Theodore Holstein
Theodore David Holstein was an American theoretical physicist, specialized in solid-state physics and atomic physics.
With Henry Primakoff in 1940 he introduced the Holstein-Primakoff transformation, of importance for the theory of spin waves. Other significant papers included the polaron, infrared absorption of metals, a microscopic theory of the collision drag phenomenon by Brian Pippard, Bloch electrons in magnetic fields and his review on the transport properties in an electron-phonon gas. He corrected the Förster-Dexter theory of photoinduced energy transfer between molecules and found new mechanisms for energy transfer in disordered systems. He is also known for introducing the Holstein–Herring method.
Life
Theodore David Holstein was born in 1915 in New York City, United States.Holstein studied at New York University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1935 and his Master's degree was earned at Columbia University in 1936.
For his PhD studies he returned to New York University. His thesis Passage of Neutrons through Ferromagnetic Materials was supervised by, and he earned his degree in 1940.
From 1941 he worked in a research lab at Westinghouse Electric Corporation. In 1960, he left Westinghouse and became a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1965 he became a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
His most notable contribution to atomic physics was in 1947 when he was the first to treat the capture of resonance radiation in gases correctly.
Holstein died in San Pedro, Los Angeles in 1985 due to a heart attack.