Louis Rosen (June 10, 1918 – August 15, 2009) was anuclear physicist, the "father" of theLos Alamos Neutron Science Center accelerator (LAMPF, now known as LANSCE).
Dr. Rosen held a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from theUniversity of Alabama and a Doctorate inPhysics fromPennsylvania State University.[1] He had never taken a course inNuclear Physics before arriving inLos Alamos.
DuringWorld War II, Rosen worked in theManhattan Project.
While most of his colleagues atLos Alamos did not stay, Rosen remained there his entire career, and was still working there two days before his death.
He initiated and led an effort to build in Los Alamos what was then the most intenseatom smasher in the world, LAMPF. It accelerated a beam ofprotons to create an intense beam ofpi meson (pion) particles. It was 1000 times more powerful than any previously existingparticle accelerator, and was used to study the interaction ofpions with othernuclear materials. He called his machine "a badly needed bridge between subnuclear andnuclear physics".[2]
Dr. Rosen's wife Mary (née Terry), to whom he was married for sixty years, died in 2004.[1]
Rosen was awarded theErnest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1963. Other awards included theGuggenheim Fellowship and, in 2002, the Los Alamos National Laboratory medal.[3]
Dr. Rosen died of asubdural hematoma inAlbuquerque,New Mexico, on August 15, 2009, reported by his granddaughter Ambyr Hardy. He was survived by his brother, Bernard; two grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.
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