TOASTING EINSTEIN Photo

Photographer’s Note

TOASTING EINSTEIN

Türkçe: Fizik Nobel Ödülü kazanmis, yakin arkadasim William Phillips kahvesini üflüyordu. Çanagin üstünde görülen, Einstein'in portresini 30 yil evvel ben çizmistim — 1979 mesur fizikçinin dogumunun 100.cü yildönümüydü. Profösör Phillips Einstein'in bir teorisi hakkinda bir konferans vericekti.

In English: The date was March 14th, 2006, Albert Einstein's 125th birthday. William Phillips, gifted lecturer and physics Nobel Laureate, was about to give a talk on the Bose-Einstein condensate. In advent of his talk, Dr. Phillips was demonstrating how one might normally cool down a cup of coffee by blowing on it (infinitesimally, of course). In distinction, the technique of 'super-cooling' by trapping and cooling of atoms with laser beams, that he and his collaborators, Steven Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, developed, earned for them the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics. They achieved temperatures approaching absolute zero to less than a millionth of a degree Celsius. (The process makes atomic clocks very much more accurate. Norman Ramsey, the physicist who won the 1989 Nobel Prize for the invention of the atomic clock was presented in one of my earlier TE photos, "Genius".)

Supercooling led to a new theoretical framework for understanding laser cooling, it also helped to confirm some earlier theories that were hitherto untested. In 1995, a team of scientists from NIST and the University of Colorado used supercooling techniques as a first step to create a new state of matter that had been predicted in the 1920s by Albert Einstein, using some new ideas from the Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose. This new state of matter — a new kind of gas called a "Bose-Einstein condensate" — occurs when the gas is very cold and dense and a large fraction of the atoms essentially stops moving.

I had drawn the portrait of Einstein printed on the cup while wearing my hat as an artist instead of a physicist. I was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton in 1979, when the institution was gearing up to celebrate the Einstein Centennial. The great physicist, born on March 14, 1879 was a charter member of the Institute for Advanced Study, serving as a faculty member from 1930 to 1955, and attracting other gifted scientists and mathematicians.

Einstein had a quıck sense of humor. Once asked how he would be regarded if his theory of general relativity were proven correct, he responded, "If it is proven correct, the Germans wıll say İ am a German physicist, and the French will say I am a citizen of the world. If ıt turns out to be incorrect, the German will say I am a Jewish physicist, and the French will call me a German." Einstein was Time Magazine’s choice for the ‘Man of the 20th century.

I will be away from TE until August 21, while giving some talks in Europe. I wish a happy month to all my TE-friends.

Glint, BWJ, Wandering_Dan, Sne011, leonorkuhn, papagolf21, windosil, gunbud, Cretense, meltemi, paololg, CLODO, Emile, jwmunro, ChrisJ, Charo, Didi, Vasa, yedirenk, jhm, jafadabret has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Buin (37816) 2009-08-03 8:47

Hallo Bulent!
A really fancy and not everyday's picture! It made me smile - and what better could a photo do ...?! In combination with your excellent note - a wonderful contribution here! Have a nice stay on this side of the lake!;-)
Greetings from summerly Germany
Frank

Wandering_Dan (3257) 2009-08-03 9:06

Merhaba, Bulent -

A nice picture, but it's the story that really makes the picture stand out. Not just the physics of gas cooling, but one Nobel physicist blowing on another one!

By the way, did you know that the Mayan calendar is almost as accurate as the atomic clock (in terms of the solar year, that is), far more precise than the Gregorian.

Have a great trip, and bring us lots of photos!

Best,
Dan

Sne011 (3101) 2009-08-03 10:16

Hello Bulent
Funny and witty title, great capture, good idea overall :)
Have a nice time in Europe, don't work to much!
See you in a month then, take care!
Sne

leonorkuhn (13641) 2009-08-03 11:49

Hi Bülent,

You give us a lesson in physics and presents a beautiful picture at the same time. A scene of daily life can have a complex explanation in the context of physics. Good trip to Europe, returning with more interesting photos.

Greetings
Leonor

papagolf21 (56483) 2009-08-03 13:48

Bonsoir, cher ami Bulent,
Originale composition où le consommateur souffle sur le chaud de la tasse représentant Einstein !
J'aime cette réactivité et ce coup d'oeil de bon aloi !
Le rendu est parfait !
Bravo !
Amitiés.
Philippe

windosil (794) 2009-08-03 14:01

Dear Bulent,
The thumbnail really made me laugh after a half-hour looking at technically very competent but monumentally uninteresting photos. Of course, this is also technically competent as all your pictures are. Fascinating the way the cup seems to sit out in front of the picture plane.
Happy cruising!
Winifred

emka (21702) 2009-08-03 16:17

Hi Bulent, it is incredible photo! First thing is this cup with the portrait of Einstein made by you. This portrait is very interesting, showing left side of the face, rather unusual. Most photos (not so many of them) show the other side. But that Nobel Prize Winner is using it - wow! Have I ever seen any NPW?
Will you be on Crystal Serenity this year too? Have a nice trip in Europe

Malgorzata

gunbud (27955) 2009-08-03 19:10

Hi Bulent,
When I frist glanced this imagnative photo I knew there would be an interesting note to explain it and I was not disappointed.
Einstein thought he was wrong about his theory about the expanding universe but it turns out he was mistaken and again proven right.
Regards, Tom

Cretense (56318) 2009-08-04 4:29

Hello, dear Bulent!

