Ward Plummer
Encyclopedia
E. Ward Plummer is an American physicist
. His main contributions are in surface physics of metals. Plummer is a Professor of Physics at Louisiana State University
.
in 1967, working with Prof. Thor Rhodin
. His thesis work was on atomic binding of 5-d transition-metal atoms using Field ion microscope
(FIM).
Plummer accepted a National Research Council
Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Bureau of Standards [now called The National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)] in the fall of 1967 working with Russ Young, and he stayed as a staff scientist until the fall of 1973. His work included field electron emission and photoemission studies of surfaces. NIST selected his 1969 paper "Resonance Tunneling of Field-Emitted Electrons Through Adsorbates on Metal Surfaces", co-authored with J. W. Gadzuk and R. D. Young, for inclusion in the agency's centennial collection of its top 100 articles of the 20th century. This paper reported the first-ever single electron spectroscopy
work in which electronic energy levels of atom
s at the surface of a metal were observed.
In 1973, Plummer accepted a position in the Physics Department at the University of Pennsylvania
where his work mainly focused on angle-resolved photoemission
, momentum-resolved inelastic electron scattering and nonlinear optical response from surfaces. In 1988, he was appointed the William Smith Professor of Physics and in 1990 became the director of the NSF-funded Materials Research Laboratory (Laboratory for Research on Structure of Matter).
In January 1993, Plummer moved to his present joint position at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory
. His research interests have shifted to the study on an atomic scale of phase transitions in reduced dimensionality and surfaces of highly correlated electron systems such as transition-metal oxides. His primary research tool has been variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. In 2000, Plummer became the Director of the Tennessee Advanced Materials Laboratory, a state-funded Center of Excellence.
Plummer has served on many national and international committees both to review existing scientific programs and to identify future directions for science and technology. Recent examples include: Chair of DOE-sponsored Workshop on "Soft X-Ray Science in the Next Millennium: The Future of Photon-In/Photon-Out Experiments, Pikeville, Tennessee, March 15–18, 2000, and Chair of DOE-BESAC (Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee) subpanel for the evaluation of the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) at Argonne National Laboratory and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center
(LANSCE) Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center. He also recently became a member of the DOE-Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, 2001–2004.
He is author of more than 300 refereed papers and is included in the list of the 1,000 Most Cited Physicists, a list compiled by the Institute for Scientific Information
which is based on papers published between 1981 and 1997. But what Plummer is proudest of in his long and distinguished career is the mentoring of promising young scientists. To date, this includes advising or co-advising Ph.D. theses of 40 graduate students, hosting ~25 postdoctoral fellows, and assisting many young scientists in advancing their careers.
...
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. His main contributions are in surface physics of metals. Plummer is a Professor of Physics at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
.
Biography
Plummer received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lewis and Clark College in 1962 and completed his Ph.D. degree in physics at Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1967, working with Prof. Thor Rhodin
Thor Rhodin
Late Professor Emeritus, Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University, Thor Rhodin is credited with pioneering work in the birth and evolution of surface science beginning with his research on surface sensitivity using auger electron spectroscopy...
. His thesis work was on atomic binding of 5-d transition-metal atoms using Field ion microscope
Field ion microscope
Field ion microscopy is an analytical technique used in materials science. The field ion microscope is a type of microscope that can be used to image the arrangement of atoms at the surface of a sharp metal tip....
(FIM).
Plummer accepted a National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Bureau of Standards [now called The National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
(NIST)] in the fall of 1967 working with Russ Young, and he stayed as a staff scientist until the fall of 1973. His work included field electron emission and photoemission studies of surfaces. NIST selected his 1969 paper "Resonance Tunneling of Field-Emitted Electrons Through Adsorbates on Metal Surfaces", co-authored with J. W. Gadzuk and R. D. Young, for inclusion in the agency's centennial collection of its top 100 articles of the 20th century. This paper reported the first-ever single electron spectroscopy
Electron spectroscopy
Electron spectroscopy is an analytical technique to study the electronic structure and its dynamics in atoms and molecules. In general an excitation source such as x-rays, electrons or synchrotron radiation will eject an electron from an inner-shell orbital of an atom...
work in which electronic energy levels of atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
s at the surface of a metal were observed.
