Daniel Kleppner

Daniel Kleppner was an American physicist specializing in atomic, molecular and optical physics, who lived from 1932 to 2025. Working with Norman Ramsey Jr., he helped create the first hydrogen maser in 1960, and made significant contributions to research on Rydberg atoms and Bose-Einstein condensates that advanced quantum computing and atomic clocks. He was Lester Wolfe Professor Emeritus at MIT and co-director of the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms. He received the Lilienfeld Prize in 1991, the Oersted Medal in 1997, the National Medal of Science in 2006 and the APS Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research in 2017. He received the Wolf Prize in Physics in 2005.