Discovery of the Subatomic J/ψ Particle in the Exploration of the Vast Universe
/ Samuel Chao Chung Ting / Nobel Laureate in Physics
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976, Dr. Samuel Chao Chung Ting, a globally recognized physicist, was the first laureate who gave his acceptance speech in Chinese. With the help of this prominent scientist who has explored the immense universe all his life, Taiwan is now a participant in a significant space science program.
Showed Talent in Physics and Mathematics at an Early Age; Completed His PhD Degree in Three Years
Born in the affiliated hospital of the University of Michigan while his parents were visiting the United States, Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting grew up in Taiwan with a primary education at Datong Elementary School in Taichung. After he graduated from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo Senior High School in 1955, he was admitted to Taiwan Provincial College of Engineering as a student majoring in mechanical engineering. Dr. Ting remembers how professors like Dr. Xian-Rong Wang, Li Lang, and Shao-Tie Chao taught him the knowledge of physics and math, kindly encouraged him, and were very friendly to him. Though an engineering student, he was fascinated by Chinese history and felt indebted to Prof. Zhi-Mian Shi at the Dept. of Chinese Literature for providing him with a historical perspective.
In 1956, Dr. Ting transferred to the University of Michigan. Since he found technical drawings too difficult, he decided to choose physics and math as double majors. As a gifted student, he completed double majors within three years. Then he was enrolled in a master’s program on a scholarship. He was waived the exam so he could concentrate on writing his thesis. Only three years later, he got a PhD in physics in 1962.
Discovery of the Longest-lived J/psi Particle Took the Physics World by Storm
Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting has been dedicated to unveiling the mystery of new particles. On November 11th, 1974, the team led by Dr. Ting announced their discovery of the J particle, which was acclaimed by the New York Times headline as “November Revolution.” On the same day, the team led by Burton Richter also declared their discovery of the same particle, which was named as “Ψ.” Hence this particle was officially named as the “J/Ψ particle”—the only particle that has a two-alphabet name. Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting was jointly awarded the 1976 Nobel Prize for Physics with Burton Richter.
Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting once spoke of the award, stressing that “experiments and theories play equally important roles in physics. A theory is meaningless without experimental evidence. A new theory emerges after an old theory is overturned by new evidence. In short, theories can be overturned by evidence, but not vice versa.”
The most important aspect of the J particle lies in its long lifespan. As Dr. Ting put it, “its lifetime is 10,000 times longer than the other particles. It was as if you have discovered a village, where the villagers averagely live to be one million years old, much longer than the rest of the world.” This discovery has immensely improved our understanding of physics and led particle physics toward a new direction, in which humans form a very different conception of how the universe was formed.
Initiating the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Program for the Exploration of the Universe
Dr. Samuel Chao Chung Ting led a particle physics experiment module that was mounted on the International Space Station during the period 1995-2028. This particle physics detector helps to detect high energy particles and identify the sources and characteristics of different cosmic rays, including dark matter and antimatter. This collaborative program is co-conducted by 16 countries. Under the leadership of Dr. Ting, a number of research institutions, including NCKU, the Academia Sinica, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology and the National Space Organization, have participated in this state-of-the-art program. This helps Taiwan keep pace with the world’s technological progress.
Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting is a role model for young aspiring physicists. He stressed the importance of a combination of passion” and talent. He encouraged his students to keep an ardent interest in exploring every detail of physics concepts. “All you care about is physics. Anything else does not matter at all!” A physicist just never gets tired of thinking and doing research. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Samuel C. C. Ting）
NCKUer ｜
Class ｜
Honors and Achievements ｜
Samuel C. C. Ting
Class of 1959, Department of Mechanical Engineering (admitted in 1955 and enrolled in the first year).
・Earned a PhD in Physics at the University of Michigan in 1962.
・Awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics and the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1976.
・Serves as Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977-present).
・Leads the LEP working group of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (1983-present).
・Serves as the principal investigator for the AMS Program collaborated by DoE and NASA (1995-present).
・Serves as a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and Academia Sinica (of Taiwan).
Samuel Chao Chung Ting / Class of 1959, Department of Mechanical Engineering (admitted in 1955 and enrolled in the first year).
・Earned a PhD in Physics at the University of Michigan in 1962.
・Awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics and the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1976.
・Serves as Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977-present).
・Leads the LEP working group of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (1983-present).
・Serves as the principal investigator for the AMS Program collaborated by DoE and NASA (1995-present).
・Serves as a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and Academia Sinica (of Taiwan).
Department of Architecture Class 1958
Pao-Teh Han
Founding curator of the National Museum of Natural Science
Master Program of Mechanical Engineering, Class of 1962
Han-Min Hsia
Former President of NCKU
