The new APS fellows are ORNL Director Thom Mason, nuclear physicist Krzysztof Piotr Rykaczewski and materials scientist John Budai. Election to fellowship in the APS is limited to no more than one half of one percent of the annual APS membership and is in recognition of outstanding contributions to physics.
Mason was cited by the APS's Division of Condensed Matter Physics for his career in condensed matter physics with a focus on neutron scattering science. As leader of the Spallation Neutron Source from 2001 to 2007, he oversaw the successful construction and startup of one of the nation's largest science projects. He was named laboratory director this summer.
In his research career Mason has studied the magnetic fluctuations in superconductors and novel magnetic materials and the application of neutron scattering to measuring residual strain in engineering materials.
Mason, a native of Nova Scotia, Canada, received a degree in physics from Dalhousie University in Halifax and his doctorate in physics from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He has co-authored more than 100 papers and has given more than 30 invited talks at international conferences.
He lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, Jennifer McGillivray, and two sons.
Rykaczewski's research in ORNL's Physics Division, cited by the APS's Division of Nuclear Physics, has focused on studies at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility on the behavior of radioactive nuclei far from stability, including investigations of the strongly bound "doubly magic" nuclei.
His identification of the doubly magic nucleus tin-100 was named 1994's experiment of the year in nuclear physics by the APS. Rykaczewski's experiments, including those at the Holifield Facility, have led to the identification of more than 60 new nuclei.
Rykaczewski, a native of Poland, received his masters, doctorate and habilitation in physics from Warsaw University, and a professor title from the President of Poland. He has co-authored more than 100 papers and given more than 40 invited talks at international conferences.
He resides in Oak Ridge with his artist wife, Anna. He has two children.
Budai, a researcher in the Materials Science and Technology Division, was cited by the APS's Division of Materials Physics "for seminal materials physics contributions to the structure and synthesis of quasicrystals, nanocrystals formed by ion-implantation, and epitaxial high-temperature superconductors using advanced synchrotron x-ray techniques."
Among Budai's research accomplishments are the origination of a new concept for fabricating high-temperature superconducting materials, and more recently, co-development of synchrotron x-ray microscopy techniques with submicron spatial resolution. He shared an R&D 100 Award in 1999 for his part in the invention and development of roll-textured metal substrates for making superconducting wire.
He is the author of more than 275 publications and has given many invited talks. The former Eugene P. Wigner fellow received his bachelor's degree as salutatorian from Dartmouth College and his master's degree and doctorate from Cornell University.
Budai lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, Kathy, and two daughters.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram laboratory managed for the Department of Energy by UT-Battelle.