H. Jeff Kimble


Harry Jeffrey Kimble was an American physicist who was the William L. Valentine Professor and professor of physics at Caltech. His research was in quantum optics and is noted for groundbreaking experiments in physics including one of the first demonstrations of teleportation of a quantum state, quantum logic gate, and the development of the first single atom laser. According to Elizabeth Rogan, OSA CEO, "Jeff has led a revolution in modern physics through his pioneering research in the coherent control of the interactions of light and matter." Kimble's main research focus was in quantum information science and the quantum dynamics of open systems.

Life and career

Kimble graduated summa cum laude from Abilene Christian University in 1971 and earned his master's and doctoral degrees from University of Rochester, culminating in 1979. He was advised by Leonard Mandel. As a graduate student under Mandel, Kimble observed the first photon anti-bunching. He spent two years as a scientist for the General Motors Research Laboratory until 1979 when he joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. He moved to the California Institute of Technology in 1989.
Kimble was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, and the Optical Society of America. He was elected as a member of the United States [National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences] in 2002.
Kimble died in Austin, Texas on September 2, 2024, at the age of 75.

Honors and awards