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CORVALLIS - Norman Ramsey, who won the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his study of precision measurements using molecular beams and the creation of the hydrogen maser, will bring his work to Oregon State University on May 13 for a lecture on "Exploring the Universe with Atomic Clocks."

The presentation will be at 5 p.m. in Weniger Hall Room 153, followed by a reception at 6 p.m. in Kidder Hall Conference Room (128). It is free and open to the public.

Ramsey, a professor in the Lyman Laboratory of Physics at Harvard University, will describe how atomic clocks are used to test fundamental physical laws by physically measuring time and frequency.

These clocks are used to synthesize arrays of distant radio telescopes that yield extremely high angular resolution, to measure distances along the surface of the Earth for studying the planet's crustal dynamics, and to document and analyze the stability and fluctuations in pulsars and the Earth's rotation. Ramsey will discuss how these measurements apply to theories of relativity and gravitation.

Nobel laureate Ramsey is an internationally known atomic and molecular physicist who has been recognized with numerous prizes and 10 honorary degrees.