Maurice Jacob

Maurice René Michel Jacob ((1933-03-28)March 28, 1933 – (2007-05-02)May 2, 2007) was a French theoretical particle physicist.

Maurice Jacob
Born28 March 1933 
Lyon 
Died2 May 2007, 2 March 2007  (aged 74)
Geneva 
Alma materÉcole normale supérieure
University of Paris (PhD)
Occupation
ChildrenIrène Jacob 
AwardsCNRS Silver medal
Legion of Honour
Scientific career
InstitutionsBrookhaven National Laboratory
Caltech
Saclay
CERN

Biography

Maurice Jacob studied physics at École normale supérieure from 1953 to 1957. During a visit to the Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1959, he developed with Gian-Carlo Wick the helicity formalism for for relativistic description of scattering of particles with spin and the decay of particles and resonant states.[1] In 1961, he obtained a doctorate on this subject at the University of Paris.[2] His thesis adviors were professors Francis Perrin and Gian-Carlo Wick. Jacob then moved, as a post-doctoral fellow, to Caltech. He worked in Saclay from 1961 to 1967. Since 1967, he has worked at CERN until his retirement in 1998. From 1982 to 1988, he headed the theoretical physics division of CERN and in the 1990s, he was responsible for CERN's relations with its Member States.[3]

Maurice Jacob's research focuses on the phenomenology of strong interactions, including diffraction, scaling, high-transverse-momentum processes and the formation of quark–gluon plasma.[4][5] In particular, he pioneered the studies of inclusive hadron-production processes, including scaling and its violations. He contributed also to the field of accelerator physics together with Tai Tsun Wu.[6]

He supported Carlo Rubbia during the construction of the Super Proton Synchrotron in the 1980s.[7][8]

Jacob chaired the French Physical Society from 1985 to 2002 and from 1991 to 1993 he was president of the European Physical Society. In 1993, he became a member of the American Physical Society. He was co-editor of Physics Letters B and Physics Reports.[9]

He was appointed member of the CNRS scientific council in 1988.[10]

He was a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences from 1977, member of the Swedish Royal Academies, Academia Europaea and also scientific advisor to the European Space Agency [11]

Awards and honors

Marriage and children

Maurice Jacob was married to Lisa Jacob. Together they got the children Jimmy, Thierry, Francis, and Irène.[7]

References
  1. Jacob, M.; Wick, G.C. (1959). "On the general theory of collisions for particles with spin". Annals of Physics. 7 (4): 404–428. Bibcode:1959AnPhy...7..404J. doi:10.1016/0003-4916(59)90051-X. ISSN 0003-4916.
  2. Jacob, Maurice (1961). Théorie formelle des collisions et états propres d'hélicité (PDF) (PhD).
  3. "Maurice Jacob 1933–2007". CERN Courier. Vol. 47 no. 6. Bristol: Institute of Physics. July–August 2007. p. 39.
  4. Jacob, M.; Rafelski, J. (1987). "Longitudinal polarization, abundance and quark-gluon plasma formation". Physics Letters B. 190 (1–2): 173–176. doi:10.1016/0370-2693(87)90862-8.
  5. Heinz, Ulrich; Jacob, Maurice (2000-02-16). "Evidence for a New State of Matter: An Assessment of the Results from the CERN Lead Beam Programme". arXiv:nucl-th/0002042.
  6. Jacob, M.; Wu, Tai Tsun (1993). "Transverse distribution effects in beamstrahlung". Zeitschrift für Physik C Particles and Fields. 58 (2): 279–284. Bibcode:1993ZPhyC..58..279J. doi:10.1007/BF01560346. ISSN 0170-9739. S2CID 121467413.
  7. Ellis, John (14 May 2007). "CERN Bulletin" (20/2007 & 21/2007). Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  8. Van Hove, L.; Jacob, M. (1980). "Highlights of 25 years of physics at CERN". Physics Reports. 62 (1): 1–86. Bibcode:1980PhR....62....1V. doi:10.1016/0370-1573(80)90103-9. ISSN 0370-1573.
  9. Maurice Jacob (1995). In the Wings of Physics. World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-02-2178-2.
  10. Portant nomination au conseil scientifique du centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). 10 March 1988.
  11. Guy Laval (November 2007). "In memoriam : Maurice Jacob". L'Académie des sciences. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. "Décret du 13 juillet 1994 portant promotion et nomination". Journal officiel "Lois et Décrets" (in French). 14 July 1994. p. 10178. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
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