In 1973, Plummer accepted a position in the Physics Department at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where his work mainly focused on angle-resolved photoemission
ARPES
Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy , also known as ARUPS , is a direct experimental technique to observe the distribution of the electrons in the reciprocal space of solids...
, momentum-resolved inelastic electron scattering and nonlinear optical response from surfaces. In 1988, he was appointed the William Smith Professor of Physics and in 1990 became the director of the NSF-funded Materials Research Laboratory (Laboratory for Research on Structure of Matter).
In January 1993, Plummer moved to his present joint position at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
. His research interests have shifted to the study on an atomic scale of phase transitions in reduced dimensionality and surfaces of highly correlated electron systems such as transition-metal oxides. His primary research tool has been variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. In 2000, Plummer became the Director of the Tennessee Advanced Materials Laboratory, a state-funded Center of Excellence.
Plummer has served on many national and international committees both to review existing scientific programs and to identify future directions for science and technology. Recent examples include: Chair of DOE-sponsored Workshop on "Soft X-Ray Science in the Next Millennium: The Future of Photon-In/Photon-Out Experiments, Pikeville, Tennessee, March 15–18, 2000, and Chair of DOE-BESAC (Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee) subpanel for the evaluation of the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) at Argonne National Laboratory and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center
Los Alamos Neutron Science Center
The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center , formerly known as the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility is one of the world's most powerful linear accelerators. It is located in Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in Technical Area 53 . It was the most powerful linear accelerator in the world...
(LANSCE) Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center. He also recently became a member of the DOE-Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, 2001–2004.
He is author of more than 300 refereed papers and is included in the list of the 1,000 Most Cited Physicists, a list compiled by the Institute for Scientific Information
Institute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
which is based on papers published between 1981 and 1997. But what Plummer is proudest of in his long and distinguished career is the mentoring of promising young scientists. To date, this includes advising or co-advising Ph.D. theses of 40 graduate students, hosting ~25 postdoctoral fellows, and assisting many young scientists in advancing their careers.
Awards and honors
- 1968 Wayne B. Nottingham PrizeWayne B. Nottingham PrizeThe Wayne B. Nottingham Prize is awarded annually at the Physical Electronics Conference, a conference that focuses on new research results in surface science and in the chemistry of surfaces and interfaces. The prestigious Nottingham Prize was established from contributions given in memory of...
- 1983, Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface PhysicsDavisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface PhysicsThe Davisson–Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics is an annual prize that has been awarded by the American Physical Society since 1965. The recipient is chosen for "outstanding work in atomic physics or surface physics"...
by the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyThe American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
for "---the innovative application of electron spectroscopies." - 1986 Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
- 2001, Medard W. Welch AwardMedard W. Welch AwardThe award is given to scientists who demonstrated outstanding research in the fields pertinent to American Vacuum Society. It was established in 1969 in memory of Memory of Medard W. Welch, a founder of American Vacuum Society. The prestige of the award is created by its recipients and their...
by the American Vacuum SocietyAmerican Vacuum SocietyAVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing is a not-for-profit learned society founded in 1953. AVS is a member society of the American Institute of Physics. AVS has approximately 5000 members worldwide from academia, governmental laboratories and industry...
The citation reads, "For the development of novel instrumentation, its use to illuminate new concepts in the surface physics of metals, and the mentoring of promising young scientists." - 2006 - Elected to National Academy of Science
Academic genealogy
Ward Plummer was a student of Thor RhodinThor Rhodin
Late Professor Emeritus, Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University, Thor Rhodin is credited with pioneering work in the birth and evolution of surface science beginning with his research on surface sensitivity using auger electron spectroscopy...
