Martin Lewis Perl

American scientist (1927–2014)

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Lived 1927–2014, aged 87United States

United States ScientistsScientist

Wikipedia
73 languages
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Era
1927–2014
Aged 87
Awards
3
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

He found a particle no one was looking for. Martin Lewis Perl discovered the tau lepton — a heavy cousin of the electron that rewrote the family tree of matter — and collected a Nobel in 1995 for seeing what the standard models hadn't predicted.

Biography

About

Martin Lewis Perl was born June 24, 1927, and trained first as a chemical engineer before crossing into physics. His experimental work led to the discovery of the tau lepton, a finding that expanded the known structure of subatomic particles and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995. He died September 30, 2014, decades after the detection that secured his place in particle physics.

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Martin Lewis Perl

Martin Lewis Perl

said1995

It is always a good plan for a speculative experimenter to have two experiments going, or at least one going and one being built.

— Nobel Lecture, Martin L. Perl, The Nobel Prize in Physics 1995

Martin Lewis Perl

saidundated

The experimenter dealing with nature faces an outside and often hard world. Natures' curriculum cannot be changed.

— in his Nobel Autobiography, edited by

Martin Lewis Perl

saidundated

Experimental science is a craft and an art, and part of the art is knowing when to end a fruitless experiment.

— Nobel prize lecture

Martin Lewis Perl

saidundated

Common elements of creativity are originality and imagination. Creativity is intertwined with the freedom to design, to invent and to dream.

Martin Lewis Perl

saidundated

Imagination and obsession are the keys to getting a good idea. To help your imagination keep your eyes and ears open. Avoid the "not invented here prejudice".

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

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