Seven scientists have been named Laboratory Fellows by Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos. Recipients of the annual honor are technical staff members who have demonstrated the highest level of excellence in programs important to the Laboratory's mission, made significant scientific discoveries that lead to widespread use, or have been recognized as leaders in their fields both inside and outside of the Laboratory. The Fellows for 2004 are Alan Bishop of Theoretical (T) Division, Joseph Carlson of Nuclear Physics (T-16), Richard Epstein of Space and Remote Sensing Sciences (ISR-1), Victor Klimov of Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (C-PCS), Byron Goldstein of Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-10), Brad Meyer of Gas Transfer Systems (ESA-GTS) and Dimitri Mihalas of Material Science (X-7).
"The Fellows are one of the more important bodies at the Laboratory in terms of demonstrating and maintaining the scientific excellence of our institution," said Nanos. "Our newest Fellows represent the scientific brilliance of our entire technical staff, as well as the dedication to national security shared by all the men and women at the Laboratory. They are truly a distinguished group."
Alan Bishop is an internationally recognized leader in condensed matter theory, statistical physics and nonlinear physics. He has made major contributions in the areas of solitons and low dimensional materials, quantum complexity, nonlinear excitations in structural and magnetic transitions, collective excitations in low-dimensional materials and complex electronic materials with strong spin-charge-lattice coupling. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the Department of Energy's E.O. Lawrence Award and a Humboldt Senior Fellow.
A former Oppenheimer Fellow, Joe Carlson pioneered the field of the theoretical simulation of the properties of light nuclei. He has nearly single-handedly developed numerical techniques accurate enough to test all significant components of the nuclear force. Carlson used Monte Carlo mathematical techniques to solve the four-nucleon problem in the early 1990s and can now calculate ground and excited states for systems with 12 nucleons that are of astrophysical significance. Carslon is an APS Fellow and a recipient of the Los Alamos Fellows' prize.
Recognized as an authority in theoretical astrophysics, Richard Epstein is considered to be the pioneer of two distinct fields: high-energy astrophysics-cosmic rays, neutron stars and Gamma-ray bursts; and nuclear astrophysics -supernova and the origin of elements. He also has made substantial contributions to the field of optical cooling of solid-state media. "Optical refrigeration," a field that Epstein and his colleagues pioneered, has great practical implications, including the ability to reliably and efficiently cool satellite components - a mission-critical need. He also is an APS Fellow and Los Alamos Fellows' Prize recipient.
Byron Goldstein is an internationally recognized authority in the field of mathematical immunology and cell biology. These fields are multidisciplinary frontiers where physics, chemical engineering, mathematics and computer science are combined quantitatively with biology. Goldstein is a pioneer in modeling cell signaling cascades, pursuing cutting-edge research in cell activation, cell-signaling, cell surface receptor-ligand interactions and the generation of allergic responses. He is the recipient of a National Institutes of Health MERIT Award, which includes 10 years of new funding.
An internationally recognized solid-state physicist, Victor Klimov has produced ground-breaking research in the area of semiconductor nanocrystal quantum-dot photophysics. He has made seminal contributions to the field of quantum dots, both in time domain studies of ultrafast energy transfer and Auger processes, as well as in the development of the quantum dot laser. Klimov's research comprises an important cornerstone of the Laboratory's efforts in nanoscience and technology, and he is a scientific thrust leader in the new Center for Integrated Nanotechnolgy. He is a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America. Klimov also is a winner of the Los Alamos Fellows' Prize.
Brad Meyer is a world-renowned expert in the mission-critical area of gas transfer systems, where he has made substantial contributions over the past 25 years. Meyer has personally provided multiple significant breakthroughs in the development of safe and reliable gas transfer systems needed by the nuclear weapons program. Specifically, Meyer led the successful design and development leading to implementation of Acorn reservoirs, in addition to playing a key role in the theoretical design of Terrazzo reservoir technology and design. Further, Meyer identified a neutron source that is now used for nuclear weapons certification activities, an accomplishment that has had a huge impact on the nuclear weapons complex.
A pioneer in astrophysical computational physics, Dimitri Mihalas is a world leader in the fields of radiation transport, radiation hydrodynamics and astrophysical quantitative spectroscopy. Mihalas' research has had significant impact on the quality of the Laboratory's radiation transport simulations - of critical importance to weapons certification. Mihalas is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
Laboratory Fellows are expected to continue to play an important scientific or technical role in the Laboratory and to contribute in significant ways to Laboratory programs and initiatives. Fellows are often called upon to provide critical analyses of significant issues affecting Laboratory programs and the work force, particularly any highly technical issues. Only 2 percent of the Laboratory's current technical staff members can hold the title of "Fellow" at any one time.
Nominations were submitted to the members of the Laboratory Fellows Screening Committee, which reviewed the nominations and then submitted their recommendations to Nanos, who then selected the new Fellows.
--Kevin N. Roark