...
- Thor Rhodin was a student of Hugh Scott Taylor.
- Taylor was a student of Frederick George Donnan and Henry Bassett [Ref.1].
- Donnan was trained by Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald.
- Ostwald's adviser was Schmidt, Carl,
- who was a student of Justus von LiebigJustus von LiebigJustus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...
.
- who was a student of Justus von Liebig
- Ostwald's adviser was Schmidt, Carl,
- Bassett's was trained by Adolf von BaeyerAdolf von BaeyerJohann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer was a German chemist who synthesized indigo, and was the 1905 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Born in Berlin, he initially studied mathematics and physics at Berlin University before moving to Heidelberg to study chemistry with Robert Bunsen...
and Victor VilligerVictor VilligerVictor Villiger was a Swiss-born German chemist and the discoverer of the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation.-Life:...
.- Baeyer was a student of Robert BunsenRobert BunsenRobert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was a German chemist. He investigated emission spectra of heated elements, and discovered caesium and rubidium with Gustav Kirchhoff. Bunsen developed several gas-analytical methods, was a pioneer in photochemistry, and did early work in the field of organoarsenic...
and Friedrich August Kekulé.- Bunsen was a student of Friedrich Stromeyer.
- Kekulé was a student of Heinrich Will.
- Baeyer was a student of Robert Bunsen
- Donnan was trained by Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald.
- Taylor was a student of Frederick George Donnan and Henry Bassett [Ref.1].
Selected publications
- Plummer, E. W.; Eberhardt, W., Angle-resolved photoemission as a tool for th study of surfaces, Advances in Chemical PHysics, 49: 533-656 1982
- Gadzuk, J. W., Plummer, E. W. Field-emission energy-distribution (FEED), Reviews of Modern Physics, 45 (3)487-548 1973
- Eberhardt, W; Plummer, E. W., Angle-resolved photoemission determination of the band-structure and multielectron excitations in Ni, Physical Review B, 21 (8): 3245-3255 1980
- Allyn, C. L., Gustafsson, T., Plummer E. W., Orientation of Co adsorbed on Ni(100), Chemical Physics Letters, 47 (1): 127-132 1977
- PLUMMER, EW; GUSTAFSSON, T; GUDAT, W; EASTMAN, Delaware, PARTIAL PHOTOIONIZATION CROSS-SECTIONS OF N2 AND CO USING SYNCHROTRON RADIATION PHYSICAL REVIEW A, 15 (6): 2339–2355 1977
- EBERHARDT, W; GREUTER, F; PLUMMER, EW, BONDING OF H TO NI, PD, AND PT SURFACES, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 46 (16): 1085–1088 1981
- PLUMMER, EW; SALANECK, WR; MILLER, JS, PHOTOELECTRON-SPECTRA OF TRANSITION-METAL CARBONYL-COMPLEXES - COMPARISON WITH SPECTRA OF ADSORBED CO, PHYSICAL REVIEW B, 18 (4): 1673–1701 1978
- CHEN, Connecticut; TJENG, LH; RUDOLF, P; MEIGS, G; ROWE, JE; CHEN, J; MCCAULEY, JP; SMITH, AB; MCGHIE, Arkansas; ROMANOW, WJ; PLUMMER, EW, ELECTRONIC STATES AND PHASES OF KXC60 FROM PHOTOEMISSION AND X-RAY ABSORPTION-SPECTROSCOPY, NATURE, 352 (6336): 603-605 AUG 15 1991
- Carpinelli, JM; Weitering, HH; Plummer, EW; Stumpf, R, Direct observation of a surface charge density wave, NATURE, 381 (6581): 398-400 MAY 30 1996
- HO, W; WILLIS, RF; PLUMMER, EW, OBSERVATION OF NONDIPOLE ELECTRON-IMPACT VIBRATIONAL EXCITATIONS - H ON W(100), PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 40 (22): 1463–1466 1978