Simon van der Meer quotes

Simon van der Meer was a renowned Dutch physicist who made significant contributions to the field of particle physics. Born in The Hague in 1925, he played a vital role in the discovery of the W and Z particles. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 for his groundbreaking work. Van der Meer's ingenious idea of stochastic cooling revolutionized particle accelerators, allowing for higher intensities and precision in experiments. His contributions have greatly influenced our understanding of the fundamental forces of nature. Discover more about Simon van der Meer's impactful scientific journey here.

Since then, I have worked with the group that commissioned and improved the ring and that is now preparing the construction of a second ring to increase the p stacking rate by an order of magnitude.

- Simon van der Meer

After developing a primitive theory (1968) I therefore did not pursue this subject. However, the work was taken up by others and in 1974 the first experiments were done in the ISR.

- Simon van der Meer

My father was a schoolteacher and my mother came from a teacher's family.

- Simon van der Meer

At this time, my work on the SPS power supplies had just come to an end; I joined a study group on the pp project and an experimental team studying cooling in a small ring (ICE).

- Simon van der Meer

I visited the Gymnasium in The Hague and passed my final examination (in the sciences section) in 1943.

- Simon van der Meer

My interest in matters more directly concerned with the handling of particles was growing, in the meantime, stimulated by many contacts with people understanding accelerators.

- Simon van der Meer