View source for Daniel C. Tsui

{{Short description|Chinese-American physicist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Daniel C. Tsui
| native_name       = 崔琦
| image             = Daniel Chee Tsui.jpg
| image_size        = 150px
| caption           = Daniel C. Tsui at a dinner honoring Nobel Prize laureates
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1939|02|28}}
| birth_place       = [[Baofeng County|Baofeng]], [[Henan]], [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republic of China]]
| citizenship       = [[Citizenship of the United States|United States]]
| workplaces        = [[Princeton University]] <br />[[Columbia University]]<br />[[Bell Laboratories]] <br /> [[Boston University]]
| alma_mater        = [[Augustana College (Illinois)|Augustana College]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[University of Chicago]] ([[PhD]])
| known_for         = [[Fractional quantum Hall effect]]
| spouse            = Linda Varland
| children          = 2
| field             = [[Experimental physics]] <br />[[Electrical engineering]]
| prizes            = [[Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize]] {{small|(1984)}}<br />[[Nobel Prize in Physics]] {{small|(1998)}}
}}

'''Daniel Chee Tsui''' ({{lang-zh |c = 崔琦 |p = Cuī Qí }}, born February 28, 1939) is an American [[physicist]]. He is currently serving as the Professor of Electrical Engineering, emeritus, at [[Princeton University]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Daniel Chee Tsui {{!}} Dean of the Faculty|url=https://dof.princeton.edu/about/clerk-faculty/emeritus/daniel-chee-tsui|newspaper=Office of the Dean of the Faculty|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref> Tsui's areas of research include electrical properties of thin films and [[microstructures]] of [[semiconductors]] and [[solid-state physics]].

Tsui won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] of 1998 with [[Robert B. Laughlin]] and [[Horst Ludwig Störmer|Horst L. Störmer]] "for their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations."<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1998|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1998/summary/|website=NobelPrize.org|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>

==Biography==
Tsui was born into a Chinese agricultural family with two illiterate parents in [[Fanzhuang (Henan)]] ({{lang|zh|范庄}}), [[Baofeng County|Baofeng]], [[Henan]], Republic of China, on February 28, 1939. Born in the midst of [[World War II|Second World War]], Tsui described his early childhood memories as being "filled with the years of drought, flood and war which were constantly on the consciousness of the inhabitants of my over-populated village."<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Physics 1998|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1998/tsui/biographical/|website=NobelPrize.org|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>

In 1951, Tsui left for [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] to attend [[Pui Ching Middle School (Hong Kong)|Pui Ching Middle School]] in [[Kowloon]], beginning his formal education at the level of sixth grade in his second year in Hong Kong. Tsui recalled facing difficulties due to his lack of familiarity with Cantonese dialect used.

Upon graduating in 1957, Tsui was admitted to the [[National Taiwan University]] Medical School, but due to uncertainties over whether he would be able to return to his family in China, he remained in Hong Kong to enroll in Special Classes Centre, a special two-year government program intended to prepare high school graduates for entrance into the [[University of Hong Kong]]. While preparing for the entrance examination to the University of Hong Kong in spring of 1958, Tsui was awarded a full scholarship to attend [[Augustana College (Illinois)|Augustana College]], his church pastor's Lutheran [[alma mater]] in the [[United States]]. Accepting the scholarship, Tsui arrived at Augustana College just after [[Labor Day]] of 1958.

After spending three years at Augustana College, Tsui graduated [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1961 as the only student of Chinese descent in his college. Tsui continued his study in physics at [[University of Chicago|the University of Chicago]], from where he received his [[PhD|Ph.D.]] in physics in 1967 after completing a doctoral dissertation, titled "de Haas-van Alphen effect and electronic band structure of nickel", under the supervision of Royal Stark.<ref>{{Cite thesis|title=de Haas-van Alphen effect and electronic band structure of nickel.|url=https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/4137987|date=1967|language=en|first=D. C.|last=Tsui}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last1=Wong|first1=Cheuk-Yin|title=An Open Letter to Daniel C. Tsui, from Royal W. Stark|date=1999-09-01|url=https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789812385284_0026|work=The Joy of the Search for Knowledge|pages=103–107|publisher=WORLD SCIENTIFIC|doi=10.1142/9789812385284_0026|isbn=978-981-02-4036-3|access-date=2020-05-29|last2=Lo|first2=James Shui-ip|last3=Lo|first3=Shui-Yin|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Badge|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SRD2K80JYpYC&q=linda+varland&pg=PA400|title=Nobel Faces: A Gallery of Nobel Prize Winners|date=2007-12-03|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-3-527-40678-4|language=en}}</ref> He remarked that due to the influence of prominent Chinese theoretical physicists and Nobel laureates [[Yang Chen-Ning|C. N. Yang]] and [[Tsung-Dao Lee|T. D. Lee]], both of whom studied at the University of Chicago, he had always known that he wanted to pursue graduate studies in physics at the institution.

