Rainer "Rai" Weiss (/waɪs/WYSSE, German:[vaɪs]; born September 29, 1932) is a German-born American
physicist, known for his contributions in
gravitational physics and
astrophysics. He is a professor of physics emeritus at
MIT and an adjunct professor at
LSU. He is best known for inventing the laser interferometric technique which is the basic operation of
LIGO. He was Chair of the
COBE Science Working Group.[1][2][3]
Weiss has helped realize a number of challenging experimental tests of fundamental physics. He is a member of the
FermilabHolometer experiment, which uses a 40m
laser interferometer to measure properties of space and time at quantum scale and provide Planck-precision tests of quantum
holographic fluctuation.[8][9]
Early life and education
Rainer Weiss was born in Berlin,
Germany, the son of Gertrude Loesner and Frederick A. Weiss.[10][11] His father, a physician, neurologist, and psychoanalyst, was forced out of Germany by
Nazis because he was
Jewish and an active member of the
Communist Party. His mother, an actress, was
Christian.[12] His aunt was the sociologist
Hilda Weiss.
He taught at
Tufts University from 1960 to 1962, was a postdoctoral scholar at
Princeton University from 1962 to 1964, and then joined the faculty at MIT in 1964.[10]
In a 2022 interview given to
Federal University of Pará in Brazil, Weiss talks about his life and career, the memories of his childhood and youth, his undergraduate and graduate studies at
MIT, and the future of
gravitational waves astronomy.[16]
Achievements
Weiss brought two fields of fundamental physics research from birth to maturity: characterization of the cosmic background radiation,[3] and interferometric gravitational wave observation.
In 1973 he made pioneering measurements of the spectrum of the
cosmic microwave background radiation, taken from a
weather balloon, showing that the microwave background exhibited the thermal spectrum characteristic of the remnant radiation from the
Big Bang.[14] He later became co-founder and science advisor of the
NASACosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite,[1] which made detailed mapping of the radiation.
Weiss also pioneered the concept of using lasers for an interferometric
gravitational wave detector, suggesting that the path length required for such a detector would necessitate kilometer-scale arms. He built a prototype in the 1970s, following earlier work by
Robert L. Forward.[17][18] He co-founded the
NSF LIGO (gravitational-wave detection) project,[19] which was based on his report "A study of a long Baseline Gravitational Wave Antenna System".[20]
Both of these efforts couple challenges in instrument science with physics important to the understanding of the Universe.[21]
R. Weiss, G. Smoot, C. Bennett, R. Weber, J. Maruschak, R. Ratliff, M. Janssen, J. Chitwood, L. Hilliard, M. Lecha, R. Mills, R. Patschke, C. Richards, C. Backus, J. Mather, M. Hauser, D. Wilkenson, S. Gulkis, N. Boggess, E. Cheng, T. Kelsall, P. Lubin, S. Meyer, H. Moseley, T. Murdock, R. Shafer, R. Silverberg and E. Wright (1990).
"COBE Differential Microwave Radiometers: Instrument Design and Implementation". Astrophys. J. 360: 685.
Bibcode:
1990ApJ...360..685S.
doi:10.1086/169154.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
R. Weiss, D. Shoemaker, P. Fritschel, J. Glaime and N. Christensen (1991). "Prototype Michelson Interferometer with Fabry-Perot Cavities". Applied Optics. 30 (22): 3133–8.
Bibcode:
1991ApOpt..30.3133S.
doi:
10.1364/AO.30.003133.
PMID20706365.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^Shirley K. Cohen (May 10, 2000).
"Interview with Rainer Weiss"(PDF). Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
^Cervantes-Cota, Jorge L., Galindo-Uribarri, Salvador, and Smoot, George F. (2016). "
A Brief History of Gravitational Waves," Universe, 2, no. 3, 22. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
Rainer "Rai" Weiss (/waɪs/WYSSE, German:[vaɪs]; born September 29, 1932) is a German-born American
physicist, known for his contributions in
gravitational physics and
astrophysics. He is a professor of physics emeritus at
MIT and an adjunct professor at
LSU. He is best known for inventing the laser interferometric technique which is the basic operation of
LIGO. He was Chair of the
COBE Science Working Group.[1][2][3]
Weiss has helped realize a number of challenging experimental tests of fundamental physics. He is a member of the
FermilabHolometer experiment, which uses a 40m
laser interferometer to measure properties of space and time at quantum scale and provide Planck-precision tests of quantum
holographic fluctuation.[8][9]
Early life and education
Rainer Weiss was born in Berlin,
Germany, the son of Gertrude Loesner and Frederick A. Weiss.[10][11] His father, a physician, neurologist, and psychoanalyst, was forced out of Germany by
Nazis because he was
Jewish and an active member of the
Communist Party. His mother, an actress, was
Christian.[12] His aunt was the sociologist
Hilda Weiss.
He taught at
Tufts University from 1960 to 1962, was a postdoctoral scholar at
Princeton University from 1962 to 1964, and then joined the faculty at MIT in 1964.[10]
In a 2022 interview given to
Federal University of Pará in Brazil, Weiss talks about his life and career, the memories of his childhood and youth, his undergraduate and graduate studies at
MIT, and the future of
gravitational waves astronomy.[16]
Achievements
Weiss brought two fields of fundamental physics research from birth to maturity: characterization of the cosmic background radiation,[3] and interferometric gravitational wave observation.
In 1973 he made pioneering measurements of the spectrum of the
cosmic microwave background radiation, taken from a
weather balloon, showing that the microwave background exhibited the thermal spectrum characteristic of the remnant radiation from the
Big Bang.[14] He later became co-founder and science advisor of the
NASACosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite,[1] which made detailed mapping of the radiation.
Weiss also pioneered the concept of using lasers for an interferometric
gravitational wave detector, suggesting that the path length required for such a detector would necessitate kilometer-scale arms. He built a prototype in the 1970s, following earlier work by
Robert L. Forward.[17][18] He co-founded the
NSF LIGO (gravitational-wave detection) project,[19] which was based on his report "A study of a long Baseline Gravitational Wave Antenna System".[20]
Both of these efforts couple challenges in instrument science with physics important to the understanding of the Universe.[21]
R. Weiss, G. Smoot, C. Bennett, R. Weber, J. Maruschak, R. Ratliff, M. Janssen, J. Chitwood, L. Hilliard, M. Lecha, R. Mills, R. Patschke, C. Richards, C. Backus, J. Mather, M. Hauser, D. Wilkenson, S. Gulkis, N. Boggess, E. Cheng, T. Kelsall, P. Lubin, S. Meyer, H. Moseley, T. Murdock, R. Shafer, R. Silverberg and E. Wright (1990).
"COBE Differential Microwave Radiometers: Instrument Design and Implementation". Astrophys. J. 360: 685.
Bibcode:
1990ApJ...360..685S.
doi:10.1086/169154.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
R. Weiss, D. Shoemaker, P. Fritschel, J. Glaime and N. Christensen (1991). "Prototype Michelson Interferometer with Fabry-Perot Cavities". Applied Optics. 30 (22): 3133–8.
Bibcode:
1991ApOpt..30.3133S.
doi:
10.1364/AO.30.003133.
PMID20706365.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^Shirley K. Cohen (May 10, 2000).
"Interview with Rainer Weiss"(PDF). Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
^Cervantes-Cota, Jorge L., Galindo-Uribarri, Salvador, and Smoot, George F. (2016). "
A Brief History of Gravitational Waves," Universe, 2, no. 3, 22. Retrieved May 20, 2019.