Excellent, very clever title, for a beautiful, very original photo! Perfect tight framing, great composition, excellent light managment, and, as always, a very interesting note! Congratulations!

Hercules

paololg (13787) 2009-08-04 7:56

Ciao dear Bulent,
nice tribute to one of the most important physicists of the history of the man. Very interesting your notes about the experiments to get the absolute zero. I wish you a good stay in Europe and so many beautiful photos!
Ciao, dear frind, have a nice time!
Paolo

BWJ (1773) 2009-08-05 19:45

Hello Bulent,
This is a brilliant post - intellectually acute with a great lesson in physics, fascinating stories about three Nobel Prize winners and illustrated with a photo of your own sketch of Einstein on the coffee mug. Your TE posts are always outstanding, but this one surpasses the others.
Have a good trip to Europe.
Kind regards,
Betty

amazon (10695) 2009-08-06 7:51

einstein bilim dunyasindaki sima olarak hafizalarda yer etmis en tanidik yuzdur sanirim...bana gore o bir bilim adami olmanin cok otesinde ...bir aziz'dir neredeyse,kiyisindan ucundan hobi olarak biraz kuantum ile ilgilenen bir kisi olarak ufkumun acilmasindaki engin yeri icin ona minnettarim,hatirlattiginiz icin de size...
yarin gelip sizinle,zarif esiniz ve kizkardesinizle tanisabilmeyi cok istiyorum...umarim bir aksilik cikmaz,4 gun icin istanbul'da oldugunuzu soylediniz,bu araya ''bogazda ince belli bardakta cay keyfi''ni gerceklestirebilecekmiyiz sayin profesor?
selam,sevgi ve saygilarimla,
iffet

berek (28933) 2009-08-06 21:18

Merhaba Bülent bey,
çok güzel ve espri dolu bir kare. yaratılığı çok hoşuma gitti. bu sefer istanbul dışında olduğum için görüşemedik. 9 unda dönüyorsunuz değilmi.
selamlar
Burak

kdialyna (3068) 2009-08-07 3:30

Very interesting note with the right picture to accompany it.
Very good idea from you the cup with the Einstein's picture on it.
Best regards for the moment.
Kostas
PS I will be to the entrance of the museum about one o clock. You have my telephone in case we will not see each other.

CLODO (4318) 2009-08-07 5:53

Holà Bulent!
Good framing (and comment) to be focussed on Albert, THE subject.
Give me some ideas for my next pictures. Thank you
Regards
CLODO

Emile (20003) 2009-08-07 8:20

Hola Bulent.
Something different this time, nice capture of the physicist and the Einstein's cup.
Hope you will be in the Crystal Serenity on the 14th of September embarking in Istanbul so I can meet you.
Excellent note, thank you.
Best regards.

jwmunro (6595) 2009-08-07 16:02

Hello Bulent -

After reading your fine note I feel I am in rare company communicating with the esteemed artist and physicist Professor Atalay. Your discussion of physics and the world of these scientists was very understandable. Physics was a subject I struggled at both in HS and at university. Maybe if I had had you as my lecturer and instructor some of it might have taken. This is an excellent image and I do see the obvious and the unapparent parallels to the great Einstein.

Well done and enjoy August in Europe - a place I never tire off.

Thank you for sharing.

John

ChrisJ (70317) 2009-08-08 6:57

Hi Bulent

A superb close up shot of the Einstein mug, with excellent use of a shallow dof, & good sharpness, graphism & color. Have a nice weekend!

Charo (31671) 2009-08-10 17:06

Hello Bulent,
Great and original framing of this portrait. A photo very creative with a great definition. Bravo my friend!
Best wishes,
Charo

Didi (36196) 2009-08-12 6:40

Salam my friend
I say in French Chapeau ! for this nice composition.
Very good sharp picture, very good control of your DOF.
Best regards

erhan1958 (4043) 2009-08-14 2:12

merhaba bülent bey
netliği ile göz dolduran güzel bir foto olmuş
emeğinize sağlık
erhan

Bluejeans (32517) 2009-08-20 10:46

Ola Bulent,
Uma foto bem cómica para um bom titulo , gosto de canecas tenho bastantes :) , bem interessante esta com a face de Einstein , parabéns !!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Vasa (5702) 2009-08-21 4:33

Hi Bulent, dear friend,

your idea is superb. And your realization. And meeting with your gallery is happy moment. All the best friend!

Branko

yedirenk (7405) 2009-08-22 15:35

Hocam merhaba,
yaratıcılığınızla ilginç bir kompozisyon ve görüntü bu.güzel ve anlamlı bir an. ellerinize sağlık.selamlar

Cevdet

jhm (82723) 2009-08-24 4:19

Hello Dear Bulent,

Your note is again very well as usual.
The creation of a portrait on the coffee cup is real of you!
Very well composition, nice colour too. TFS.

Have a new hot day,
John.

jafadabret (39777) 2009-08-27 6:28

Bonjour Bulent.
Cette photo me plaît beaucoup pour son humour et sa note. J'aime ce cadrage serré sur le mug illustré et une partie du visage de ce goûteur.
Bravo pour le sourire du jour !
Amicalement
Jacques

emjleclercq (14340) 2009-09-03 13:57

So this is a demonstration of another of your artistical talent... But the posture is very lively, and a humoristic illsutration for your note of this very scientic conference.

All the best,

Emmanuel