# Nicolaas Bloembergen

_Dutch-born American physicist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/nicolaas-bloembergen
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Nicolaas Bloembergen was a Dutch–American physicist recognized for his work in developing driving principles behind nonlinear optics for laser spectroscopy. During his career, he was a professor at Harvard University and later at the University of Arizona and at Leiden University in 1973.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 11 March 1920 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Dordrecht ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P19))
- **Died:** 5 September 2017 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P570))
- **Place of death:** Tucson ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Kingdom of the Netherlands; United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; theoretical physicist; university teacher; Nobel Prize winner ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P106))
- **Education:** Leiden University; Harvard University; Utrecht University ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P69))
- **Spouse:** Huberta Deliana Brink ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P26))
- **Awards:** Guggenheim Fellowship; Nobel Prize in Physics; Frederic Ives Medal; Stuart Ballantine Medal; Lorentz Medal; Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize; IEEE Medal of Honor; National Medal of Science; Dirac Medal for the Advancement of Physics; Humboldt Research Fellowship; IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award; Fellow of the American Physical Society; honorary doctorate at the Laval University; Humboldt Prize; Fellow of the Optical Society ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987#P166))

## Questions

**When was Nicolaas Bloembergen born?**  
Nicolaas Bloembergen was born on 11 March 1920 in Dordrecht.

**Where did Nicolaas Bloembergen study?**  
Nicolaas Bloembergen was educated at Leiden University, Harvard University, Utrecht University.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Nicolaas Bloembergen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaas_Bloembergen) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q189987](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189987) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Nicolaas Bloembergen 1981.jpg by ... Vetter (Spaarnestad Photo) (CC BY-SA 3.0 nl)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolaas_Bloembergen_1981.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Nicolaas Bloembergen, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Nicolaas Bloembergen 1981.jpg — ... Vetter (Spaarnestad Photo), CC BY-SA 3.0 nl.

## Cite this page

"Nicolaas Bloembergen". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/nicolaas-bloembergen. Retrieved 6 November 2026.