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Top 10 Sensational Facts about Daniel C. Tsui

Daniel Chee Tsui is a Chinese-born American physicist, Nobel laureate, and the Arthur Legrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emeritus, at Princeton University.

Tsui’s areas of research include electrical properties of thin films and  of  and . He was born on February 28th 1939.

1. Tsui won Nobel Prize in Physics in 1998

Nobel Prize Symbol- Author; Adam Baker- Wikimedia

In 1998, Tsui together with   and  shared the 1998  “for their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations.”

2. He was admitted to National Taiwan University

National Taiwan University- Author; CEphoto, Uwe Aranas- Wikimedia

Upon graduating in 1957, Tsui was admitted to the National Taiwan University Medical School.

However, due to uncertainties over whether he would be able to return to his family in China, he remained in Hong Kong to enroll in Special Classes Centre. This was a special two-year government program intended to prepare high school graduates for entrance into the University of Hong Kong.

While preparing for the entrance examination to the University of Hong Kong in spring of 1958, Tsui was awarded a full scholarship to attend Augustana College, his church pastor’s Lutheran alma mater in the United States. Accepting the scholarship, Tsui arrived at Augustana College in 1958.

3. Daniel Tsui graduated as the only student of Chinese descent in 1961

After spending three years at Augustana College, Tsui graduated  in 1961 as the only student of Chinese descent in his college.

Tsui continued his study in physics at the University of Chicago, from where he received his Ph.D. in physics in 1967 after completing a doctoral dissertation, titled “de Haas-van Alphen effect and electronic band structure of nickel.”

He later remarked that due to the influence of prominent Chinese theoretical physicists and Nobel laureates  and , both of whom studied at the University of Chicago, he had always knew that he wanted to pursue graduate studies in physics at the institution.

4. Joined Bell Laboratories to perform research in Physics

Bell’s Laboratories- Source; Library archives- Author; Unknown- Wikimedia

After receiving his Ph.D. and then remaining in Chicago for a year of postdoctoral research, Tsui joined the research staff at  to perform research in solid state physics in 1968.

At Bell Laboratories, instead of studying mainstream topics of interest in semiconductor physics such as optics and high energy band-structures or their applications in devices, Tsui devoted his attention to a new field called the physics of two-dimensional electrons.

5. He made discovery of fractional quantum hall effect together with his colleagues

Quantum Theory of Physics- Author; Sparkyscience- Wikimedia

Tsui and Störmer made the groundbreaking discovery of the  in 1982, while Laughlin provided a theoretical interpretation for the discovery the following year.

This discovery would eventually be the reason of their winning of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Shortly after the discovery, Tsui departed from Bell Laboratories and joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Princeton University with the support of two Nobel laureates in February of 1982. After 28 years at Princeton, Tsui transferred to emeritus status in 2010.

6. Tsui became a research professor at higher institutions of learning

University Building- Author; Tuong Lam Photos- Wikimedia

Daniel Tsui also became an adjunct senior research scientist in the physics department of Columbia University, and a research professor at Boston University.

7. He was one of Nobel Prize recipients to sign a letter addressed to President George Bush

President George Bush in 2008- Author; The White House- Wikimedia

Daniel Tsui is one of the 20 American recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics to sign a letter addressed to President  in May of 2008, urging him to “reverse the damage done to basic science research in the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.”

This was done by requesting additional emergency funding for the ’s&²Ô²ú²õ±è;, the , and the .

8. Got other awards apart from Nobel Prize

Benjamin Franklin Medal- Source; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12022- Wikimedia

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Tsui was awarded the Buckley Prize for Condensed Matter Physics in 1984 and was jointly awarded, with Störmer and Laughlin, the  Medal in Physics in 1988.

9. Daniel Tsui was at one point an electrical engineering professor at Princeton University

Princeton University- Author; Quantockgoblin- Wikimedia

Tsui became a professor of electrical engineering at Princeton University in 1982. He then retired in 2010 as professor emeritus.

10. Was born into a peasant family and in the midst of the Japanese war

Art of peasants doing farming- Artist; Vincent Van Gogh (1853- 1890)- Wikimedia

Tsui was born into a peasant family in Fanzhuang village which is about 7.5 kilometres from Baofeng, Henan, China.

In addition, he was born in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War. He studied Chinese classics in a school in the village.