Wick Haxton
Encyclopedia
Wick C. Haxton is an American
theoretical nuclear physicist and astrophysicist.
Haxton grew up in Santa Cruz, studied from 1967 at the local University of California
(BA in Physics and Mathematics 1971) and received his doctorate in 1976 at Stanford University
(Semileptonic weak interactions). From 1975 to 1977 he worked at the Institute for Nuclear Physics of the University of Mainz and then until 1984 as Oppenheimer Fellow in the Theoretical Division of the Los Alamos National Laboratory
. After a year as Assistant Professor at Purdue University
in 1984 he became Associate Professor and in 1987 Professor at the University of Washington
. He remained there as Professor of Physics and Astronomy until 2009, serving from 1991 to 2006 as director of the National Institute for Nuclear Theory (INT). In 2009 he left the University of Washington to become Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley
and Senior Faculty Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
.
Haxton is engaged in nuclear astrophysics (supernovae, the solar neutrino problem, nucleosynthesis), neutrino physics (neutrino oscillations, neutrinoless double beta decay
, neutrino properties), many-body theory (effective theories) in nuclear physics (as well as in atomic physics and condensed matter physics), and tests of symmetries of fundamental interactions ( parity, CP-symmetry, lepton number). He led the early efforts to convert the Homestake Mine in South Dakota
to scientific use as the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (good luck), but left the project after the mine was flooded in 2003. He has been a consultant for Los Alamos National Laboratory
, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
, Argonne National Laboratory
, Brookhaven National Laboratory
, TRIUMF
, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
, and various other laboratories and university facilities over the past two decades.
He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
(1987), and in the 1990s served as Chair of the Division of Nuclear Physics and the Division of Astrophysics. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
(1999), and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(1988), and the Washington State Academy of Sciences. He was a Guggenheim Fellow (2000–2001), Miller Fellow at Berkeley (2001), Bethe Lecturer at Cornell University (2001) and received the 2004 Hans Bethe Prize of the American Physical Society for his contributions and scientific leadership in neutrino astrophysics and especially for the connection of nuclear physics theory with experiments and observations in nuclear astrophysics and astrophysics (eulogy).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theoretical nuclear physicist and astrophysicist.
Haxton grew up in Santa Cruz, studied from 1967 at the local University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
(BA in Physics and Mathematics 1971) and received his doctorate in 1976 at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(Semileptonic weak interactions). From 1975 to 1977 he worked at the Institute for Nuclear Physics of the University of Mainz and then until 1984 as Oppenheimer Fellow in the Theoretical Division of the Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
. After a year as Assistant Professor at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in 1984 he became Associate Professor and in 1987 Professor at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. He remained there as Professor of Physics and Astronomy until 2009, serving from 1991 to 2006 as director of the National Institute for Nuclear Theory (INT). In 2009 he left the University of Washington to become Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and Senior Faculty Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
.
Haxton is engaged in nuclear astrophysics (supernovae, the solar neutrino problem, nucleosynthesis), neutrino physics (neutrino oscillations, neutrinoless double beta decay
Double beta decay
Double beta decay is a radioactive decay process where a nucleus releases two beta rays as a single process.In double-beta decay, two neutrons in the nucleus are converted to protons, and two electrons and two electron antineutrinos are emitted...
, neutrino properties), many-body theory (effective theories) in nuclear physics (as well as in atomic physics and condensed matter physics), and tests of symmetries of fundamental interactions ( parity, CP-symmetry, lepton number). He led the early efforts to convert the Homestake Mine in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
to scientific use as the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (good luck), but left the project after the mine was flooded in 2003. He has been a consultant for Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
, Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
, TRIUMF
TRIUMF
TRIUMF is Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics. Its headquarters are located on the south campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia. TRIUMF houses the world's largest cyclotron, source of 500 MeV protons, which was named an IEEE Milestone...
, 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...
, and various other laboratories and university facilities over the past two decades.
He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The 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...
(1987), and in the 1990s served as Chair of the Division of Nuclear Physics and the Division of Astrophysics. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(1999), and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(1988), and the Washington State Academy of Sciences. He was a Guggenheim Fellow (2000–2001), Miller Fellow at Berkeley (2001), Bethe Lecturer at Cornell University (2001) and received the 2004 Hans Bethe Prize of the American Physical Society for his contributions and scientific leadership in neutrino astrophysics and especially for the connection of nuclear physics theory with experiments and observations in nuclear astrophysics and astrophysics (eulogy).