Wolfgang Kurt Hermann Panofsky (born 24.04.1919) is an American physicist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences (1954). Born in Berlin. He has lived in the USA since 1934. Graduated from Princeton University and the California Institute of Technology (1942). In 1942–45 he worked there and at Los Alamos, in 1945–51 at the University of California. From 1951 he was professor at Stanford University (in 1953–61 director of the High Energy Physics Laboratory) and from 1962 director of the Linear Accelerator Center.
His work was in the field of nuclear physics, accelerator technology and elementary particle physics. In 1950–52, together with J. Steinberger, he was the first to measure the spin and parity of the pi-meson and reliably confirmed the existence of the neutral pion. He proved the existence of the reaction π- + d → 2N. He was the first to observe (1956) the production of mu-meson pairs by photons. Independently of others he developed the colliding-beam method. He started up the largest Stanford linear electron accelerator, for an energy of 22 GeV (1966), and one of the first installations with colliding electron–electron and electron–positron beams.
In 1974 he was president of the American Physical Society. The E. Lawrence Prize (1961), the National Medal of Science (1969), the B. Franklin Medal (1970) and others.
His work was in the field of nuclear physics, accelerator technology and elementary particle physics. In 1950–52, together with J. Steinberger, he was the first to measure the spin and parity of the pi-meson and reliably confirmed the existence of the neutral pion. He proved the existence of the reaction π- + d → 2N. He was the first to observe (1956) the production of mu-meson pairs by photons. Independently of others he developed the colliding-beam method. He started up the largest Stanford linear electron accelerator, for an energy of 22 GeV (1966), and one of the first installations with colliding electron–electron and electron–positron beams.
In 1974 he was president of the American Physical Society. The E. Lawrence Prize (1961), the National Medal of Science (1969), the B. Franklin Medal (1970) and others.