physics

Martin Breidenbach

Martin Breidenbach is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Martin Breidenbach rather than just read about it. In short: Martin Breidenbach (born 1943) is an American professor of particle physics and astrophysics, emeritus, at Stanford University. His research interests have included e+e- colliding beam physics, detector optimization, and electromagnetic calorimeters.

Key takeaways

Martin Breidenbach belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Martin Breidenbach to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Martin Breidenbach from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Martin Breidenbach (born 1943) is an American professor of particle physics and astrophysics, emeritus, at Stanford University. His research interests have included e+e- colliding beam physics, detector optimization, and electromagnetic calorimeters.

Early life and education The son of Leo and Sylvia (née Rosen) Breidenbach, Martin Breidenbach was born in New York in 1943. After his birth, the family moved to Hillsdale, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1965 and a doctorate in 1970, both at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His dissertation, Inelastic Electron-Proton Scattering at High Momentum Transfer, was advised by Jerome Friedman and Henry Kendall, based on the first deeply inelastic electron-proton scattering experiment at SLAC.

Career From 1971 to 1972, he worked at CERN in the Split Field Magnet Group at ISR. In 1972, he returned to SLAC, joining the SLAC-LBL Magnetic Detector effort at SPEAR that in 1974 discovered the J/ψ and ψ'. At SLAC he also became involved in Burton Richter's experiments on the SPEAR storage ring, and new charmonium states. Starting in 1980 Breidenbach was involved in the construction of the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) control system and design of the SLD detector. In 1984 he became co-spokesman for the SLD with Charles Baltay, making precise determinations of the parameters of the electroweak interaction. In 1989 he became a professor at SLAC. He was also involved in the Next Linear Collider project of SLAC, an effort replaced by participation in the International Linear Collider .

Awards, honors 1985 APS Fellow, Citation: For his outstanding contributions to detector development which were crucial to the discoveries of the ψ and ψ´. 2000 Panofsky Prize, Citation: For his many contributions to e+e- physics, especially with the SLD detector at the Stanford Linear Collider. His deep involvement in all aspects of the project led to important advances both in the measurement of electroweak parameters and in accelerator technology.

References

External links Stanford profile

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Martin Breidenbach

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Martin Breidenbach claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Martin Breidenbach before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Martin Breidenbach ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Martin Breidenbach

In research: Martin Breidenbach appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Martin Breidenbach in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Martin Breidenbach is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1943 births, 20th-century American physicists, 21st-century American physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Martin Breidenbach outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Martin Breidenbach in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Martin Breidenbach means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Martin Breidenbach out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Martin Breidenbach in simple terms?

Why does Martin Breidenbach matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Martin Breidenbach?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Martin Breidenbach.