In 1984 he returned to Colorado as an associate professor of physics at the University of Colorado. He became a professor of physics there in 1987. He is also a Fellow at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) and was chairman from 1993 until 1995. He has been designated as Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado since 1997.
Until 1995 there were believed to be four phases of matter: gas, liquid, solid and plasma. As of June 5, 1995, there are five phases, the fifth named the Bose-Einstein condensate -- atoms in a super-cold vapor. Working on the theory advanced by Satyendra Nath Bose in 1924 and by Albert Einstein in 1925, Wieman and his colleagues were able to bring the temperature of atoms to "a few hundred billionths of a degree above absolute zero," or minus-459.67 degrees Fahrenheit. They found that the wavelengths of the atoms overlapped and behaved in the same manner, creating a super atom -- and a new branch of study in atomic physics.
The hypothesis is that at absolute zero atoms have no heat and no energy. Scientists are able to see and study the behavior of atoms in the Bose-Einstein condensate because their movement is relatively slow.
The possible applications of the Bose-Einstein condensate include highly miniaturized microchips, more accurate guidance systems for aircraft and spacecraft and a possible atom laser, which means more accurate atomic clocks.
Wieman's most recent honor is the Nobel Prize for Physics for 2001, which he shares with Eric A. Cornell, senior scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Wolfgang Ketterle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
What does a Nobel Prize winner do after he learns he has won? He meets his 11 A.M. class.
"I really have to have this class because they've got a test coming up," Wieman is quoted as saying.
Wieman has received many other awards and honors:
- Hertz Foundation Fellow, 1973-1977
- Sloan Research Fellowship, 1984
- University of Colorado Faculty Fellowship, 1990-1991
- Guggenheim Fellowship, 1990-1991
- Fellow of the American Physical Society, 1990
- Loeb Lecturer (Harvard University), 1990-1991
- E. O. Lawrence Award in Physics, 1993
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