Frederick Reines
Facts
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Frederick Reines
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1995
Born: 16 March 1918, Paterson, NJ, USA
Died: 26 August 1998, Orange, CA, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
Prize motivation: "for the detection of the neutrino."
Prize share: 1/2
Work
During the beta decay of a nucleus, a neutron is converted to a proton and an electron is produced. In studying the electron's velocity, it was clear that this decay violated energy-conversation and other laws. It was thus proposed that an additional particle - a neutrino - was formed during beta decay. In the early 1950s, Frederick Reines passed radiation from a nuclear reactor through a water tank and discovered reactions that proved the neutrino's existence.
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Nobel Prizes 2018
Their work and discoveries range from cancer therapy and laser physics to developing proteins that can solve humankind’s chemical problems. The work of the 2018 Nobel Laureates also included combating war crimes, as well as integrating innovation and climate with economic growth. Find out more.
