Sidney Drell
Sidney David Drell (September 13, 1926 –
December 21, 2016) was an American theoretical Sidney Drell
physicist[2] and arms control expert.[3]
At the time of his death, he was professor emeritus at
the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) and
senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover
Institution. Drell was a noted contributor in the fields
of quantum electrodynamics and high-energy particle
physics. The Drell–Yan process, which was used to
discover the Higgs boson, is partially named for
him.[2]
Born September 13, 1926
Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
Biography
Died December 21, 2016 (aged 90)
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 13, Palo Alto, California, U.S.
1926,[2] Drell graduated from Atlantic City High Nationality American
School in 1943, at the age of sixteen.[4][5] Alma mater Princeton University
University of Illinois
Drell entered Princeton for the summer term in July
1943, and worked with Josef-Maria Jauch in his Known for Drell–Yan process
junior year and completing his senior thesis Children 3, including Persis[1]
"Radiating Electrons" with John Archibald Awards E. O. Lawrence Award (1972)
Wheeler.[2] He earned his undergraduate degree in Pomeranchuk Prize (1998)
physics from Princeton University in 1946.[4] He was Enrico Fermi Award (2000)
awarded a masters in physics in 1947 and received Heinz Award for Public Policy (2005)
his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana–
National Medal of Science (2011)
Champaign in 1949. He co-authored the textbooks
Scientific career
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Relativistic
Quantum Fields with James Bjorken.[2] Fields Physics
Institutions Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Drell was active as a scientific advisor to the U.S.
Thesis Part I Magnetic internal conversion
government, and was a founding member of the
coefficient Part II Electrostatic
JASON Defense Advisory Group.[2] He was also on
scattering of neutrons Part III
the board of directors of Los Alamos National
Anomalous magnetic moments of
Security, the company that operates the Los Alamos
nucleons ([Link]
National Laboratory.[6] He was an expert in the field
m/docview/301807599/) (1949)
of nuclear arms control and cofounder of the Center
for International Security and Arms Control, now the Doctoral Sidney Dancoff
Center for International Security and Cooperation. He advisor
was a Senior Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution Doctoral James Bjorken
and a trustee Emeritus at the Institute for Advanced students Steven Frautschi
Study in Princeton, New Jersey.[7] Roscoe Giles
Robert Jaffe
He was the father of Persis Drell, former head of Heinz Pagels
SLAC national accelerator lab, former dean of the Joel Primack
Stanford University School of Engineering, and
(through Fall 2023) provost of Stanford University; Joanna Drell, Professor of History and chair of the
Department of History at the University of Richmond;[8] and Daniel Drell, a program officer at the U.S.
Department of Energy. Sidney Drell died in December 2016 at his home in Palo Alto, California at the
age of 90.[3]
Awards and honors
Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1969)[9]
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1971)[10]
Member of the American Philosophical Society (1987)[11]
The 11th Annual Heinz Award in Public Policy[12]
Enrico Fermi Award, 2000
National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, 2001
National Medal of Science, 2011 (presented by President Barack Obama on February 1,
2013)
References
1. Schudel, Matt (December 24, 2016). "Sidney Drell, physicist and arms-control expert, dies
at 90" ([Link]
pert-dies-at-90/2016/12/24/ff387910-c923-11e6-bf4b-2c064d32a4bf_story.html). The
Washington Post.
2. Jaffe, Robert; Jeanloz, Raymond (19 October 2019). "Sidney David Drell (September 13,
1926–December 21, 2016): A Biographical Memoir" ([Link]
cl-020619-120837). Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science. 69 (1): 1–14.
Bibcode:2019ARNPS..69....1J ([Link]
doi:10.1146/annurev-nucl-020619-120837 ([Link]
-120837). ISSN 0163-8998 ([Link] S2CID 209945149
([Link]
3. Kubota, Taylor (22 December 2016). "Sidney Drell, theoretical physicist and national
security expert at Stanford, dies at 90" ([Link]
oretical-physicist-national-security-expert-stanford-dies-90/). Stanford News. Retrieved
28 March 2023.
4. Grimes, William (23 December 2016). "Sidney Drell, Who Advised Presidents on Nuclear
Weapons, Dies at 90" ([Link]
l). The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
5. Aaserud, Finn (July 1, 1986). "Oral histories: Sidney Drell" ([Link]
ams/niels-bohr-library/oral-histories/4578). American Institute of Physics. Retrieved
2022-02-02.
6. "Los Alamos National Security, LLC Announces Board of Governors" ([Link]
[Link]/press-releases/2006-01-19/los-alamos-national-security-llc-announces-board-of-gove
rnors). [Link]. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
7. "Drell awarded NNSA Administrator's Gold Medal of Excellence | Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory" ([Link]
al-excellence). LLNL Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
8. "Joanna Drell - History - University of Richmond" ([Link]
9. "Drell, Sidney D." ([Link]
National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
10. "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter D" ([Link]
mbers/[Link]) (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved June 3,
2011.
11. "APS Member History" ([Link]
&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advance
d). [Link]. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
12. The Heinz Awards, Sidney Drell profile ([Link]
External links
Oral history interview transcript with Sidney Drell on 1 July 1986, American Institute of
Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives ([Link]
ry/oral-histories/4578)
SLAC: Sidney Drell ([Link]
[Link]/do/people/[Link])
Hoover Institution: Sidney Drell ([Link]
[Link]/bios/[Link])
Sidney D. Drell papers ([Link]
ey%20drell) at the Hoover Institution Archives ([Link]
The Academic Tree ([Link]
Retrieved from "[Link]
