july april american theoretical physicist largely responsible reviving interest general united_states world war worked explaining basic principles nuclear developed concept process best known linking term black hole objects collapse predicted early 20th century terms quantum foam bit electron universe earned doctorate supervision studied fellowship teamed write series papers liquid drop model explain mechanism world war worked chicago helped design nuclear washington helped build returned princeton war ended returned government service help design build hydrogen bomb early 1950s career professor princeton_university joined remaining retirement princeton supervised professor princeton physics department early life education born jacksonville florida july oldest children having younger brothers joseph robert younger sister mary joseph earned master columbia_university geology harvard_university worked oil companies colleges mary studied library science librarian grew ohio spent year farm vermont attended room school returned attended graduating high school entered scholarship state maryland published scientific paper summer job earned doctorate research work carried supervision theory absorption received fellowship study copenhagen paper introduced process mechanism potentially transformed matter form electron pairs early career chapel hill associate professor wanted able work closely experts particle physics turned offer associate favor assistant princeton_university lesser position felt princeton building physics department better career choice remained member faculty paper mathematical description light introduced matrix short scattering matrix matrix connecting behavior arbitrary particular solution integral solutions standard form subsequently developed idea matrix 1940s problematic present quantum field theory time motivated essential features theory affected future changes theory developed led introduce characteristic matrix important tool particle physics develop matrix joined examining liquid drop model atomic nucleus presented results meeting new_york graduate student presented paper followed subsequent article detailing liquid drop model unstable certain conditions limitation liquid drop model missed opportunity predict nuclear news discovery brought america told informed set work applying liquid drop model explain mechanism nuclear experimental studied uncovered results asked fast slow walking meeting insight low energies high energies mainly far abundant wrote papers paper appeared september day germany invaded poland starting world war europe considering notion traveling backwards time came electron universe fact electron bouncing forth time graduate student found hard believe idea traveling backwards time intrigued incorporated notion time nuclear weapons manhattan_project soon japanese bombing pearl harbor brought united_states world war accepted request join chicago moved january joining group studying nuclear design wrote paper chain reaction pure materials solution important process december gave replacing term slower took manhattan_project gave responsibility detailed design construction design staff worked closely engineers chicago wilmington delaware headquarters moved family wilmington march task build nuclear entire production complex washington work progressed relocated family july time washington worked scientific buildings known area started september concerned nuclear products turn nuclear accumulation ongoing nuclear chain reaction absorbing thermal needed continue chain reaction april report predicted reduce percent long product capture cross section unexpectedly shut unexpectedly restarted hours later suspected half life hours daughter product half life hours turned capture cross section million problem corrected adding additional fuel rods burn poison personal reason working manhattan_project brother joe fighting italy sent simple message hurry late joe killed october later wrote close creating nuclear weapon end war couldn stop thinking haven stopped thinking war october joe left widow baby daughter later married physicist hydrogen bomb august family returned princeton resumed academic career working explored possibility physics particles fields carried theoretical studies resulting series papers topic including paper introduced triangle related different forms radioactive decay suggested use nuclear probe paper written privately circulated published resulted series measurements radiation emitted component cosmic rays founder director received substantial grant received fellowship allowed spend academic year paris soviet_union prompted effort united_states led develop powerful hydrogen bomb response department head princeton asked join effort like trying establish careers interrupted war reluctant face disruption moral objections agreed participate included body experienced weapons led agreed conversation graduate students princeton joined family moved house row occupied family war practical design hydrogen bomb calculations showed classical super work created new design known alarm clock true weapon january come design obtained permission set branch office laboratory princeton known parts coined investigated nuclear fusion power source bomb engaged nuclear weapons research senior scientists remained project staffed young graduate post doctoral students january involved security breach lost highly classified paper hydrogen bomb design overnight train trip resulted given official efforts crowned success ivy mike nuclear test pacific november witnessed yield ivy mike device tnt percent higher estimated discontinued personal life years married teacher social worker engaged date agreed marriage returned europe married june days return children jobs hard come great depression offered position assistant professor chapel hill annual salary offered teach later years accompanied places france new_mexico netherlands japan founding members initiated died october age later life concluding work resumed academic career paper theoretically investigated electromagnetic wave held confined region attraction field coined electromagnetic entity found smallest size sun millions times heavier working mathematical extensions introduced concept word describe hypothetical tunnels space time asked stable research determined 1950s formulated program physical reduction physical phenomenon properties curved space time manifestation envisaged fabric universe chaotic sub atomic realm quantum fluctuations called quantum foam decades general considered respectable field physics detached experiment key figure revival subject leading school princeton developed subject cambridge_university work students high contributions golden age general work general included theory collapse term black hole talk gave pioneer field quantum gravity development equation equation governing wave function universe quantum mass mass honoring 60th birthday titled magic magic collection essays honor birthday writing style attract parodies including published journal wrote teamed write scouting black holes wrote led general textbook written timely appearance golden age general influential textbook generation retired princeton_university age director austin retired professor emeritus students wrote looking years texas quantum information scientists regard grandfather field produced seminal search papers quantum information major exception delayed choice experiment role inspire asking deep questions radical conservative viewpoint questions stimulate research discovery delayed choice experiment actually thought experiments quantum physics proposed prominent appearing experiments attempts decide light senses experimental apparatus double experiment travel behavior fit assuming appropriate state light remains state wave particle responds questions asked responding wave consistent manner particle consistent manner depending experimental arrangements ask questions years graduate students included gave high priority teaching continued teach freshman sophomore physics saying young minds important princeton supervised professor princeton physics department spoke asking expel admitted years earlier request called saying oppose earnest research questions thought air legitimacy affiliate reserved convincing tests called psi effects demonstrated presentation incorrectly stated committed fraud student forced statement letter journal science request turned remained member bit suggested information fundamental physics universe according bit doctrine things physical information origin bit particle field force space time derives function meaning existence entirely contexts indirectly apparatus answers yes questions choices bits bit idea item physical world deep instances source explanation reality arises analysis posing yes questions registering equipment evoked responses short things physical information origin universe speculated reality created observers universe arise asked existence space time coined term principle version strong principle radio interview universe bringing near far away long ago sense bringing universe distant past explanation happening distant past need don agree right presumably conscious observers universe creators minds universe manifest repeatedly reflected maintains expansion universe manifested expansion cold dark non expanding visible clusters root cause second law time expanding universal sink continue reflect central thesis expansion origin time death legacy years gathered numerous prizes awards including franklin medal prize medal robert memorial prize member received honorary degrees different institutions princeton million gift establish physics death named honor influential generation golden age general notable contributions quantum mechanics april died pneumonia age new_jersey
John Archibald Wheeler