simplified chinese traditional chinese pinyin february chinese american experimental physicist significant contributions field nuclear physics worked manhattan_project helped develop process separating metal best known conducting experiment contradicted hypothetical law conservation discovery resulted colleagues lee winning nobel prize physics earned inaugural wolf prize physics expertise experimental physics evoked comparisons nicknames include lady physics chinese madame queen nuclear research early life education born town china second children family custom children generation character followed characters phrase means heroes outstanding figures accordingly older brother younger brother father extremely close encouraged interests creating environment surrounded books magazines newspapers received elementary school education school girls founded father left hometown age boarding school classes teacher training regular high school admission teacher training competitive charge tuition board guaranteed job graduation family afforded pay chose competitive option ranked ninth applicants graduated class admitted according governmental regulations time teacher training college students wanting universities needed serve year case nominally enforced went teach shanghai president time philosopher class took studied later renamed reinstated taiwan mathematics later transferring physics involved student politics relations china japan tense time students urging government stronger line japan elected student leaders colleagues felt students university involvement overlooked authorities case careful neglect studies led protests included sit presidential palace students met years graduation graduate level study physics worked assistant researcher supervisor professor earned phd abroad university_of_michigan encouraged accepted university_of_michigan uncle provided necessary funds embarked united_states female friend chemist president august parents uncle saw parents berkeley women arrived san_francisco plans graduate study changed visiting met physicist grandson president self proclaimed emperor china showed director soon win nobel prize physics invention particle heard michigan women allowed use entrance decided prefer study berkeley took head physics department offered place graduate school despite fact academic year commenced abandoned plans study michigan enrolled berkeley berkeley classmates included friends included history student chose remain united_states return nazi_germany american post doctoral student applied scholarship end year prejudice asian students instead offered readership lower applied secured scholarship rapid progress education research lawrence officially supervisor worked closely thesis separate parts electromagnetic radiation produced charged particle charged particle typically electron atomic nucleus investigated beta radioactive easily produced lawrence brother evaluating use cancer treatment radioactive marked work beta decay subject authority second thesis production radioactive produced nuclear inch inch completed june spite lawrence recommendations secure position university remained post doctoral fellow world war married home academic supervisor president bride groom families able attend outbreak pacific war moved east_coast united_states faculty member prestigious private women college massachusetts worked radar found job frustrating duties involved teaching opportunity research appealed lawrence wrote letters recommendation number universities smith responded making associate professor increasing salary accepted job princeton_university new_jersey instructor naval officers march joined manhattan_project sam laboratories columbia_university lived dormitory returning princeton weekends role headed support manhattan_project program worked alongside group led task develop radiation instrumentation september contacted colonel newly commissioned run unexpected problem starting shutting regular intervals suspected product half life hours culprit poison remembered work berkeley radioactive paper subject unpublished went room collected draft prepared culprit turned unexpectedly large absorption cross section end war august accepted offer position associate research professor columbia communication china restored received letter family plans visit china disrupted birth son grow physicist like parents joined family moved long_island communists came power china year father wrote urging return passport issued government found difficult travel abroad eventually led decision citizenship remain columbia rest career associate professor professor students called dragon lady character comic strip terry pirates beta decay conservation post war research continued investigate beta decay published theory beta decay experiment produced results theory set repeat experiment verify result suspected problem thick uneven film copper beta ray source causing emitted lose energy adapted older form added copper produce thin film able demonstrate observed result experimental error results consistent theory columbia knew chinese born theoretical physicist lee personally mid-1950s lee chinese theoretical physicist grew question hypothetical law elementary particle physics law conservation example highlighting problem puzzle particles apparently different charged strange similar considered particle different decay modes resulting different states observed suggesting different particles lee yang research existing experimental results convinced electromagnetic interactions strong interaction reason scientists expected true weak interaction tested lee yang theoretical studies showed hold true weak interaction lee yang worked pencil paper design experiment testing conservation laboratory lee turned expertise choosing working hardware manufacture set laboratory procedures carrying experiment chose taking sample radioactive cooling temperatures liquid gases beta particle expert beta decay extremely low temperatures needed reduce thermal vibration practically needed apply constant uniform magnetic field sample order cause spin axes atomic line direction work needed facilities expertise working liquid gases traveled headquarters maryland equipment carry experiments lee yang theoretical calculations predicted beta particles emitted hypothetical law conservation invalid experiment showed case weak nuclear interactions particle today known result soon confirmed colleagues columbia_university different experiments soon results published different research papers issue physics journal results confirmed laboratories different experiments discovery violation major contribution particle physics development standard model recognition theoretical work lee yang awarded nobel prize physics later life investigated confirmed hypothesis milestone road standard model universal form beta decay model demonstration brought assumptions weak interaction question weak force interaction charge effect held true gravity strong interaction assumed hold weak interaction conducted series experiments double beta decay salt proved charge important experiment carried confirmation calculations quantum opposite directions experimental confirmation quantum results relevant pair applicable later conducted research molecular changes cause cell disease research effect 1960s wrote textbook beta decay published standard reference subject older brother died father mother time united_states government severe restrictions citizens ability travel abroad permitted visit china attend saw uncle younger brother trip hong_kong nixon visit china relations countries improved able visit china time uncle brother perished cultural revolution tombs parents destroyed greeted personally apologized destruction tombs returned china number times later life outspoken protested imprisonment taiwan relatives physicist journalist spoke gender discrimination wonder asked audience tiny mathematical symbols dna molecules preference masculine feminine treatment men referred professor immediately corrected told professor new chairman adjusted pay equal male counterparts protested crackdown china followed square massacre retired professor died february new_york_city age suffering stroke ambulance rushed luke pronounced dead arrival survived husband son accordance wishes ashes buried courtyard father founded attended girl honors awards elected fellow elected member woman honorary doctorate princeton_university research corporation award year award prize physics honorary fellow royal society edinburgh scientist year award female president national medal science person selected receive wolf prize physics island medal honor living scientist named medal elected foreign
Chien-Shiung Wu