Lee C. Teng
Biography
With 70 years of experience in particle accelerator science, Lee Teng was known worldwide for his expertise and contributions to the field.
Born in China, Teng arrived in the United States in 1947 to pursue graduate studies in physics at the University of Chicago. It was there that he worked as a teaching assistant for Professor Enrico Fermi. The connection led to a position as cyclotron assistant for the 450-MeV proton synchrocyclotron then under construction at the Institute for Nuclear Studies, later renamed the Enrico Fermi Institute.
It was during this time that Teng discovered the method of regenerative extraction, now known as resonant extraction, to extract proton beams after acceleration. This is still considered the best beam extraction system for cyclotrons, with an extraction efficiency of nearly 50%. Teng accomplished the feat using only slide rules, protractors, compasses and “computers” capable of performing only the four arithmetical operations.
Teng earned his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1951. He continued his research in faculty positions at the University of Minnesota and Wichita State University before joining Argonne National Laboratory in 1955.
Initially, Teng was Argonne’s group leader of Accelerator Theory. He was closely involved with the design and development of the 12-GeV Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS), which at the time was the highest-energy weak-focusing synchrotron ever built. By 1961, Argonne named Teng Director of its Particle Accelerator Division, where he facilitated a prolific number of experiments and served as liaison to Washington and the high-energy physics community.
In 1967, Teng left Argonne to work at another U.S. national laboratory, Fermilab, where he spent 22 more years advancing the field of high-energy physics. During that time, as head of Accelerator Theory, he was a key force behind the design and construction of the Tevatron 400-GeV accelerator. Many of the ground-breaking design features of that synchrotron have since been adopted into the design of all subsequent high-energy machines around the world and are considered the norm.
In 1983, Teng took a two-year leave of absence from Fermilab to travel to Taiwan to lead the design and construction of the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre (NSRRC), the first third-generation synchrotron radiation facility in Asia. Today, with a capacity of 40 beamlines, the NSRRC is the biggest large-scale shared research facility in Taiwan. It is used by more than 2,000 scientists and students every year.
From the late 1970s to 1987, Teng was tasked with designing and building a weak-focusing synchrotron – not dissimilar to the ZGS – for irradiation of tumors at Loma Linda Hospital in California. He also participated heavily in discussions about the design of related components, such as treatment rooms, gantries and beam delivery nozzles. His work helped establish Loma Linda as the first hospital with clinical proton therapy capability.
Building the APS and Teaching Others
In 1985 and 1986, Teng returned to Argonne part-time as an Argonne Fellow. In 1989, he was named head of the Accelerator Physics group, where he oversaw the design of the Advanced Photon Source (APS). Research conducted at the APS, one of the most productive X-ray light sources in the world, has led directly to two Nobel Prizes, and contributed to a third. More than 5,500 scientists from labs, universities and industry conduct research at the facility in a typical year.
In addition to learning and doing, Teng was renowned for teaching and sharing what he knew. His written work as well as his availability and willingness to discuss any topic or project related to accelerators and physics were hallmarks of his career. For example, when Argonne, Fermilab and the U.S. Particle Accelerator School jointly created the Lee Teng Undergraduate Internship in Accelerator Science and Engineering in his honor in 2007, Teng routinely met with the interns to talk with them about their research and interests. The internship hosts 10 undergraduates each year.
Teng also served as emeritus scientist and advisor to Brookhaven National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, TRIUMF Canada’s particle accelerator center, KEK High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, and CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Lee C. Teng passed away at age 95 on June 24, 2022.
Awards, Honors, and Memberships
In 1956, the Chinese Ministry of Education awarded Teng its Gold Medal of Achievement. In 1962, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Immigrants Service League. In 1964, he was elected to member (Academician) of Academia Sinica, Taiwan/Republic of China. In 1970, Teng was named an Honorary Professor of the Beijing Normal University. In 2007, the American Physical Society awarded him the Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators. In his honor, Argonne, Fermilab, and the US Particle Accelerator School jointly created the Lee Teng Undergraduate Internship in Accelerator Science and Engineering in 2007.