Burton Richter

“What we're really after is trying to understand what's in the mind of God.”

“I was born on 22 March 1931 in New York, the elder child of Abraham and Fanny Richter.”

“During my first year as a graduate student, we worked on a measurement of the isotope shift and hyperfine structure of mercury isotopes.”

“For nuclear power to have a future, we'll either need more Yucca Mountains or a way to decrease the stuff we put there.”

“Is the sky falling? No. It's maybe drooping a bit.”

“Since stepping down as laboratory director in 1999, I have devoted an increasing fraction of my time to international issues. I am involved with energy, environment, and sustainability issues, particularly as they involve new energy sources free of greenhouse gases.”

“Theorists can create all sorts of theories which go beyond the Standard Model. But there's not one bit of experimental evidence to point out which way you should go.”

“What lots of people have been trying to do ever since is find what's beyond the current Standard Model. So far, it has stood impervious to all attacks.”

“Modern science is fast-moving, and no laboratory can exist for long with a program based on old facilities. Innovation and renewal are required to keep a laboratory on the frontiers of science.”

“What I found was that I thoroughly enjoyed the plumbing of experiment.”

“In 1948 I entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, undecided between studies of chemistry and physics, but my first year convinced me that physics was more interesting to me.”

“I got no thrill from solving an integral equation, but I did get a thrill from building an exotic piece of equipment that worked.”

“I've become interested in the impact of climate change on the world and the future of energy needs for the developing world.”

“Iran wants to join the group of countries that want to know about the biggest things, like space.”

“Total failure isn't something I want to spend a lot of time envisioning. I'm pretty sure I'll recognize it if it comes.”

“The reason why Three Mile Island makes such a big impact is because of a Jane Fonda movie called 'The China Syndrome.'”

“While a lab director can get done the things that he regards as important, he has the more important job of bringing out the best ideas of the broader scientific community. I learned this early in my career while I was leading the construction of the SPEAR facility.”

“So now, if we don't fund the physical sciences, where will the Next Big Thing come from?”

“As accelerators reach higher and higher energies, we may need a new Standard Model, or, at least, today's may need to be modified, but that's the way science operates.”

“The sun doesn't shine at night, and wind power is highly variable. To meet our emissions goals, we're going to have to grasp every arrow in the quiver, and nuclear is one of those arrows.”