Richard R. Ernst

Richard R. Ernst was a Swiss physical chemist whose advances in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy made it faster and more sensitive. He received the 1991 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Fourier-transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: An NMR method that excites many resonances together and uses Fourier transformation to recover their frequencies. Ernst showed how pulsed excitation and signal averaging could make this approach practical.
Fourier transform: A mathematical operation that decomposes a signal into its constituent frequencies. It converts Ernst’s recorded time-domain NMR signals into interpretable frequency spectra.
ETH Zurich: A public research university in Zurich, Switzerland, known for science and engineering. Ernst studied chemistry there and later held a long academic career at the institution.
Anatole Abragam: A French physicist whose work helped establish the theory of nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance. His NMR scholarship formed part of the intellectual background to Ernst’s spectroscopy research.
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: A spectroscopic technique that uses nuclear spin behavior in magnetic fields to reveal molecular structure and dynamics. Ernst’s work expanded the sensitivity and range of this broader technique.
Free induction decay: The decaying oscillating signal emitted by nuclear spins after excitation by a radiofrequency pulse. Fourier analysis of this signal is central to pulsed NMR spectroscopy.
Stanford University: A private research university in California founded in 1885. Ernst conducted early NMR research there with physicist Weston A. Anderson.
Kurt Wüthrich: A Swiss chemist who developed NMR methods for determining biomolecular structures and received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Wüthrich applied multidimensional NMR to proteins, extending the kind of methods Ernst advanced.
Magnetic resonance imaging: An imaging technique that uses nuclear magnetic resonance signals to map properties inside the body. Developments in NMR sensitivity and signal processing helped enable later imaging applications.
Signal averaging: A technique that combines repeated measurements to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Ernst’s pulsed approach allowed repeated scans to strengthen weak NMR signals.

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