Timothy Richard Hart died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism on 30 March 1994 in Hoboken, New Jersey, at 53 years of age. At the time of his death, he was professor of physics and engineering physics as well as dean of research at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.
Tim was born on 2 December 1940 in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He received a BA with honors in physics and mathematics from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, graduating magna cum laude in 1962. As an undergraduate, he spent a semester at Argonne National Laboratory under a science program of the Midwest Conference of Colleges. Tim earned an MS in physics from Cornell University in 1964. He was awarded a PhD in physics from MIT in 1970.
Tim did doctoral thesis research in experimental condensed matter physics at the MIT Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory. His graduate research pioneered the application of the powerful technique of Raman reflection spectroscopy to opaque crystals, specifically silicon and Cr2O3. His graduate research produced the first experimental data on the temperature dependence of the optical phonon energy and lifetime in silicon, and he carried out the first experimental observation of the effect of a magnetic field on Thomson scattering in silicon1–2. His thesis data are often included in textbooks on solid-state physics3. Tim’s thesis advisor was Benjamin Lax (1915–2015), who was the founding director of the National Magnet Laboratory. Lax remembered Tim as a gifted experimentalist and ranked Tim among the best of his 36 PhD physics students at MIT. Lax also recalled that Tim was an enthusiastic mentor for the younger graduate students at the laboratory.
Tim’s entire professional career in teaching, research, and administration was spent at Stevens Institute of Technology. He joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the department of physics and engineering physics in 1970. He was promoted to associate professor in 1975 and to professor in 1981. He was appointed head of the department in 1989. He also served as dean of the graduate school from 1991 to 1993. He was named dean of research in 1993.
Tim’s research areas at Stevens were in experimental condensed matter physics, particularly the optical properties of solids, quantum optics, and lasers. Early on, he established a research laboratory for Raman spectroscopy and inelastic light scattering. He and his students studied the optical properties of a wide range of solids, including Cr2O3, Fe3O4, Fe2O3, Mg-Cl-Boracite, MnTe, and silicon. His research also included the surface electrochemistry of HgCdTe and YBa2Cu3O7. He supervised over 20 doctoral theses, the largest number for any professor in the department’s history. He was instrumental in forming the Center for Laser Physics and Technology and the Center for Quantum Electron Physics and Technology at Stevens. He coordinated the Stevens off-campus physics graduate programs at AT&T Bell Laboratories. Ever popular as a teacher, both on the undergraduate and graduate levels, Tim and his courses were always deeply appreciated and valued by his students. Even as his administrative duties significantly increased in later years, he remained active as a teacher and thesis adviser. For his many and varied contributions to teaching and research at Stevens, Tim was awarded an honorary master of engineering degree in 1985.
Tim was a member of the American Physical Society, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi.
He resided in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife, Luz, and their three children, Monica, Philip, and Stefanie.
Tim was a man of exceptional character. His good will, his fine gentlemanly spirit, and his generosity have been long remembered by all who knew and worked with him. Tim was indeed a man committed to his community, giving readily of himself to the various needs of his students, his colleagues, and his family. He did so with energy, intelligence, talent, dedication, and always with good humor.
References:
1. T. R. Hart, “Magnons and phonons in solids,” PhD thesis, MIT Department of Physics, June 1970.
2. T. R. Hart, R. L. Aggarwal, and B. Lax, Phys. Rev. B 1, 638 (1970).
3. Charles Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics, 8th Edition (Wiley, 11 November 2004). Figures 15 and 16 on page 446 are reproduced from Tim’s 1970 Physical Review B paper, which is based on his PhD thesis. The figures show Tim’s data for the Raman scattering spectra of silicon at three temperatures.
