Rich, Arthur, 1937-1990

University of Michigan physicist specializing in precision measurements of atomic physics; best known for working with positrons and positronium.

Physicist Arthur Rich was internationally recognized for his contributions to the field of precision measurements of atomic physics, particularly for his work on positrons, the antimatter equivalent of the electron.

Born in New York City on August 30, 1937, Rich joined the University of Michigan physics faculty in 1966, after completing his Bachelor of Science degree at Brooklyn College in 1959, his Master's degree at Columbia University in 1961, and his Ph.D. at Michigan in 1965. His thesis research under H. Richard Crane involved measurements of the magnetic moment (g-2 factor) of the positron. These experiments continued until 1980 and included measurements of the electron and proton g-factor.

Rich went on to carry out a series of experiments on the lifetime of ortho-positronium, which revealed the only known experimental discrepancy with the theory of quantum electrodynamics. By the 1980s, Rich was doing highly innovative work in developing techniques for polarizing beams of positrons; in 1988, with James Van House, he co-invented the positron microscope. Toward the end of his life, Rich was working on an international collaboration to fabricate anti-hydrogen, which would be the first anti-matter element.

Rich's interests were not limited to atomic physics. He was keenly interested in astrophysics, and during the 1970s he carried out research at the Cerro Telolo, Chile telescope. He also displayed a strong commitment to undergraduate education, often including undergraduates as an integral part of his research teams.

Rich was a senior fellow of the Michigan Society of Fellows and of the American Physical Society, and was a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He died on August 25, 1990.