Tsung-Dao Lee

24 November 1926 – 4 August 2024

Tsung-Dao Lee (1926-2024) was a Chinese-American theoretical physicist who, with Chen-Ning Yang, proposed in 1956 that parity is not conserved in weak interactions, earning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics at the age of 31. He spent most of his career as a professor at Columbia University and made broad contributions to particle physics, statistical mechanics, and field theory.

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Life events

Born in Shanghai, China
24 November 1926

Tsung-Dao Lee was born the third of six children of businessman Tsing-Kong Lee.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Studied physics at National Southwestern Associated University in Kunming
1945

During the war years Lee studied under Ta-You Wu at the wartime united university, where he first met Chen-Ning Yang.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Moved to the United States on a Chinese government fellowship
1946

Lee left China to pursue graduate study at the University of Chicago despite not having completed an undergraduate degree.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Earned PhD from the University of Chicago under Enrico Fermi
1950

Lee completed his doctorate with a thesis on the hydrogen content of white dwarf stars.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Joined the faculty of Columbia University
1953

Lee became an assistant professor at Columbia, where he remained for the rest of his career and in 1956 became the university's youngest full professor at that time.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Proposed parity non-conservation in weak interactions with Chen-Ning Yang
October 1956

Lee and Yang published 'Question of Parity Conservation in Weak Interactions', predicting that parity symmetry could be violated, which Chien-Shiung Wu's experiment soon confirmed.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
10 December 1957

At 31, Lee shared the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics with Chen-Ning Yang for their investigation of parity laws, becoming one of the youngest Nobel science laureates.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Founded the China-U.S. Physics Examination and Application program
1979

Lee created the CUSPEA program, which enabled hundreds of Chinese students to pursue graduate physics study in the United States.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in San Francisco, California
4 August 2024

Lee died at his home in San Francisco at the age of 97.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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