William H. Parker (born 1941) is an American professor of physics and academic administrator at the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

(UCI). Parker's earliest laboratory research involved seminal experiments that refined the precision of the measurements of

fundamental constants In physics, a dimensionless physical constant is a physical constant that is dimensionless, i.e. a pure number having no units attached and having a numerical value that is independent of whatever system of units may be used. For example, if one co ...

. His later research focused on superconductors and other aspects of

solid-state physics Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...

. In an administrative capacity at UCI, Parker has served in a variety of roles including as Dean, Department Chair, and Vice Chancellor.

Education and research

Parker earned a bachelor's degree from Allegheny College in 1963. He obtained MS and PhD degrees from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. He then joined the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCI in 1967 and he has remained there for his entire career. He was a

Sloan Research Fellow The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This program is one of the oldest of its kind in the United States. ...

from 1968 to 1970. In collaboration with Donald N. Langenberg and Barry N. Taylor, Parker used the alternating current Josephson effect to precisely measure ''e''/''h'', the ratio of the

elementary charge The elementary charge, usually denoted by is the electric charge carried by a single proton or, equivalently, the magnitude of the negative electric charge carried by a single electron, which has charge −1 . This elementary charge is a fundame ...

(''e'') to Planck's constant (''h''). This ratio could then also be used to refine the value of other fundamental constants such as the fine-structure constant (''α''). The new measurement of ''α'' removed a discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental values of the

hyperfine splitting In atomic physics, hyperfine structure is defined by small shifts in otherwise degenerate energy levels and the resulting splittings in those energy levels of atoms, molecules, and ions, due to electromagnetic multipole interaction between the nucl ...

in the ground state of atomic hydrogen, one of the major unsolved problems of quantum electrodynamics at time. For this research, Parker received the

John Price Wetherill Medal The John Price Wetherill Medal was an award of the Franklin Institute. It was established with a bequest given by the family of John Price Wetherill (1844–1906) on April 3, 1917. On June 10, 1925, the Board of Managers voted to create a silver ...

from the Franklin Institute in 1975. Parker's other research examined

Josephson junctions In physics, the Josephson effect is a phenomenon that occurs when two superconductors are placed in proximity, with some barrier or restriction between them. It is an example of a macroscopic quantum phenomenon, where the effects of quantum mech ...

and other aspects of low temperature physics including quasiparticle and

phonon In physics, a phonon is a collective excitation in a periodic, Elasticity (physics), elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter physics, condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids. A type of quasiparticle, a phon ...

lifetimes, quasiparticle energy distribution in superconducting films, surface impedance, and thermal fluctuations in superconducting materials.

Administration and teaching

At UCI, Parker has been Associate Vice Chancellor (1984 to 2000), Vice Chancellor for Research (2000-2006), Dean of Graduate Studies (2000 to 2006), Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy (2007 to 2012), and president of the university's Irvine Campus Housing Authority (1983-1990). Throughout his more than fifty years at the university, Parker has won multiple honors, including the Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished University Service Award (1980 and 2008) and the UCI Medal (2009), UCI's highest award. For his teaching, Parker has twice won the School of Physical Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award. Parker is coauthor of the book ''The Fundamental Constants and Quantum Electrodynamics''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, William H. American physicists American academic administrators University of California, Irvine faculty University of Pennsylvania Graduate Division School of Arts & Sciences alumni Allegheny College alumni Sloan Research Fellows 1941 births Living people