Name George Rochester Fields Physics Education Durham University | Died December 26, 2001 Role Physicist | |
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Born February 4, 1908
Wallsend, North Tyneside, England ( 1908-02-04 ) | ||
George Dixon Rochester, FRS (February 4, 1908 – December 26, 2001) was a British physicist known for having co-discovered, with Sir Clifford Charles Butler, a subatomic particle called the kaon.
Born in Wallsend, North Tyneside in northern England, he received a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science degree, and a Ph.D. from Armstrong College, Newcastle (then part of Durham University now Newcastle University). He did his postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley and then joined the faculty of Manchester University eventually becoming a Reader in 1953. In 1955, he was appointed Professor of Physics and Chair of the Department at Durham University. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1958. From 1967 to 1970, he was a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University. He retired in 1973.
The Durham Physics Department has hosted the annual Rochester Lecture since 1975. In 1997, on the 50th anniversary of the discover of the kaon, the physics building in Durham (which he had been involved in designing) was named the Rochester Building in his honour.