RIP Daniel Kleppner (1932-2025)

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Daniel Kleppner, a prominent atomic physicist and MIT professor emeritus, passed away at the age of 92 on June 16, 2025. He was renowned for his pioneering research in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, significantly contributing to advancements in GPS technology and quantum computing. Kleppner is often referred to as the "godfather of Bose-Einstein condensation," a field he helped establish. His extensive academic career at MIT spanned 37 years, during which he influenced generations of physicists. His legacy includes numerous groundbreaking publications and a lasting impact on the field of physics.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kleppner
https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/daniel-kleppner/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/12/science/daniel-kleppner-dead.html

https://news.mit.edu/2025/atomic-physicist-daniel-kleppner-dies-0715

Professor Emeritus Daniel Kleppner, highly influential atomic physicist, dies at 92​

The “godfather of Bose-Einstein condensation” and MIT faculty member for 37 years led research into atomic, molecular, and optical physics that led to GPS and quantum computing.

Daniel Kleppner, the Lester Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Physics at MIT whose work in experimental atomic physics made an immense mark on the field, died on June 16 at the age of 92, in Palo Alto, California.


(1996) 1996 Killian Lecture: Daniel Kleppner, "Views From a Garden of Worldly Delights"

If I called the talk "Selected topics in Rydberg Atom Physics", you probably wouldn't have come.
...


(2014) Rydberg Atoms - Daniel Kleppner ( https://serious-science.org/?s=kleppner )


(2016) Daniel Kleppner - InfiniteHistoryProject MIT


(2020 Nov) Atomic Clocks - and a brief history of Time ( Lexington Computer and Technology Group )
(2022) Kleppner - The Deep History if AMO Physics - SPSAS on Quantum Fluids and Applications (February 28 - 2 pm to 3 pm)
-- loud audio glitch from 6m30s-7m30s

(2016) TIF Talks - Star Wars and Other Policy Fantasies
A presentation by MIT's Lester Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Physics Daniel Kleppner ’53 at The Bently Reserve in San Francisco on Feb. 20, 2016. Teach It Forward - The Campaign for Williams.




NOVA | NOVA Short |The Strangest Form of Matter

(full video (cued up at &t=1:17:37) Absolute Zero ✪ PBS Nova Documentary Channel )

(2015) Daniel Kleppner - 2006 National Medal of Science - NSTMF (2m07s)


(2014) Dan Kleppner - sciencentral (5m10s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-i9imNO0kY



AIP Physics History Network: Daniel Kleppner
https://history.aip.org/phn/11603018.html

https://www.mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=252248

https://inspirehep.net/authors/2244445
https://inspirehep.net/authors/2309639

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=G5sn6bsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra


"Broken Atomic Beam Resonance Experiment"
Daniel Kleppner, Norman F. Ramsey, and Paul Fjelstadt
Phys. Rev. Lett. 1, 232 (1958) - Published 1 October, 1958
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.1.232

"Theory of the Hydrogen Maser"
Daniel Kleppner, H. Mark Goldenberg, and Norman F. Ramsey
Phys. Rev. 126, 603 – Published 15 April, 1962
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.126.603

https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/a...stein-Condensate-is-Formed?redirectedFrom=PDF
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.882393

"Bose-Einstein Condensation of Atomic Hydrogen"
Dale G. Fried, Thomas C. Killian, Lorenz Willmann, David Landhuis, Stephen C. Moss, Daniel Kleppner, and Thomas J. Greytak
Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 3811 – Published 2 November, 1998
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.3811

("Bose-Einstein Condensation of Atomic Hydrogen"
Daniel Kleppner, Thomas J. Greytak, Thomas C. Killian, Dale G. Fried, Lorenz Willmann, David Landhuis, Stephen C. Moss
contribution to School of Physics "Enrico Fermi", session 140, 1998
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.physics/9812038 [Submitted on 20 Dec 1998] )


"An Introduction to Mechanics" - 2nd Edition
by Daniel Kleppner , Robert Kolenkow
https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Mechanics-Daniel-Kleppner/dp/0521198119?tag=pfamazon01-20
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Introduction_to_Mechanics
- https://www.physicsforums.com/search/22200136/?q=kleppner&o=date
 
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