When he’s not actually doing experiments, SLAC physicist and Nobel laureate MARTIN PERL loves to talk about important trends in physics. For about the last decade, for example, he and his partner, Joyce, hosted weekly discussions in their home on Friday nights attended by 30 to 50 friends and colleagues.
Now, at 85, Perl has turned to social media to recreate the spirit of those “Friday Set” gatherings: He’s officially a blogger.
His blog, “Reflections on Physics … from the Tau to Dark Energy,” debuted Oct. 29. The title refers to his late-1970s discovery of an elementary particle, the tau lepton, for which Perl received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physics, as well as to his latest quest: determining if certain aspects of the dark energy thought to make up much of the universe are real.
About once a month, Perl expects to post a 1,000- to 2,000-word essay covering a big-picture topic in particle physics, cosmology or astrophysics. He’s aiming for an audience of technically literate non-physicists. “I’m not interested in competing with the rapid-fact or rumor blogs,” he said. He expects to invite occasional contributions from guest bloggers as well.
Read the full story in SLAC Today.
— Mike Ross
