ArticleslgStudy

chemistry

Paul Brumer

Paul Brumer is a chemistry 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 Paul Brumer rather than just read about it. In short: Paul Brumer is a professor of chemistry at the University of Toronto, known for his work in theoretical chemical physics. Early life and education Brumer was born in the New York borough of Brooklyn.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Paul Brumer is a professor of chemistry at the University of Toronto, known for his work in theoretical chemical physics.

Early life and education Brumer was born in the New York borough of Brooklyn. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor's degree in 1966. In 1972 he received a doctorate from Harvard University under the supervision of Martin Karplus. As a postdoctoral fellow, he worked with Raphael Levine and Alexander Dalgarno at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics, where he lectured on astronomy.

Career In 1975 he moved to the department of chemistry at the University of Toronto. In his early scientific work, Brumer dealt with different aspects of the classical and quantum mechanical description of the dynamics of chemical reactions. In addition to linking classic chaotic dynamics and statistical behavior in chemical reactions, he used theoretical methods to investigate the occurrence of quantum chaos with such reactions. He published his most widely cited work with Moshe Shapiro and co-workers on the theory of laser control of chemical reactions, also known as coherent control of chemical reactions.

Honors and awards In 1993 Brumer became an elected fellow of the American Physical Society for "the development of quantum and classical dynamics of isolated molecules and the coherent control of chemical reactions." He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1994. He received the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Prize in 2000 for his work in chemical physics.

Selected publications Textbooks Shapiro, Moshe; Brumer, Paul (2003). Principles of the Quantum Control of Molecular Processes. Wiley-Interscience. Bibcode:2003pqcm.book.....S. ISBN 978-0-471-24184-3. OCLC 1024169461. Shapiro, Moshe; Brumer, Paul (2012). Quantum Control of Molecular Processes (2 ed.). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-3-527-40904-4. OCLC 1042141617. Articles Brumer, P.; Karplus, M. (1973). "Perturbation theory and ionic models for alkali halide systems. I Diatomics". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 58 (9): 3903–3918. Bibcode:1973JChPh..58.3903B. doi:10.1063/1.1679747. Jaffé, Charles; Brumer, Paul (1980). "Local and normal modes: A classical perspective". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 73 (11): 5646–5658. Bibcode:1980JChPh..73.5646J. doi:10.1063/1.440041. Shapiro, Moshe; Brumer, Paul (1986). "Laser control of product quantum state populations in unimolecular reactions". The Journal of Chemical Physics. 84 (7): 4103–4104. Bibcode:1986JChPh..84.4103S. doi:10.1063/1.450074. Brumer, Paul; Shapiro, Moshe (1986). "Control of unimolecular reactions using coherent light". Chemical Physics Letters. 126 (6): 541–546. Bibcode:1986CPL...126..541B. doi:10.1016/S0009-2614(86)80171-3. Brumer, Paul; Shapiro, Moshe (1989). "Coherence chemistry: controlling chemical reactions [with lasers]". Accounts of Chemical Research. 22 (12): 407–413. doi:10.1021/ar00168a001. Brumer, Paul; Shapiro, Moshe (1992). "Laser Control of Molecular Processes". Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. 43 (1): 257–282. Bibcode:1992ARPC...43..257B. doi:10.1146/annurev.pc.43.100192.001353. PMID 18397166. Shapiro, Moshe; Brumer, Paul (2003). "Coherent control of molecular dynamics". Reports on Progress in Physics. 66 (6): 859–942. Bibcode:2003RPPh...66..859S. doi:10.1088/0034-4885/66/6/201. S2CID 250889605. Collini, Elisabetta; Wong, Cathy Y.; Wilk, Krystyna E.; Curmi, Paul M. G.; Brumer, Paul; Scholes, Gregory D. (2010). "Coherently wired light-harvesting in photosynthetic marine algae at ambient temperature". Nature. 463 (7281): 644–647. Bibcode:2010Natur.463..644C. doi:10.1038/nature08811. PMID 20130647. S2CID 4369439.

References

External links Paul Brumer at Google Scholar

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paul Brumer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paul Brumer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, 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 Paul Brumer 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 Paul Brumer 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 Paul Brumer

In research
Paul Brumer appears in chemistry 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 Paul Brumer 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
Paul Brumer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th-century American chemists, 21st-century American chemists, Academic staff of the University of Toronto, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Paul Brumer 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.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Paul Brumer” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Paul Brumer in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Paul Brumer in simple terms?

Paul Brumer is a professor of chemistry at the University of Toronto, known for his work in theoretical chemical physics. Early life and education Brumer was born in the New York borough of Brooklyn.

Why does Paul Brumer matter?

Because it connects several chemistry 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 Paul Brumer?

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 Paul Brumer.

Tags

  • 20th-century American chemists
  • 21st-century American chemists
  • Academic staff of the University of Toronto
  • American expatriate academics in Canada
  • Brooklyn College alumni
  • Fellows of the American Physical Society
  • Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
  • Harvard University alumni
  • Living people
  • Scientists from Brooklyn

Keep exploring