Polykarp Kusch

Polykarp Kusch

Born January 26, 1911(1911-01-26)
Blankenburg, District of Blankenburg, Duchy of Brunswick, German Empire
Died March 20, 1993(1993-03-20) (aged 82)
Dallas, Texas, USA
Institutions University of Texas at Dallas
Columbia University
Alma mater University of Illinois, Case Western Reserve University
Doctoral advisor Francis Wheeler Loomis
Notable students Gordon Gould
Known for Measured the magnetic moment of the electron
Notable awards Nobel Prize in Physics (1955)

Polykarp Kusch (January 26, 1911 – March 20, 1993) was a German-American physicist. In 1955 he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics with Willis Eugene Lamb for his accurate determination that the magnetic moment of the electron was greater than its theoretical value, thus leading to reconsideration of—and innovations in—quantum electrodynamics.

He received his bachelor's degree in physics in 1931 from Case Western Reserve University. From the University of Illinois, he received his master's degree in 1933 and his Ph.D. in 1936. He spent much of his career as a professor at Columbia University in New York City, and served as the university's provost for several years before departing for the newly-created University of Texas at Dallas. During his tenure at Columbia, he was the doctoral supervisor for Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser.

A residential dormitory for undergraduate students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio on the South Campus is named after Dr. Kusch. The building is named Kusch House. It is located on Carlton Road in Cleveland Heights.

See also

External links