While a graduate student at the University of Chicago, Tsui met Linda Varland, who was an undergraduate student there at the time, and the two married after the latter's graduation. Tsui is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Tsui and Varland have two daughters, Aileen and Judith. Judith graduated ''[[magna cum laude]]'' from Princeton University with a B.A. in anthropology in 1991 and is now an associate professor of medicine at the [[University of Washington School of Medicine]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Judith Tsui - CV|url=https://gim.uw.edu/sites/gim.uw.edu/files/Tsui_CV_2019Dec16.pdf|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=2020-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513011251/https://gim.uw.edu/sites/gim.uw.edu/files/Tsui_CV_2019Dec16.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Judith Tsui, MD, MPH {{!}} Division of General Internal Medicine {{!}} University of Washington|url=https://gim.uw.edu/faculty/judith-tsui-md-mph|website=gim.uw.edu|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=2020-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512092531/https://gim.uw.edu/faculty/judith-tsui-md-mph|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After receiving his Ph.D. and then remaining in Chicago for a year of postdoctoral research, Tsui joined the research staff at [[Bell Laboratories]] to perform research in solid state physics in 1968. At Bell Laboratories, instead of studying mainstream topics of interest in semiconductor physics such as optics and high energy band-structures or their applications in devices, Tsui devoted his attention to a new field called the physics of two-dimensional electrons.

Tsui and Störmer made the groundbreaking discovery of the [[fractional quantum Hall effect]] in 1982, while Laughlin provided a theoretical interpretation for the discovery the following year. This discovery will eventually be the reason of their winning of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Shortly after the discovery, Tsui departed from Bell Laboratories and joined the faculty of the department of electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University with the support of two Nobel laureates in February 1982. After 28 years at Princeton, Tsui transferred to emeritus status in 2010.

He was also an adjunct senior research scientist in the physics department of [[Columbia University]], and a research professor at [[Boston University]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Nobel Laureates » Office of the Provost {{!}} Boston University|url=https://www.bu.edu/provost/awards-publications/faculty-achievement/national-awards-and-distinctions/nobel-laureates/|website=www.bu.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-10-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DGCGBwAAQBAJ&q=daniel+tsui|title=Historical Dictionary of Science and Technology in Modern China|last1=Sullivan|first1=Lawrence R.|last2=Liu|first2=Nancy Y.|date=2015-03-19|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780810878556|language=en}}</ref>

Tsui is one of the 20 American recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics to sign a letter addressed to President [[George W. Bush]] in May 2008, urging him to "reverse the damage done to basic science research in the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill" by requesting additional emergency funding for the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]]'s [[Office of Science]], the [[National Science Foundation]], and the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Letter from America's Physics Nobel Laureates|url=https://fire.pppl.gov/nobel_bush_fy08_050808.pdf}}</ref>

2022, Tsui is among only three of Chinese Nobel laureates who voiced their support for Ukraine.<ref name="ukraine.html">{{cite web|url=https://www.nlcampaigns.org/ukraine.html|title=Nobel Laureate Support for Ukraine
|publisher=ukraine.html|access-date=2023-03-30}}</ref><ref name="rfa">{{cite web|url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/cl-03112022132431.html|title=194位诺贝尔奖得主声援乌克兰 中国没有获奖人签名
|work=Radio Free Asia
|date=11 March 2022
|publisher=rfa|access-date=2023-03-30 |archive-date=2025-03-06|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250306045101/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/cl-03112022132431.html}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
* [[Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize]], 1984<ref>{{Cite web|title=1984 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Physics Prize Recipient|url=http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Tsui&first_nm=D.&year=1984|website=www.aps.org|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
*Fellow of the [[American Physical Society]], elected 1985<ref>{{Cite web|title=APS Fellow Archive|url=http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm|website=www.aps.org|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
*Member of the U.S. [[National Academy of Sciences]], elected 1987<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daniel Tsui|url=http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/15503.html|website=www.nasonline.org|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
*Fellow of the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]], elected 1991<ref>{{Cite web|title=Elected Fellows|url=https://www.aaas.org/fellows/listing|website=American Association for the Advancement of Science|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
* [[The Franklin Institute Awards|Benjamin Franklin Medal]] in Physics, 1998
*[[Nobel Prize in Physics]], 1998
*Member of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]], elected 2000<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daniel C. Tsui|url=https://www.amacad.org/person/daniel-c-tsui|website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
*Member of the U.S. [[National Academy of Engineering]], elected 2004<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dr. Daniel C. Tsui|url=https://nae.edu/27799/Dr-Daniel-C-Tsui|website=NAE Website|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>
*Foreign Academician of the [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]], elected 2000<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.princeton.edu/webannounce/Princeton_Announcements/Archived/2000/JUL-DEC_Text.html|website=www.princeton.edu|access-date=2020-05-29|title=Princeton Announcements (Jul-Dec 2000)}}</ref>
*Academician of [[Academia Sinica]], Taipei

== See also ==
{{Portal|Physics|Biography}}
* [[Quantum hall effect]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Nobelprize}} including the Nobel Lecture, December 8, 1998 ''Interplay of Disorder and Interaction in Two-Dimensional Electron Gas in Intense Magnetic Fields''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090302174910/http://www.ee.princeton.edu/people/Tsui.php Faculty page at Princeton University]
* [https://dof.princeton.edu/about/clerk-faculty/emeritus/daniel-chee-tsui Faculty emeritus page at Princeton University]
{{Nobel Prize in Physics Laureates 1976-2000}}
{{1998 Nobel Prize winners}}
{{Ethnic Chinese Nobel laureates}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsui, Daniel Chee}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American physicists]]
[[Category:21st-century American physicists]]
[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:American Nobel laureates]]
[[Category:American scientists of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Augustana College (Illinois) alumni]]
[[Category:Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates]]
[[Category:Chinese emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Columbia University faculty]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society]]
[[Category:Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Physics]]
[[Category:Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize winners]]
[[Category:People from Pingdingshan]]
[[Category:Physicists from Henan]]
[[Category:Princeton University faculty]]
[[Category:Scientists at Bell Labs]]
[[Category:Semiconductor physicists]]
[[Category:University of Chicago alumni]]