Laurie Mark Brown (born 1923,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) is an American

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...

and historian of quantum field theory and elementary particle physics.

Biography

Brown studied at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, where in 1951 he received his Ph.D. under

Richard Feynman Richard Phillips Feynman (; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superflu ...

. Since 1950 he has been on the faculty of the physics department of

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, where he became a tenured professor and eventually retired as professor emeritus. For the academic year 1952–1953 he was at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

. For the academic years 1958–1959 and 1959–1960 he was a Fulbright Scholar in Italy. In 1966 he was an IEA professor at the University of Vienna. From 1960 to 1970 he served as a consultant for

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a science and engineering research United States Department of Energy National Labs, national laboratory operated by University of Chicago, UChicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy. The facil ...

and the Laboratory's Accelerator Committee. Brown is one of the leading science historians for the development of quantum field theory and elementary particle physics, especially in the era after 1945. During the 1990s one focus of his work was the history of modern physics in Japan. He was the editor for ''Feynman's Thesis: A New Approach to Quantum Physics'' (2005), ''Selected Papers of Richard Feynman, with Commentary'' (2000), and (with John Rigden as co-editor) ''Most of the Good Stuff: Memories of Richard Feynman'' (1993). Brown was one of the founders of the Forum on History of Physics of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

and was the chair of the Forum in 1984 and again in 1989. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the History of Science Society. In 1961 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Selected publications

* *as editor with Lillian Hoddeson: ; *with Donald F. Moyer: *with Max Dresden and Lillian Hoddeson: *with Tian Yu Cao: *as editor: *as editor with

Abraham Pais Abraham Pais (; May 19, 1918 – July 28, 2000) was a Dutch-American physicist and science historian. Pais earned his Ph.D. from University of Utrecht just prior to a Nazi ban on Jewish participation in Dutch universities during World War II. ...

and

Brian Pippard Sir Alfred Brian Pippard, FRS (7 September 1920 – 21 September 2008), was a British physicist. He was Cavendish Professor of Physics from 1971 until 1982 and an Honorary Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge, of which he was the first President. ...

: *with Helmut Rechendberg: *as editor with Lillian Hoddeson, Michael Riordan, and Max Dresden: * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Laurie 1923 births 20th-century American physicists 21st-century American physicists Quantum physicists Theoretical physicists Historians of science Cornell University alumni Northwestern University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Living people Scientists from New York City