Robert Rathbun Wilson (born 4.03.1914) is an American experimental physicist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences (1957). He was born in Frontier (Wyoming). He graduated from the University of California (1936). In 1940-43 he worked at Princeton University, in 1943—46 at the Los Alamos Laboratory, in 1946—47 at Harvard University, and in 1947 — 67 he was professor at Cornell University and director of its Laboratory of Nuclear Studies. From 1967 he has been professor at the University of Chicago, and in 1967—79 he was director of the E. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Batavia).
His work concerned nuclear physics, accelerator engineering and high-energy physics. In 1938 — 40 he studied the problem of the electrostatic and magnetic focusing of the beam in a cyclotron. In 1946 he proposed using heavy charged particles (protons) in radiation therapy, and he discovered (1947) the anisotropy of fission neutrons. Under Wilson's direction a 12 GeV electron synchrotron was built at Ithaca (1967), and at Batavia a proton synchrotron was constructed (1972) that accelerates protons to an energy of 200 GeV; in 1976 their energy was raised to 500 GeV.
The E. Cresson Medal (1964). The National Medal of Science (1973).