Interview with Moty Heiblum, Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. Heiblum discusses his current work in mesoscopic physics and he reflects broadly on the interplay between theory and experiment in condensed matter. He recounts his family's travails in Europe during World War II and he discusses his childhood outside Tel Aviv. Heiblum describes his military service during the Six Day War and his education at Technion. He explains his interest in focusing on integrated optics for graduate school, and he describes the convoluted path that led to his research at UC Berkeley. Heiblum talks about his postdoctoral transition to solid state research at IBM Labs, and he explains his decision to return to Israel and to build up a solid-state program at the Weizmann. He describes his longstanding interest in the quantum Hall effect and his fascination with turning electrons "on and off." Heiblum discusses his group's contributions to quasiparticle research and he reflects on receiving the Buckley Prize. At the end of the interview, Heiblum conveys his motivations in building devices, he describes the "eureka" moments in his career, and he explains his future focus on exploring the possibilities of working with gallium arsenide.
University of Sao Paolo, Brazil (1951-1955); work with Ralph Shiller, Walter Schutzer, Mario Schoenberg; causal interpretation of quantum mechanics; probability theory - Pierre Simon Laplace’s theory; causality and chance, necessity and contingency; Hegel’s philosophy; lecturer at the Technion (Technical University), Israel (circa 1955-1956); marriage to Sara; problems in Israel; University of Bristol, research associate (1957-1961); visit with Niels Bohr in Copenhagen, 1957; negative experience at a conference-scientists interested in formulas but not the philosophy behind them.
