Donald J. Summers (March 24, 1951 – March 3, 2021[1]) was a particle physicist who worked on experiments at several labs, including Fermilab, CERN, SLAC, and KEK.

Donald J. Summers
BornMarch 24, 1951
DiedMarch 3, 2021 (aged 69)
Oxford, Mississippi
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Known forPhysics
Scientific career
FieldsPhysics
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Fermilab
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Mississippi
Doctoral advisorRollin John Morrison

Education

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Summers received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He completed his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984, where his PhD advisor was Rollin John Morrison.[2] While he was a graduate student, Summers worked on Fermilab's experiment E-516, a pioneering study of charmed particles, which are hadron particles containing one or more charm quarks. He helped with the design, construction, and reconstruction program for the experiment's SLIC (segmented liquid ionization calorimeter)[3] and assisted Michael Witherell with data analysis for this experiment.[4]

Career

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After completing his PhD, Summers held a postdoctoral position with the University of Wisconsin, Madison at CERN from 1984 to 1987, where he worked on UA1,[2] the experiment that had discovered the W and Z bosons.[5] He held another postdoctoral position at Fermilab from 1987 to 1989. He was a professor[clarification needed] at the University of Mississippi from 1989 until his death in 2021.[2][6] During this time, he also worked on the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment at CERN, the BaBar Experiment at SLAC, the Belle II Experiment at KEK, and the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment at Fermilab, among others.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Donald Summers
  2. ^ a b c d "Donald J. Summers". INSPIRE-HEP. Archived from the original on 2021-03-12. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  3. ^ Hoddeson, Lillian; Kolb, Adrienne; Westfall, Catherine (2008). Fermilab : physics, the frontier, and megascience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-226-34623-6. OCLC 192045754.
  4. ^ Bodnarczuk, Mark; Hoddeson, Lillian (2008). "Megascience in Particle Physics: The Birth of an Experiment String at Fermilab". Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences. 38 (4): 508–534. doi:10.1525/hsns.2008.38.4.508.
  5. ^ "CERN-UA-001". INSPIRE-HEP. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Donald Summers - View Obituary & Service Information". Donald Summers Obituary. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
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