Douglas D. Osheroff

Douglas D. Osheroff is an American physicist renowned for his contributions to low-temperature physics, particularly in understanding helium-3, a rare isotope of helium. He discovered that cooled helium-3 can behave in unusual ways, demonstrating superfluidity—a state where it flows without viscosity. This discovery has important implications in both fundamental physics and practical applications, such as advanced cooling technologies and theories concerning quantum mechanics. His work has enriched our understanding of matter at extremely low temperatures and has earned him a share of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics.