William L. McMillan (January 13, 1936 – August 30, 1984) was an American physicist noted for his research of condensed matter physics. [1] [2] [3] McMillan was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, professor of physics at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.[2][3] He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[3] McMillan received the 1978 Fritz London Memorial Prize for his work in superconductors.[3] The National Academies Press called him "the ablest condensed matter physicist of his generation".[2] The University of Illinois established an award in his name: The William L. McMillan Award.[4]
The electron-phonon coupling in superconductors is described by the McMillan parameter.
Life and career edit
- 1936 born in Little Rock, Arkansas[3]
- 1958: BS, University of Arkansas (Electrical Engineering)[3]
- 1959: MS, University of Arkansas (Physics)[3]
- 1964: PhD, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign[3]
- 1964–1972: Bell Laboratories, Member, Technical Staff[3]
- 1972–1984: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Professor of Physics[3]
- 1978 Fritz London Memorial Prize for his work on superconductors
- 1982: elected to National Academy of Sciences[3]
- 1983: elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1983[1]
- 1984: Died of an accident at age 48