Fredrik "Fred" Zachariasen (1931–1999) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his collaborative work with

Murray Gell-Mann Murray Gell-Mann (; September 15, 1929 – May 24, 2019) was an American physicist who received the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles. He was the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Theoretical ...

Sidney Drell Sidney David Drell (September 13, 1926 – December 21, 2016) was an American theoretical physicist and arms control expert. At the time of his death, he was professor emeritus at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) and senior fel ...

, and others.

Early life and education

Fredrik Zachariasen was born in 1931 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. His father was the physicist William Houlder Zachariasen. Fredrik Zachariasen graduated in 1951 with BS in physics from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

and in January 1956 with PhD from

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

with thesis ''Photodisintegration of the deuteron''. He was a postdoc from 1955 to 1956 at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, from 1956 to 1957 at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, and from 1957 to 1958 at Stanford University, where he was an assistant professor from 1958 to 1960.

Career

In 1960 he joined the faculty of Caltech and remained there until he retired in September 1999 as professor emeritus. In 1960 he was a Sloan Research Fellow. He was a founding member of the

JASON Defense Advisory Group JASON is an independent group of elite scientists which advises the United States government on matters of science and technology, mostly of a sensitive nature. The group was created in the aftermath of the Sputnik launch as a way to reinvigorate ...

, where he worked with

Walter Munk Walter Heinrich Munk (October 19, 1917 – February 8, 2019) was an American physical oceanographer. He was one of the first scientists to bring statistical methods to the analysis of oceanographic data. His work won awards including the Nation ...

on acoustic detection of submarines.

Ball-Baker-Zachariasen (BBZ) formulation

Later life and legacy

Fredrik Zachariasen's wife Nancy worked as a staff member at the library at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

. They had two daughters. He died in 1999 in Pasadena, California. Zachariasen's papers are held in the collection of the California Institute of Technology.Fredrik Zachariasen Papers
10195-MS, Caltech Archives, California Institute of Technology.

Selected publications

* with Sidney Drell: * with David Horn: * with Roger F. Dashen, Walter H. Munk, and Kenneth M. Watson:
2010 pbk reprint

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zachariasen, Fredrik 20th-century American physicists University of Chicago alumni California Institute of Technology alumni California Institute of Technology faculty Members of JASON (advisory group) 1931 births 1999 deaths