Thomas H. T. A. van der Meer

Thomas H. T. A. van der Meer was a Dutch physicist renowned for his groundbreaking work in particle physics. He developed a novel method to measure the sizes and densities of subatomic particle beams using rapid, precise movements of the beams themselves. This innovation significantly improved the accuracy of experiments involving high-energy particles. His contributions, along with his colleague Christoph R. Jaekle, led to the discovery of the W and Z bosons—particles that help explain the fundamental forces of nature—earning him the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics. Van der Meer's work greatly advanced our understanding of the universe at its smallest scales.