Barish, Barry C. (Barry Clark), 1936- (Physicist)

Dates

• Existence: 1936-01-27    

Biographical/Historical

Background: Director, LIGO Laboratory, 1994 - present; Caltech Linde professor of physics, 1991-present; Caltech professor of physics, 1963-91; Caltech research fellow, 1963-66; University of California, Berkeley research fellow, 1962-63.

Biographical/Historical

Description: Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Bary Barish received his undergraduate degree in physics from Berkeley in 1957 and then pursued graduate research at the same institution, completing his Ph.D. in experiemental high energy physics in 1962. Coming to Caltech in 1963, Barish helped to initiate a new experiemental program using the high-energy accelerators that were available at the larger national laboratories, including Brookhaven, Fermilab and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Among his research, Barish has competed many studies on the structure of the protron, neutrinos, and tau decays. In 1994, Barish turned his attention to a different field of physics when he became the Principal Investigator of LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).

Biographical/Historical

Collection Notes: Oral History 2001. Part of the LIGO Interviews series, a 66-page account with interviewer Shirley K. Cohen. The interview covers Barish's life and work at Caltech and other facilities, including his work at various cyclotrons and synchrotrons around the globe. The second half of the interview concentrates on his role as director of the LIGO Laboratory.

Found in 9 Collections and/or Records: