Polykarp Kusch

Physics

Polykarp Kusch was awarded half the Nobel prize in physics in 1955 "for his precision determination of the magnetic moment of the electron.” The other half was awarded to Willis Lamb "for his discoveries concerning the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum." Polykarp Kusch began his career making contributions to optical spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy, later he developed microwave generators and collaborated with Rabi on atomic, molecular and nuclear properties. He made very careful, accurate, and precise measurements of the electron’s magnetic moment, which arises from its spin property.