2011, Geneva, Switzerland

Affiliation at the time of the award: CERN, Geneva, Switzerland

Prize motivation: "for their decisive contributions to the large project, which led to the discovery of the field particles W and Z, communicators of weak interaction"

Field: Experimental particle physics

According to modern physics, there are four fundamental forces in nature. The weak interaction, responsible for e.g. the beta-decay of nuclei is one of them. According to the theory forces are mediated by particles: the weak interaction by the so called heavy bosons W, Z, about 100 times more massive than the proton. Simon van der Meer developed a method to accumulate a large number of energetic antiprotons in an accelerator ring. These were used in experiment where antiprotons and protons of high energy were brought to collide. In these experiments W and Z particles were discovered in 1983.

Recommended:

Play the Laser Challenge Game

Your mission is to arrange an amazing laser party!

 

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1901-2000

Read more about the Nobel Prize in Physics.

 

Facts on the Nobel Prize in Physics

All you want to know about the Nobel Prize in Physics!