Bloembergen, Nicolaas (1920-2017), a Dutch-born American physicist, achieved acclaim for his investigations of phenomena that can only be detected with lasers, and for his explorations of how electromagnetic radiation interacts with matter. In 1981, he shared the Nobel Prize for physics with American Arthur L. Schawlow for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy, the use of laser beams to obtain detailed information about molecular structure.
In 1945, Bloembergen started research in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance in solids, liquids, and gases. Nuclear magnetic resonance can determine various properties of a substance based on how nuclei of the substance within a strong magnetic field absorb or emit energy. During the 1950’s, he worked in nuclear physics and microwave spectroscopy. In 1961, he started a program of research in a field that became known as nonlinear optics, which involves high-intensity lasers.
Bloembergen was born on March 11, 1920, in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. He studied physics at the University of Utrecht. In 1945, he moved to the United States and started research work at Harvard University. He became an associate professor there in 1951, a professor in 1957, and an emeritus professor in 1990. In 1958, he became a United States citizen. Bloembergen died on Sept. 5, 2017.
